Lost in Translation

"Why can't he understand me?"
I remember the first time we have traveled to South Korea. With little knowledge of the language, we were able to explore on our own. Though I can't forget this one incident wherein we were going in circles inside Naksan Park. We were trying to find our way back to the subway station but we do not have a clue which way to go. We asked a young man passing by how to get to Hyehwa (혜화) station. I am pretty much confident back then that I am saying it correctly but he seems not to understand the name of the station so I keep repeating myself. We showed the name of the station and that's the time he understood what we were trying to say. He mentions the name of the station but somehow pronounces it differently. Then I realized I mispronounced the name of the station.
In learning any language, pronunciation is very important. A mispronounced word may result in misunderstanding and might be mistaken for another word with a different meaning. A simple example would be these two words 크다 (big) and 끄다 (to turn off). In learning the Korean language, I now understand the difference between these letters, especially with a single constant (like ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ ) and double consonant (like ㄸ, ㅃ, and ㅉ) on how they should be pronounced. Thanks to Jayden Oppa for being so patient in teaching me the correct pronunciation of words. He also teaches me the difference between Seoul and Busan dialects. With his help my pronunciation improves a lot.
It takes some time to get used to how the words are pronounced especially if you are just learning the language. Take your time and try to speak the language your learning as often as possible. Listening to music or watching videos in the language that you are learning can help enhance your pronunciation.