Living thousands of miles away from home is bound to make someone feel lonely. Not being able to see loved ones or the absence of local comfort food can contribute to the feeling of emptiness, but language barriers certainly are the biggest source of alienation. Despite being a talkative individual back home, I often find myself keeping silent even when I’m in a crowd. It’s because I have many conflicting thoughts in my head: what if I make mistakes, and people think I’m stupid?; is this the right word to use?; Have I learned English at all? Lost in these conundrums, I miss my opportunity to speak.

Korean players just breaking into the NA scene must have gone through a similar phase. Not only that, players can’t just keep silent because the ability to communicate freely is a prerequisite for pro gamers who have to play as part of a team. Living in the teamhouse with English-speaking teammates helps, but may not be enough.

During my time providing NA LCS coverage, I met Sophie Ahn, who teaches English and provides moral support for Korean players on foreign soil. She’s an English tutor who facilitates smooth communication for many Korean players in LCS. I caught up with Ms. Ahn and was able to get a glimpse into how she indirectly helps players ground themselves both in and outside the game.

How did you start out as an English tutor for Korean players in the NA LCS?

I work at a college, but I don’t get paid during summer breaks when I don’t have work. I was shocked to have no work for 3 months. That’s why I posted my profile on tutoring sites to earn money during breaks.

Soon I received a call from Phoenix1’s manager. He didn’t give me much information at the time. There was a Korean student of high school age, and that’s as much as I knew. I didn’t think much of it. When I first got to the house, I was rather startled by the rows of computers. I even thought about not going there, thinking they might be hackers or something. Then it somehow worked out, and that’s how I got started with the English lessons, beginning with Pirean. Looking back at it now, he caught up incredibly fast, which made me realize how smart pro gamers have to be. In just 3 short months, he became fluent in English.

As other teams with Korean players caught on, I kept getting referenced. That’s how it spread.

Phoenix1 did you a service!

Phoenix1 is an excellent organization.

Were there English tutors in the LCS before you?

No, I don’t think so. There weren’t many Korean players to start with. I guess people assumed that they would pick up the language as time went on. Their English does get better, but it either takes a very long time or they speak grammatically incorrect English.

I’ve often heard how important English is for communication in the game, probably more than I can imagine. Am I correct in saying that you should try to speak English even if it feels clunky?

Being fluent in English has so many upsides. First, players will get more fans. The more fans a player has, the more popular the team becomes. I’ve also heard that players with better English proficiency receive higher salaries. That’s why players work hard to learn it. Besides in-game communication, language carries more weight in improving the brand value of players and teams. Fly, who didn’t speak English well, told me he could talk to his teammates in game without too much trouble. Just saying, “Karma no Flash” has enough information to make sense. What’s more important is branding.

Riot holds a conference for new Korean players coming to the LCS. One of the things they talk about is English. They explain why English is important and emphasize the advantages of talking to fans in English even if their grasp of the language isn’t perfect. I think this year was the first conference because so many Korean players transferred here. Oh, I happened to be the speaker in that session. [laughs]

What are some of the things you stressed at the conference?

Players should just speak English even if they make mistakes. I know it’s easier said than done, so I have an example to support my point.

Let’s say there’s a new amazing foreign player. Maybe it’s Bjergsen? This player joins a Korean team and has to learn Korean to play games. And one day, you had lunch with him. The foreign player looks at his crumpled notes and orders food in broken Korean. I ask players what they would think at that moment.

Most Korean players say things like, “that would look cute”, “I’d want to help him”, or “I wouldn’t think it’d be weird to hear him speak broken Korean.” Then I follow up by asking them if they would think he’s stupid for making mistakes in Korean. Players say they wouldn’t think so. And then I say that the foreign player in the example is you. I urge them not to be afraid to speak in English.

Who took this lesson to heart the most?

Arrow, hands down. There’s no question. He speaks English all the time, even when he’s with other Koreans.

I’ve heard that Arrow used to be an excellent student when he was in school.

Yeah, he was like 14th in the whole school.

Does Arrow speak impeccable English now?

He still makes a lot of mistakes, but they’re passable. Fans love him for the effort, evidenced by the number of supporters he has.

So then, were there any players who weren’t model cases?

A ton. 90% of them are in a pretty rough shape. [laughs]

Tell us. Is Looper, who is famous for his lack of words, in that group?

No, he’s actually very good and is comfortable in expressing himself, not to mention that he uses all the correct grammar. I really enjoy having him as my student.

As far as being terse goes, C9 Ray is on the quiet side, especially when meeting new people. I kept telling him that he has to talk to other native speakers if he wants to improve. When I asked him who he felt most comfortable talking with, he told me it was Jack, the team’s owner. Ray often talks to Jack because that’s who he feels the most comfortable with, which is unheard of in Korea.

Do the English levels of players have a wide variance?

Yes, they’re all over the place. Each player has his own preference or language style, personal goals, and baseline knowledge. I wouldn’t have to prepare as much if I could tutor all of them the same way, but that’s never the case. I have a file that lists all the English levels that each team wants its players to achieve. The higher the desired level, the more time I need to prepare. A one-hour tutoring session usually involves more than 2-3 hours of preparation on my end.

For advanced levels like Phoenix1’s Ryu and Arrow, I write down everything shoutcasters say or stuff from interviews for about 5 minutes. I then have my students listen to those and have them do the same thing.

If you listen to a lot of caster scripts, don’t you also learn in the process?

I do pick up many words that I didn’t know before. I studied a lot about the lingo used in League. I learned it by comparing what LCK casters and the LCS ones say about the same situation. It was pretty hard. I’ve been doing it for about a year, and I would say it was harder than studying for a doctorate because everything was so new to me. I didn’t even know what CS was.

I personally had a hard time dealing with grammar as I learned English. Will you tell us about the importance of grammar or players who have good grammar?

I got my Ph.D relating to grammar, so I have a lot of interest in the field. There are two players who share the same interest: Fly and MadLife, surprisingly.

MadLife didn’t speak a word of English when I first met him. Now he speaks really good English. I gave him a grammar book for him to study, and he read that book whenever he was bored ever since. He said it was fun and taught himself grammar that way.

MAmen - I mean, he must be a genius.

During off-seasons when he was in Korea, he had questions about grammar and asked me to Skype him. I tutored him at least once a week, and he very much enjoyed those times. I thought he was odd, but Fly took it to a whole other level. [laughs] I’ve only met him twice, so I’m not sure how quickly he’ll learn. Anyway, MadLife picked up super fast.

Which teams do you currently tutor?

Every team with Korean players except for TL, Envy, and CLG. I can’t do Envy because of scheduling conflicts but will do them next season. TL seems to have things figured out. I’m not sure yet.

Does each team have a different atmosphere when you tutor players? If so, do you remember anything that stood out?

They’re all very different. I went to Dignitas the most last season. Ssumday and Chaser had to start from the basics. Now, both of them have come a long way, especially Ssumday. They enjoy English and want to improve. Since they were nice and passionate, I was able to have fun, relaxing sessions, sitting on a couch together.

Phoenix1 is a team I can go to like I’m visiting my mom. They’ve been my oldest students, and the atmosphere is great. Ryu and Arrow don’t even bring a pen to the class. I’ve lost count of how many pens I’ve given them.

Are there any teams that have a more serious vibe?

First off, my teaching style isn’t like that, so there weren’t that many times when it was the case. Gold Coin United does prefer a more structured style though.

Flame is someone I can never teach like that. Trust me, it’ll never work. A typical conversation to start off a session would go something like, “Sophie, I’m soooo tired. I had soooo many scrims today.” After about 10 minutes, he would stop to tell me he couldn’t pay attention anymore. Then he would do real meditation. He has such a loveable character. I tend to care more for him even when he jokingly whines, “Sophie, I’m bored.” Olleh is also very friendly, and coach Ssong is fun and such a hard worker. I love everyone in Immortals.

Do you teach your students things that are directly pertinent to pro gaming? For example, helping them with making calls as a laner.

Of course. However, teams use different expressions even if I’m familiar with a given situation. Some use “be careful,” while others use “watch out.” Players with low English proficiency may be confused hearing expressions that are different from ones that they use. That’s why I listen to the team’s voice log to figure out which team uses what expressions. The reason I want to have that knowledge in advance is because some players don’t readily remember the kind of expressions used in games when I ask in person. Then I make a note of different phrases used for each team.

For Dignitas, I had teammates talk and play games in pairs and asked American players to quiz Chaser and Ssumday on the words and phrases used in the conversation. It’s to gauge whether my students understand other people’s calls. That kind of session ends pretty fast because they play games with one another for hours and learn more by doing instead of me having to drill them with knowledge. For ESL students, it’s something that is useful to do early in the class. Ssumday and Chaser had many group studies with 3-4 people, including American players. It becomes like a talk show.

What are some things you find challenging or inconvenient about teaching students from different teams?

Sometimes someone asks me which team I’m rooting for. Everyone, including managers, coaches, and players all ask me this question. I used to tell them that I root for the team I was currently there to tutor. Still, there are some tough matches like those that decide who advances to playoffs, for example.

Other times, I tell them I’m not rooting for any specific team. Many teams gave me their team merchandise like jerseys and hats, but I can’t wear them. One day, I was wearing one team’s jersey and had to change to a different jersey for the corresponding team’s match. I know it’s all in good spirit, but it’s an ironic, yet delicate issue.

I’m sure you have higher priority for teams whose players you tutor?

Absolutely. I also have higher priority teams that I have more classes with, as well as those that pay me more. [laughs] One time, Immortals asked me whether I supported them or Phoenix1 more. I told them it was Phoenix1 because I’ve been with them the longest, and they pay me more. Immortals jokingly acknowledged my point by saying, “Money talks.”

Do you remember any other stories that happened between organizations?

When team A was set to play team B, someone from team A would ask me to switch the meaning of forward and backward when I go tutor team B. I usually tell them it’s no problem while trying my best to sound serious.

Sometimes teams jokingly ask me questions about other teams’ draft. When they ask me what champions the other team talk about the most, I always have the same answer, which is “I think I’ve seen it, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you because I don’t know the game.” And I really don’t.

What’s the mood like when players have a class the day after losing?

It depends on the teams. Some teams cancel class when they lose, whereas others cancel when they win. I guess they feel so good and have to go out to celebrate.

I reckon C9 would fall into the latter category since they work hard and play hard.

C9 is the pinnacle of diligence. They always have their classes no matter what happens. Ray and coach Reapered have excellent work ethic. I haven’t met Impact as many times, but he’s confident saying anything in English. Ray is really nice and considerate; he gave me his slippers to use in the house when I wore no socks one time. I’m happy my students are becoming more confident in their English. The C9 teamhouse is also very pretty and has a warm vibe, so I feel cozy whenever I go there.

Do players find it hard to pay attention in class when they recently lost?

It depends on the players. For example, C9 gives 100% regardless of previous match results. For teams with not many other Korean teammates, some players talk to me about their struggles. They experience a lot of stress when they lose, so they share things that were difficult for them during games. After they decompress, students seem to have an easier time focusing in class.

Players tend to divulge more when they lose a match or get bad results in scrims. If that’s the case, I let them talk in Korean for the first 10 minutes. It would look like I’m not doing my job if that went on for too long, so I first listen closely and suggest they express their feelings in English. Players then speak in English to continue their story. I try to adapt, and they try their best to speak English because they have things they want to get off their chest.

You sound like a teacher who takes into considerations each student’s tendencies and individually tailors lessons. Any thoughts?

When I first meet a student, I familiarize myself with his tendencies, hobbies, and interests. For instance, Arrow likes American TV shows, so I pull some materials from that, the same with Ryu, MadLife, and Ssumday, who all like American pop songs.

Flame prefers traditional school’s standardized test format. He also enjoys knowing about what the community thinks of him and often asks me what people said about him. For example, he would ask me what a caster said about him, and I would look for those to help him learn English. He’s really into the class when I tutor him based on that material. So much so that one of the most frequently visited sites is the search query for Flame. Looper, Ray, and Impact do well on any material.

I always need new ideas to help players learn English. Pro gaming is stressful as it is, but learning anything, including English, can be difficult. I constantly think about ways to make the process as fun as possible. There are so many qualified English tutors out there, but tutoring pro gamers involves a multi-faceted approach.

When players are going through some rough patches, I bring some Korean street food and talk things over with them, rather than doing regular lessons. Before Fly joined the team, I was concerned for MadLife because he was the only Korean player. So, I got to know him better by taking him out to Chinese restaurants. I think it’s important for them to not feel like learning English is a chore.

What advice would you give to students learning English or players hoping to transfer overseas?

There’s a saying that goes, “You only understand as much as you listen.” People might tell you that watching American TV shows and cartoons helps you get started on learning English, but I think it’s a waste of time for beginners. You can never master a language - I haven’t even mastered English yet. One thing you can master is grammar.

Mastering grammar can be as simple as reading one book. I think basic grammar is the most important for beginners. I don’t mean bulky books with advanced concepts. Just knowing easy grammar like ‘a subject is followed by a verb’ can be a huge help in assimilating with the language. If you find different grammatical structures of various languages interesting, I believe you’ll have an easier time getting to the intermediate level at the very least.