Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stevieg4ever]

We had a new arrival to our province yesterday (EPIK). I went a long to translate for my local education office who dont speak a word of English as a gesture of goodwill.

If ever I have seen an example of how not to make a first impression in Korea yesterday was it.

The new teachers come from South Africa. One couple spoke excellent English as you would expect. The others (two friends, both girls) had very very strong accents so much so that I couldnt understand everything they said. When I told the local office such they werent best pleased. The funny thing was that between themselves they spoke Afikaans to each other because they could understand each other better this way than through speaking English. Now i dont want to offend anyone here but hearing Afrikaans spoken can be slightly ammusing, I have heard it before and it sounds a little like welsh but the look on the Koreans faces were worth a months salary easily. Anyways they werent best pleased and asked them not to speak in this language and were very uncomfortable. When i translated this to them the two girls werent best pleased and were like 'well they are allowed to speak Korean in front of us etc etc' and carried on waffling away in Afrikaans a bit silly considering we were in Korea I thought and what would one expect. then to top it all off the other couple start seaking Afrikaans to the girls presumably trying to tell them to do as the local education office please. At this stage the volume of Afrikaans was drowing out everything else. It was very very funny.

Anyways the regional office director and some othe old korean people in suits came and she took over the translating from me. She then took them for a meal and some of the officials asked the south africans what they new about korea. they mentioned stuff about the war, kimchi etc at this point the husband of the couple turns round and says that he ehard the captain of the soccer team was caught with prostitutes or something to that effect. All the koreans fell silent. then he presumed they hadnt heard him so he proceeded to tell them again in a louder voice right to their faces. they were not best pleased but managed to the get the point across that they had heard of this incident. Then one of girls throws in the punch line: about the v-tech shootings. after this, and at their obvious discontet, what do the girls do, start waffling away in Afrikaans. the regional office like my local office had a look of astonishment. i couldnt make out what the koreans were saying perfectly but it was obvious what these people knew about korea and korean culture and etiquette could fit onto a postage stamp.

at this point two of the girls get ill. so what does the office propose. more food. we get to the new restaurant and the girls are literally lieing flat out at the sides without anyone bothering much about them. I try telling the office but they are seemingly oblivious to what is going on.
at this point they have to go to the bathrooms to through up and the the regional office starts getting concerned.

it was a long day but amusing nonetheless.

[that guy]

[eamo]

That's funny.

Despite the fact that most of the South Africans I've met speak excellent English......it is their second language.

I've always been puzzled as to why Korea included South Africa in the E-2 allowed list. Although, I repeat, most of the South Africans I've met here are well up to the task of teaching English. Using English in their schools goes a long way....but the fact remains....it's still their second language.

[Scotticus]

The hilarity of it is that any Koreans who weren't told explicitly otherwise will assume that they were American or Canadian.

[stevieg4ever]

i wasnt actually aware of that fact until i spoke to the couple in my town, when everyone else had cleared off. the others could speak english but I cant imagine in month of sundays how Koreans will get over their thick accents. and i could imagine that speaking afrikaans in and amongst the students would cause a lot of confusion, as it did yesterday.

[nomad-ish]

i also find it highly amusing.

wish i had been there

[livinseoul]

Absolutely Hilarious.

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

You gotta give them credit though. They accomplished, admittedly in a boorish manner, in a matter of hours what many wish to but don't have the guts to do over a period of years.

They out-Korean the Koreans!

[stevieg4ever]

i think what was funny was that through the course of the afternoon (about 3 hours roughly) they spoke more Afrikaans than English.

[TeeBee]

This is definitely not a good first impression. It is an unfortunate habit among some South Africans to speak Afrikaans in front of non-speakers when in a foreign country. But not all of us do so! I have always found it a little rude, even when other people around me continue to speak in a language I don't understand!

And just to clarify the point made by eamo - English is a second language to many South Africans, but not all. At least half of all white South Africans are first language English speakers, as are many other South Africans of other races. The majority of people in the country communicate very well in English on a daily basis.

I'm South African, and have spoken English my entire life, including English schooling and university - as have most of my friends and family. I have a hard time explaining to people where I'm from. