Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tomato]

What work is available for foreigners who are proficient in Korean?
On this message board, I have heard testimonies from people bragging about how much they make as translators.
But I just heard a testimony from a person saying that translators don't earn any more than English teachers.
Any more input?

[Yaya]

[Jensen]

[bucheon bum]

If you're an American citizen, the CIA is looking for fulltime translators right now. I'm sure they pay pretty well (starting salary for CIA jobs in general are around $35-40,000). They're offering hiring bonuses as well for language specialists. But your Korean better be nearly fluent. Check out its website for more details; you apply online.

[tomato]

Hello, Jensen!

I never heard of a "translation school" until I got Yaya's post.
Here's a Website which lists translation schools by country:

http://www.translationtown.com/tt/cont/education/translation_schools.asp

It lists 4 in Korea.
One is a girls' school. Sorry, I'm a boy tomato, not a girl tomato.
One is a Christian school. Sorry, I'm an agnostic.
One belongs to Sun Myeong Moon. No comment.
That leaves Hankuk University of Foreign Studies:

http://www.hufs.ac.kr/english

It's located in Seoul, which I despise. In Seoul, there are helpful people offering to speak to me in English everywhere I turn. But I can stand the inconvenience for a few years.

[HardyandTiny]

if you're an american and you can speak korean you can make a lot of money working for Northrup Grumman or Raytheon in Korea.
If you just tried.....
try!

[Son Deureo!]

H&T, care to elaborate?

[Ilsanman]

What about a newspaper? I have seen they were hiring before. I would expect a paycut, but maybe the $ could be made up in privates if the hours were good.

[Arthur Fonzerelli]

Why do foreigners who learn a few Korean sentences and vocabulary words instantly think they're "bilingual".....

[Dan]

Korean translators are a bunch of crock. You don't know how many times I've gotten a document that makes just enough sense to say it was translated, and I have to go over it and do it myself, often times looking at the Korean text and ignoring the translated crap altogether. That said, the CIA is VERY interested in Korean and Chinese fluent people, in any field. They already have them trust me, but they hire people in every field who have other language skills.

I was seriously thinking about this before but decided against it. The CIA recruiter (yes, I actually met a recruiter) told me also that if you keep reapplying there is a higher chance of getting in. They usually search through resumes for key words.

[Jensen]

Thanks for the contact info on the translation schools, etc.

[Gladiator]

Years ago a Korean said to me "If you can speak Korean really well you'll make so much money in Korea."

Years later I realised what a fallacy that is. I'm not claiming to be in the advanced or even intermediate category but I know that having high proficiency is sadly not that much of a bankable skill (for non Koreans)either here or globally.

Korean and Korea are too exclusive. I don't believe the majority of Koreans want foreigners using their language that they regard as the kind of crown jewels in their fortress of homogoneity. For god's sake language is the doorway into the cultural psyche and too many Koreans just don't want non-members admitted. If they objected purley on the grounds of the Confucian pillars of the language just being too damned difficult for foreigners to get their heads around that would be sound enough but their simplistic complaints that foreigners are incapable of mastering the reverse grammar (so not true), the pronunciation (admittedly tough but clean pron. is perfectly attainable withing two years), and other scarcely relevant issues are just smokescreens really. I admit honorifics are crucial but again possible to negotiate. But the fact is as that notorious charlatan troll CPA pointed out on this board long ago Koreans regard the idea of foreigners speaking Korean even well as a kind of joke and all of your utterences as entertainment. Koreans are indoctrinated with the notion that Hangul was designed scientifically, culturally and aesthetically for their hard pallates alone. Who can win over prejudice so strong?

That Korean was right in one respect. If you become a TV entertainer of the Robert Holley ilk you can laugh all the way to the bank.

Other than that, I think you can only learn and use Korean for living and surviving here.

Just as I left the cafeteria near our company I overheard one young man say to his buddies just in front of me how much he hated foreigners eating in the restaurant and it's at moments like that I wish I could flush every syllable of Hangul I've learned down the toilet and return to the blissful state of monolingual ignorance.

[bucheon bum]

[Jensen]

Speak of the devil (Mr. Holley):

http://search.csmonitor.com/durable/1999/12/06/p8s1.htm

I'd never heard of him...guess I live in a cave.

Gladiator, I've been away from the "friction' you're describing (guy at the eatery) long enough that that sort of thing seems funny now...but I know it isn't. Not to detract from your observations 'cause it sounds like you have more experience dealing with it than I do, but personally I've found it ALWAYS helps if I can get the chip of my shoulder and keep a sense of humor. Not saying I do it well, or that I could do it in the instance you gave, but it just works better when I can.

I have a temper and can get real confrontational. My friend is the opposite, the more pressure gets on him, the more his sense of humor kicks in (and not mean or cynical)...damned if it doesnt work miracles sometimes. He looks at things at in a different light, kind of detached, and then says things than make people (even cops) think, and laugh. Wish I could do it...but I can't.

[Yaya]