Welcome to our fourth issue of WORDWISE!

In this issue, we showcase Franchesca Ulloa (DEALL '21), who embraces her Peruvian heritage through music and dance, while finding her passion for Korean language and culture through watching Korean videos. Along with previous features about Michelle Goodman's examination of human rights issues (WW#1) and about Lia Gomez-Perez's and Liyah Varghese's endeavors to improve language access in healthcare services (WW#3), these stories highlight how recent immigrants from the Spanish-speaking world, heritage speakers, bilinguals, and passionate learners of Spanish have been at the forefront of reminding all of us how multilingualism is hard-wired into the fabric of American society. For more about Franchesca's story, see the "Student Voices" column.

For people who are also interested in Korean language learning, the Institute for Korean Studies (IKS) will present a Korean-language lecture by Jung Hee Lee: "Assessing the Use of Google Translate in Korean Learning." For those who are considering careers in the entertainment industry, the Institute for Japanese Studies (IJS) will present a career talk & lecture by Brandon Schindewolf: "Crossroads: The Japanese Entertainment Industry, My Experiences, and Where We Go From Here." For more information about these two talks, please check our new column, "T&I in the Language." This column will draw attention to more language-specific information and opportunities offered at OSU and beyond. If you are aware of such events in your language(s) of interest, please share them with us.
 
Prof. Patricia Sieber (T&I Program Director)
Yao Hui (Ph.D. candidate, GAHDT T&I GAA)

Student Voices 

Before finding her passion for Korean language and culture, Franchesca Ulloa (DEALL '21) thought about becoming a video editor. She loved to explore various editing software and through this interest, she discovered Korean variety shows before she decided on her college major: "These shows have a lot of captions all over the screen with a bunch of different colors. They just pop out at you…In general, I want to read everything that comes up on a screen, and that's how I started learning Korean." When she became more comfortable with the language, she tried to translate the captions, wanting to share what made her happy with a wider audience.
 
While taking Korean classes and CLLC translation courses at OSU, Franchesca started to translate more stories she liked, with the same idea of bringing comfort to more readers and spreading happiness. The process of translation reminded her of video editing: "You have to spend so much time looking at the same piece over and over. Do I want this? Or do I want that? It comes down to two or three choices. I like that nitpicky stuff!"
 
As she gained more translation experience inside and outside the classroom, Franchesca realized that she prefers professional translation over literary translation. She noticed that she is a visual learner who chooses to learn language by watching YouTube videos. Back when she was a kid, she participated in many international festivals with her mom, who was teaching Peruvian folk dances. Later on, she became aware that she engaged with her Peruvian heritage through music and dance more than through language. At the same time, she noted that the realization that different people connect with their heritage in different ways made her receptive to and curious about other cultures. Now studying Korean at Kyung Hee University in Seoul as a result of winning the "Highest Standing Award" in the second Midwest Korean Speech Contest, Franchesca reminds herself:

"Being engaged with the language that you're trying to learn is going to make a big difference…Engage in the culture in your own way, find something you're interested in, and really hold on to that."
 

T&I in the Language

Brandon Schindewolf to present on the Japanese entertainment industry on October 11
The Institute for Japanese Studies (IJS) will present a lecture by Brandon Schindewolf, ISARIBI Consulting, Tokyo, on Monday, October 11 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. online (registration required). Mr. Schindewolf will present "Crossroads: The Japanese Entertainment Industry, My Experiences, and Where We Go From Here."

Japanese entertainment content has never been more popular globally. The rise of popular streaming sites such as Crunchyroll and Funimation has put Japanese animation, and the actors, music, and values that come with it, into every Internet‐connected household in the world. And at the center of these changing times for the industry, one American artist manager in Japan provides a unique perspective into the inner workings of the talent management and anime production business, and how it must change and adapt to best meet the needs of a global audience. Brandon Schindewolf will speak about his personal and professional experiences over the three years he has worked in an industry that finds itself at a crossroads: Can the globally‐beloved Japanese entertainment industry, previously primarily focused on a domestic market, find its way forward in a rapidly‐globalizing market?

Jung Hee Lee to present on Korean language learning apps on October 21
The Institute for Korean Studies will present a lecture by Jung Hee Lee, Kyung Hee University, on Thursday, October 21 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. online (registration required). Professor Lee will present "Assessing the Use of Google Translate in Korean Learning." This lecture will be presented in Korean.

Today's foreign language learners are digital natives who are familiar with digital devices and networked settings since childhood. This generation is accustomed to communicating, digesting information, leading daily life, and managing work virtually in an "untact" (a Korean term meaning non-contact) environment. Particularly, the pandemic has led to a significant increase in the number of useful programs, apps, and content to learn Korean online. In addition to the spelling and spacing correction functions in MS Word and Hangul programs that have been traditionally used, there are many apps available for learning and practicing Korean vocabulary, grammar, and conversation. Chatbots capable of communicative exchanges at sentence and paragraph levels as well as platforms using VR (Virtual Reality)/AR (Augmented Reality) technology are being developed and made available. In this talk, I will introduce Korean language learning apps and online programs that can be utilized in Korean learning. In particular, as the quality of machine translation increases dramatically with the development of deep learning technology and AI (Artificial Intelligence), the discussion will focus on how Google Translate can be utilized for learning Korean.

T&I Events