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| What is your Korean ability level? |
| None -> Less than TOPIK Level 1 (0 -> KLPT 200~245) |
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43% |
[ 17 ] |
| >= TOPIK Level 1 & < TOPIK Level 2 (=KLPT 250~295) |
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23% |
[ 9 ] |
| >= TOPIK Level 2 & < TOPIK Level 3 (=KLPT 300~345) |
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5% |
[ 2 ] |
| >= TOPIK Level 3 & < TOPIK Level 4 (=KLPT 350~395) |
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12% |
[ 5 ] |
| >= TOPIK Level 4 & < TOPIK Level 5 (=KLPT 400~445) |
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7% |
[ 3 ] |
| >= TOPIK Level 5 & < TOPIK Level 6 (=KLPT 450~500) |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| >= TOPIK Level 6 |
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7% |
[ 3 ] |
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| Total Votes : 39 |
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| Author |
Message |
TheBulimicFatGuy
Joined: 03 Jan 2008
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 Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 7:19 am Post subject: Korean Speaking Census for English Teachers |
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After seeing the post by CoffeePrincess looking for translators, I got curious about how many foreign English teachers out there study Korean and what level their ability is.
This is a question to all English teachers in Korea regardless of whether or not you study Korean. If you are not a full-time English teacher in Korea (ie. you're a full-time student of Korean at a Korean university), please do not participate in this poll.
Just as a way to get a ballpark measurement, I've decided to use the Test Of Proficiency In Korean (TOPIK aka 한국어능력시험) in this poll. This test used to be known as the KPT or Korean Proficiency Test. If you've done the KLPT then I've included the equivalent scores in the poll questions. If you're not familiar with either test but have studied on your own then you can check out the KPT 'Content of Evaluation Range' at http://topik.or.kr/ to see where you fit in. |
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TheBulimicFatGuy
Joined: 03 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:07 am Post subject: Re: Korean Speaking Census for English Teachers |
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Thanks to those of you that participated in my poll although I'm afraid the sample set wasn't big enough to get a truly accurate idea of the general Korean ability level of English teachers in Korea.
I just have one more question for the two people that said their Korean ability was >= TOPIK Level 6: Did you learn Korean by studying or were you raised in a Korean speaking household?
Thanks! |
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Hank the Iconoclast
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: Busan
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 7:17 am Post subject: |
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| I'm learning but I'm honestly 0 at this point. |
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bgreenster
Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Location: too far from the beach
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 8:26 am Post subject: |
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Level 1, for me:
I took a beginner's course last spring/summer, but then stopped studying due to scheduling conflicts for the intermediate class, and that typical beginner's frustration with languages... where it seems like you'll never get to the point of being able really to converse. While I still feel guilty about not improving my Korean, I'm not planning on staying many years and there's a huge difference in effort to go from being able to say basic things and read/write to reaching any level of competency. |
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skeeterses
Joined: 25 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks OP.
I checked out the TOPIK webpage and reviewed the Part A of their previous beginner's test. So I voted that my level of Korean was at Level 1. Before I could possibly attempt the Intermediate Level, I'd have to continue reading Korean books for another year or 2 to get my vocabulary up as well as tackle the Ganada grammar books. Without studying the grammar, I don't think there'd be anyway for a non-native speaker to pass the Intermediate or Expert level test. |
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TheBulimicFatGuy
Joined: 03 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:50 am Post subject: |
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| skeeterses wrote: |
Thanks OP.
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You're welcome!
| skeeterses wrote: |
I checked out the TOPIK webpage and reviewed the Part A of their previous beginner's test. So I voted that my level of Korean was at Level 1. Before I could possibly attempt the Intermediate Level, I'd have to continue reading Korean books for another year or 2 to get my vocabulary up as well as tackle the Ganada grammar books. Without studying the grammar, I don't think there'd be anyway for a non-native speaker to pass the Intermediate or Expert level test. |
Yeah, you definitely need to know grammar although I think that memorizing the vocabulary is probably the greatest challenge before writing the Level 3 (low-Intermediate) test.
If you're already at Level 1, you don't necessarily need a year or 2. In my first year in Korea, I studied 5 or 6 days a week for 3-4 hours a day mostly on my own and was able to pass the Level 2 test after about 8 or 9 months. Unfortunately the effort burnt me out somewhat and I never got back into studying it quite as seriously. Now I study for about 4+ hours a week on my own and try to engage in as much free talking as possible. It's a much better way to keep one's sanity but I'm considering going into overdrive again to try to hit that Level 4 by the next annual testing date.
Anyway, good luck! The more of us English teachers that know Korean, the better, especially those who plan to stay more than the one-year minimum. I suspect a lot of barriers could be overcome if we could communicate with the locals even in broken Korean. |
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Homer
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:28 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I suspect a lot of barriers could be overcome if we could communicate with the locals even in broken Korean. |
You suspect correctly. |
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kingplaya4
Joined: 14 May 2006
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:33 am Post subject: |
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| Being that I can't even navigate the page I'm going to have to go with zero despite 1 1/2 years of study now. However, I can do my daily business pretty well now, and no not just Manchon-dong juseo. I imagine if my year and a half had been spent at Seoul University I would be higher than what I've done alone, but still, I think it goes to show how difficult this language is. |
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periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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| OP, u have one of the best user names I've ever seen. |
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