Korean language courses soar in popularity at U.S. universities

欧巴都可以：韩语课程席卷美国大学(双语)

　　韩语课程席卷美国课堂

　　Many Korean language learners said they are inspired to take classes because of their affinity for South Korean pop culture.LOS ANGELES, April 6 (UPI) -- The popularity of South Korean music and entertainment has led to an outsize demand for Korean language courses at U.S. universities, and South Korean pop videos feature prominently in the curriculum as a tool for student learning。

　　随着韩国流行音乐和娱乐文化在全球的风靡，越来越多的美国大学生选修韩语课程。学生学习这些课程的主要工具是韩国流行音乐以及录影带。

　　Enrollment in Korean language classes has witnessed the largest percentage increase, rising 45 percent from 2009 to 2013. The Los Angeles Times reported 154 institutions now offer Korean – up more than 70 percent from 10 years ago. The number of students in Korean classes now is 12,230. The group includes a mix of Koreans and non-Koreans。

　　从2009年到2013年，韩语课程的选修人数大量增加(增长了45%)。据《洛杉矶时报》报道，目前已有154所学校开设韩语课程，相比10年前，其数量已经增长了70%。韩语课的学生总数如今已达到12230人，其中包括韩国人和其他国家的人。

　　UCLA student Olivia Hernandez, a psychology major, told the Times she was inspired by her affinity for South Korean pop music and television to enroll in introductory Korean. She also said she plans to use her Korean language skills as a therapist。

　　加州大学洛杉矶分校的心理系学生Olivia Hernandez表示，她受韩国流行音乐和电视剧的启示，决定开始学习韩语。希望自己在今后做治疗师工作的时候能够用到韩语。

　　Rosemary Feal, executive director of the Modern Language Association, said Korean pop culture in film and music is a driver behind the increased enrollment。

　　美国现代语言学会主席Rosemary Feal认为，学韩语人数不断增加的主要原因是韩国电影和音乐中的流行文化。面对美国大学全范围的预算削减，学生们必须选择放弃人文学科专业，去选择像科学和经济学一类更加实用的课程。

　　The boom in Korean language learning comes at a time when campuses nationwide are facing budget cuts and students are under pressure to forgo the humanities for practical classes in science and business。

　　The classes are designed to be fun, with K-pop music videos frequently used to segue to a grammar lesson or a topic of conversation.It is non-Koreans, interestingly, who are leading the trend in Korean language learning。

　　学生们通过艺术和美的形式来学习韩语课程，大多数时间，利用韩国流行歌曲的MV来引出语法或是对话主题。有趣的是，虽然一部分学生学韩语的兴趣来自第二或第三代韩国移民[微博]的后代，但在这场大学学韩语的热潮中，引领潮流的并不是韩国人。

　　Sherri Ter Molen, a researcher and doctoral candidate at Wayne State University, told UPI the Korean language craze also has hit adult Americans.Through in-depth interviews with 76 non-Korean members of Korean Meetup groups, Ter Molen said most adults had encountered Korean culture through K-pop, Korean television dramas and films. They study on their own, she said, using sites such as Talk To Me In Korean。

　　美国韦恩州立大学的博士生Sherri Ter Molen介绍，流行学习韩语也影响到了美国的成年人。在对学习韩语的76名非韩国公民深入采访后，Ter Molen说：“绝大多数人都是看了韩国电视剧、电影和听了韩国流行音乐后对韩语产生了兴趣，从而利用网站进行自学。

　　Seoul has supported the popularization of South Korean pop culture overseas, and has surpassed Japan's efforts in many countries, The Atlantic reported。

　　首尔对韩国流行文化在海外流行的支持力度很大，其影响力超过了日本在多个国家的宣传。

　　American singers have also teamed up with K-pop stars in recent years, including Snoop Dogg with the South Korean singer Psy, whose unexpectedly successful hit "Gangnam Style" is the YouTube video with the most views since it was made available in 2012.

　　近几年来，美国歌手和韩国流行歌手携手合作单曲，包括Snoop Dogg和PSY。从2012年PSY出现在Youtube上以后，《Gangnam Style》MV成为了史上浏览量最高的视频。

(来源：合众社) 本文选自《小火炉的博客》的新浪博客，请点击查看原文。