Wonder Girls (stop) give (stop) English (stop) interview
Okay, so they weren’t Morse code level, but you must admit that a few instances of the interview were a bit cringe worthy.
Wondergirls recently took their third shot at a full English interview for broadcast network NY1 (New York 1). The interview was done in celebration of Asian-American history week. I know that learning English is difficult for most non-native speakers so they cannot be fully blamed for their accents. However, am I the only one that finds it strange that Sunmi (Mimi) sounds almost English?
The girls seem to be on different levels in terms of fluency. In my opinion, Sohee sounds the most fluent with the least detectable accent. But, her answer sounds very rehearsed which is probably why she had less difficulty. With that thought aside I would place maybe leader Sun Ye and Ye eun in second and Yoo bin and Sunmi in third in terms of fluency. (feel free to rank their skills yourselves).
Now before Wonderfuls curse me out, I will give the WGs their props for practice. During the interview they did demonstrate a deeper level of understanding of the English language; certainly better than the interview they gave at the Grammy Awards party.
Wonder girls smiled and giggled their way through this 5 minute interview. But watch how closely they observe one another while speaking. Sunmi can even be seen reviewing Yoo bin’s English answer at 4:39.
Wonder girl’s debut seems closer everyday. Do you think they are ready? Do they have a chance at success in America? Although their English is improving, do they have the much needed talents to back it up?
They sound good for being in the US for such a short time, unlike some others(RAIN). I don’t know if they’ll make it though. I wish them luck.
i think they improved a lot. in terms of fluency i think yeeun is the best. you can hardly hear her accent. i think sohee rehearsed her answer prior to the interview so she sounded fluent. so for me based on this interview it would be yeeun, then yoobin/sohee, then sunmi/sunye. grammar wise i still think its yeeun. she’s really intelligent and she answered well. yoobin answered well too. im really proud of them. their english lessons really paid off.
i personally think they’re not ready to debut yet. they still need to work on their singing ability especially sohee. i think they need more training in that department. BUT i think they have a chance to succeed here. JYP’s really smart with his strategy. he chose to stick with their concept instead of trying to americanize their songs. i thinks that’s whats going to set the girls apart and hopefully bring them popularity. WONDER GIRLS & JYP FIGHTING!!!
the hugs were a bit awkward o.0
they still need some more english practices that’s for sure.
and the wigs are just HORRIBLE! take them off!
=X at least their answers sound a little deeper than BoA’s.
I have to agree with Sunye’s answer when he asked her if you dreamed of being an American star. She kept the expectations low and seemed to be just enjoying the chance abroad.
i was really pleasantly surprised by yeeun’s command of the language. she even knew when to say “like” ^^
much better… but they still got a long ways to go. sunye still sounds a bit too fobby, and for having already been in the US, yoobin is quite disappointing.
regardless, they have definitely improved since that 1st interview. yeesh ^^
Well the interviewer was speaking in English, so since they can speak basic English theres not a problem with speaking English.
It’s pretty good – can’t expect it to be perfectly clear when they’ve only been learning for a few months.
Yeah Sohee’s answer does sound rehearsed after watching this again lol
But they did a good job anyway. Even though Sun Ye isn’t the best speaker there’s something about her voice that makes me like her (she ad-libs a little too much though ^^;).
I love Yoobin’s voice here..so low…yeah. *Having a girl crush moment*
They sound so much better now. I love it. Ye Eun really became much more fluent, as well as the rest.
But I really don’t like that retro outfit. and those wigs. They can look like the supremes or from mo’town without those wigs…arrrg.
People who don’t know Wonder Girls might think they are some weird asian group going back to the 60s.
Hope they do an interview with less flashy clothes with the same style.
While the interview has improved – it is still oh so painful!! Instead of metal-scraping-chalkboard cringe inducing, it’s only fingernail-scraping-chalkboard cringe inducing.
it was kinda hard to listen to….but at the same time they have done a good job on learning english….I bet nerves also played a role in it too….Ye eun def. did the best out of the bunch……
That was awkward. Sohee’s voice is lower and stronger in English? Aren’t these interviews prepared anyways? Sohee did the best I think. But they say everything like it’s a question.
Yeah…why isn’t Yoo bin better at English? I thought she was from here. I mean, she’s competent, but not as fluent as I was expecting.
