Nelson Benedict
- Jun 14, 2022
- 4 min read

Learn a New Language

Hello, Bonjour, 你好 Kēpōers!

We all agree that language is essential to human life, right? It makes communication possible. It provides the human need for interaction with others. It even moves you to read this article right here right now. And so, surely we need to master other languages besides Indonesian and English. By doing so, not only are we able to communicate with a larger group of people but also respect them.

Fun fact, there are about 7.100 languages spoken today, each with its own characteristics. Even if we were given 1000 years, mastering 7.100 languages is just too much for the human brain. However, cast those worries away, for Team Kepo E-Magazine is here to provide you with the best languages to learn at the moment and ways for you to quickly master them. Curious? Keep reading this article to find out!

Top 4. Spanish

The first language we choose is the magnificent Spanish. One of the reasons for choosing this language is its whopping amount of language speakers. Unlike most languages that are native to one country, Spanish is the official language to most Latin American countries, 20 to be exact. Imagine those native speakers coupled with speakers from other countries, such as the United States. Besides being spoken by many, we recommend mastering this language because of the rich culture of Latin Americans. Surely, with an understanding of their language, we could appreciate their culture better.

To master Spanish, besides taking lessons, we recommend enjoying their songs such as that tear-jerking one from the Disney movie "Coco". For your information, Disney made two versions of the song titled "Remember Me" in Spanish and English. Listening to the song in both languages could help you master Spanish better. However, there aren't that many songs that have more than one language version.

For the song genre, we recommend listening to ballads, which are poems or songs narrating a story in short stanzas. Ballads serve as a great alternative because they are slow and easy to sing along.

Top 3. Japanese

Next up on our list is Japanese. With the rising amount of anime production as well as anime watchers out there, I think it comes as little to no surprise that this language made it to our list. Studying this language brings a lot of benefits since Japanese products have always been something the whole world enjoys. As said before, the number of both anime production and watchers has grown dramatically in the past years. This has led to increased interest as well in their music, clothing, games, and you guessed it, language. Unlike Spanish, Japanese is in fact a language that is official in a single country but the speakers of Japanese outside of Japan are numerous.

To master this language, we recommend enjoying anime. Although some people may have mixed views regarding anime, it's really just another style of visual entertainment. It is created for all ages. Let's say “Pokémon”. This anime is produced to be loved by children. And for adult viewers “Attack on Titan” is very entertaining. Keep in mind to always have something to write on. while watching, that way you can write down any new words you encounter and then translate them on a translation app. So, not only are you getting some entertainment, but also you are mastering a whole new language! Who says learning can't be enjoyable?

Top 2. Korean

Taking the third spot on our list, we have Korean. Similar to the previous case, we recommend studying Korean due to the increased interest in the entertainment industry. Both K-Pop and K-Drama have taken a massive jump in the last couple of years. People have even created a term that refers to the global spread of Korean pop culture known as the "Korean wave". Although this term dates back to the 1990s, it is still evident in Korea's massive achievements. One of their original shows, "Squid Game", has been the most-watched show on Netflix with 1.65 billion hours of streaming.

To master Korean, we recommend learning Hangul, the language’s letter, as your first step. Although it may seem daunting at first, studying Hangul is the fastest way to master Korean. Studying Hangul is relatively easy because it is very logical, being heavily built on sounds. And it will give you an easier time learning Korean pronunciation. Mastering Hangul also allows you to understand more learning materials, such as K-Drama subtitles, K-Pop lyrics, and many more. So, to all of you who are or will study Korean, team Kepo E-Magazine would like to say: Fighting!

Top 1. Mandarin

Last but not least, we have Mandarin. Most of you probably saw this one coming. But hey, can you blame us? With the current progress rate of China’s economy, by 2050, China is thought to become one of the leading economies in the world. Even today, China has already been considered the second leading economy, with most transactions being done in Mandarin. Not only that, Mandarin is also an official language in multiple countries, namely Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, and many more. Although the numbers reported may be slightly off, Ethnologue and Wiki put the number of native Mandarin speakers close to 1.2 billion speakers, leaving many people to believe that Mandarin will be the next international language along with English.

And so, to become a citizen of the future, we think it's nearly a must to master Mandarin. The best way to do so, in our opinion, is to watch Chinese films, enjoy Chinese music, and practice conversation with a fluent Mandarin speaker. This is because Mandarin has tone contours that could thoroughly change the meaning of your sentence if said wrongly. Although context often pardons those tonal mistakes, in some cases, these small mistakes can make your whole sentence completely incomprehensible. However, to master one of the hardest languages in the world, we surely also need to take classes regarding their vocabulary, grammar, etc. As citizens of SMAK IPEKA Tomang, we are privileged enough to receive Mandarin as an official school subject. So, make sure to pay attention in class!

Writer : Dennison Soedibjo

Editor : Letrisha Telium Hanapie

References: