Korean Job Discussion Forums

[lostandforgotten]

If you are a bilingual in Korean and English, do you pretend to not know any Korean or speak broken Korean on purpose in order to stoop down to Koreans' standards/notion of what is a 'Native English Speaker'?

I had a Korean teacher tongue-tied because she was confused as to whether she should speak to me in English or Korean. So every time she sees me, she ignores me because obviously she hasn't figured out which language to approach me in. LOL.

[pkang0202]

I gotta do that to the students. To the other teachers, I'll speak Korean if they approach me in KOrean, or English if they approach me in English. Often times, they will ask me if its ok if I just speak Korean or just English. I'm pretty sure if my school would let me speak Korean in the classroom, my coteacher would have no reason to be a coeacher with me.

[procrastinatrix]

my English is definitely better than my Korean but i'm always amazed that so many people think that you can only be good at one language, or because i'm ethnically Korean, I can't possibly as good as white people at English. My distant uncle owns a hagwon and actually asked me "but your English isn't perfect like americans' right?" and i was just like "um...I AM american. it IS perfect. thanks."

anyway sometimes when I'm out and about I pretend I don't know Korean because i like to hear people talking when they think I don't understand...a twisted pleasure of mine

[excitinghead]

[gyopogirlfromtexas]

I'm bilingual too. My brother told me better act like I don't know any though. Well, it's elementary level anyway. Last time I was visiting Korea, 11 yrs ago, I got chewed out a lot. The whole having a Korean face with not being able to be perfect in Korean is the most humiliating thing lecture. Those people really get on my nerves. Why can't they just mind their own business and leave me alone. Even when I say I grew up in America, they're always saying that's no excuse. You are Korean, and you should be perfect in Korean. But how they are so mad about it, like me not being perfect in Korean ruined their day or something. Lot of other people told me to act like I don't know it at work, maybe they might try to take advantage of me and give me more work. I don't know what the deal is with the Korean. If I have to hide knowing it, or if it'll hurt me at work or what.

[kigolo1881]

its more fun when you're trilingual.

[passport220]

Do you speak Yugoslavian? When they say no - I say why not? I explain that it makes as much sense that I should speak Korean as it does that they should speak Yugoslavian. They did not grow up in Yugoslavia - I did not grow up in Korea.

It seems like a lot of Gyopos who can speak Korean say that they can not and speak only English. However, the �cat has been let out of the bag� over the years so now even if you can not - it will be assumed you can speak Korean.

[Fishead soup]

[lostandforgotten]

Speaking English with Koreans is absolutely dreadful, isn't it? Unless it's a Korean who has fluency in English like a second language, I prefer to speak Korean with Koreans. English should be learned as a second language and not a foreign language because if it's learned as a foreign language, it will sound foreign and they will treat and make you feel like a foreigner.

[PRagic]

I have few problems dealing with Koreans in Korean. On the other hand, I find it amusing that most Kyopos readily dismiss the concept of a 'foreigner' speaking Korean, in most cases as well as or better than they do!

[billybrobby]

[PRagic]

Granted, in one-on-one situations. I'm talking more about larger, group meetings.

[Axl Rose]

[pkang0202]

I'm an American, what the hell is bilingual?

Oh, I got it now. I'm not bi, I'm 100% straight. But this one girl in college, I know she was bi....

[gyopogirlfromtexas]