Ye eun did really well. Girl seems very intelligent and poised. Although I thought it was hilarious when she said that Koreans cared more about melodies than Americans. Yeah, Ye eun, Kpop is really known for its amazing melodies, not its plethora of sugary sweet, redundant earworms that are passed off as songs.
Sun Ye is really sweet. :-)
For all those asking why Yoobin isn’t better in English – She wasn’t raised in America, it’s not her first language either.
She was only in America for a while, but went back to Korea. After spending time in Korea, she probably lost much English. (Think of Eric… he’s started getting a Korean accent much more noticable)
Also, the regions where you are in Korea, you get a dialect… some are stronger than others – which also effects when speaking English, because you still carry that dialect accent.
My mother has lived in America for 20 years, and she’s still not perfect and carries a slight accent. This is pretty much the same for the hundreds of Koreans that I’ve met. Yoobin has only been in America for a few years, but it doesnt help that she’s been in Korea for a long time after that.
They aren’t ready for America.
It was cringe worthy.
I respect them for trying, but They need to practise their English better before debuting.
They could all be english graduates from Harvard, that still doesn’t make up for their lack of actual musical talent! It takes more than just speaking english fluently (which they don’t) to get any big positive response. They’re a gimmicky, bubblegum pop group with no singing or dancing talent, nothing more, nothing less.
i think living in america too long has made everyone here including me absolutely prejudice and hypocritical against foreiners speaking english we make fun of everyone’s accent with so much malice and little tolerance
its so wierd because when watching the korean show chitchat with beautiful ladies though alot of them have accent it doesnt seem like anyone is uncomfortble
so why is that so many english speaking americans that’s making an assumption that many who read seoulbeat is americans feel so uncomfortable hearing those who dont have the perfect command of a english
does anyone have ideas because its not like we have perfect command of foriegn languages its like we expect everyone else should be understanding that we arent fluent
I don’t understand why Wondergirls was interviewed for Asian American Heritage Month. Shouldn’t they be interviewing real Asian American talent instead of the Wondergirls who aren’t even Asian American? This is the lamest thing I have ever seen.
Person above, please learn to use proper grammar before coming and posting here cause I didn’t understand a thing you just said. The fact that the Wonder Girls have no musical talent whatsoever and that they’re english is so fobby will make them the laughing stocks of the US Music industry. I mean, they have nothing going for them. No body, no talent, and no english. Come on. The Pussycat dolls aren’t really all that talented musically but at least they can speak english and are hot. People are just going to raise eyebrows when they see these girls on tv.
I meant Loveshatori.
I started laughing when I heard JYP start talking about the “Academy” when he said personality education. Wow.
I felt like the JYP’s interviewer felt a bit awkward probably, because he seemed not shocked but surprised to hear how much training those Korean stars had to go through compared to American singers and performers.
For the Wondergirls’ interview, I felt like “of course” was used repetitively probably from watching old xman episodes. Just joking. haha. With the wardrobe, I thought that the retro clothes have got to go. Unlike Korea, the US doesn’t need to see performers in their stage clothes to understand their new song or album. Just play a clip, and people will understand. On the other hand, Americans I think will understand how dedicated the girls are in presenting Nobody. And I again felt that SunYe kept regulating the entire group whenever one of the girls said something. I was surprised how well Sohee handled her question.
Overall their engrish wasn’t entirely all that shocking seeing how they handled the interview with their engrish was where I thought that this was how far they’ve progressed.
quite impressed with their progression so far
Oh god please bring over someone who have real talent. If these gals represent Kpop what the Americans will be thinking. This is the standard over there?
I think Yeeun has the best english with her vocabulary and it seemed like she genuinely understood the questions. Sunmi comes in 2nd and Sohee, in general, I think is very good at pronunciation.
Yoobin has an accent, but I think that she understands the mostshe just has troubles getting the words out. Kinda like Micky, he knew the words but had really bad grammar.
Are you blind?????!?!?!?!
Sunmi did not review Yoobin’s answer at 4:30.
That looked nothing like what she said AT ALL.
SHe was OBVIOUSLY mumbling to herself!
<_<
*4:39
we shall wait and see right? my money is on them.
BTW, have you guys seen Se7en’s intrerview? LMAOOOOO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tntvgcX3ohk
@Masaya: The problem is they DO represent the current state of the mainstream Kpop industry. In fact, they’re actually a bit more talented and edgy than the usual dreck JYP, SM, and YG churn out…but still not talented or unique (or fluent in English) enough to crossover into the world’s number one entertainment market, unfortunately.
It’s a shame, really – moreso than with BoA or Se7en, I’m dreading their likely failure to make any headway in the American music industry, since they all seem like sweet girls; I just hope they aren’t too crushed if and when their dreams of American success and fame are dashed. JYP is stupid for setting these young, naive girls up for failure. I hope I’m wrong, and they find a niche in this industry (that’s bigger than a portion of the Asian American market), but I doubt it.
if boa, se7en, and even utada who’s fluent in english can’t make it there’s no doubt that jyp is setting wg up for failure. boa released an album and even remix eat you up with flo rida but where did that lead her? just back to where she started, no where. after months she is still a no name to americans. asian celebrities should just stay in asia where talent isn’t needed to be famous; just a pretty face and medicore singing.
they did pretty well compared to before
much better than boa
their grammar is pretty impressive considering how long they’ve been learning english.
their real problem is that it takes them forever to get out a sentence.
They speak really well considering the amount of time they’ve been learning. But though this is too late and oversaid, I must say it: please don’t debut in America, Wonder Girls. I like these girls, and they seem like really nice people… don’t mean to be a debbie downer, but success is really, really slim. At the very least, I hope they’re not made fun of.
Regardless, best of luck.
Seriously? Didn’t Yoobin go to school here???? -____- (She went to my school) Maybe she didn’t stay here long enough……
“However, am I the only one that finds it strange that Sunmi (Mimi) sounds almost English? ” –> what do you mean by this line? That sunmi has an English as in British accent? :) Haha.
Im really impressed with Ye Eun’s English. She has a wider understanding of English I think than the other girls. I thought Yoobin was fluent in English since she studied in the US and she always raps in English. But i guess not. I feel awkward whenever SunYe speaks in English because she kinda gives off this awkward vide. But she’s doing okay given that she just moved to NY. Good luck to them and I hope the Americans wont rip them apart.
Ye Eun seems to have the best grasp of the English language both in terms of speaking and comprehension. I guess JYP is correct in calling her smart and a fast learner. Reiterating what others said above, I wish the Wonder Girls luck in their attempt to make it in the U.S., regardless of the “history” of other Asian artists hardly making any headway. It woud be nice to have more Asian and Asian-American celebrities in the mainstream American pop culture, it’s about time.
I’m really impressed with JYP’s interview. Although he did have alot of pause, he answered all the questions very well.
they’re really improving!!
but srsly…hate the wigs and clothes :’(
wg hwaiting!
my money is on them to succeed :)
i like how sunye seemed realistic – in a humble way – about the chances making it big here.
btw, AUTHOR, i don’t see sunmi reviewing the answers at all. sunmi was just being sunmi, always mumbling to herself in her 4D world.
aside from sohee, i don’t see this interview being prior-ly rehearsed.
Glad they’ve improved.
I don’t think they’ll succeed, honestly.
But all the best still!
sunye seems like a really sweet girl
yeeun is now my favorite member lol she sings great and is smart.. how great can she get..
LOL
maybe was scripted
I just saw the Wonder Girls on NY1.com doing a interview in Korean with a NY1 reporter… not bad for a foreigner.
No, before everything…
even before speaking English fluently…
their names… are just..
yeah.. I dont know how to comment on their English names..
Mimi? Yenny? Sun?
Seriously, What The HELL.
it is like the ugliest and weirdest asian-american name.
I don’t know why when I go on Kpop blog sites and stuff that everyone gives the idols such a hard time for accents. If you don’t learn a second language before you hit puberty (give or take a year) then you have reached the “critical point” and it is no longer easy to learn a second language. If you haven’t been exposed to certain sounds before this point then they are not in your ’sound vocabulary’ and chances are you will be entirely unable to ever pronounce them.
What is WRONG with accents? Wtf.
Hmmm, I congratulate them on their success thus far but I do agree with the others here who say that JYP is setting them up for failure. I mean seriously not even UTADA succeeded and she was born here!
please, try to place yourself in their shoes and speak an entirely different language when you have yet to give in all your times for dancing and singing practice…I don’t see what’s the point of criticizing them!! different culture take languages with different difficulty level because of sentence structure and all that. In my opinion, they’re so good. I love Sun Ye’s accent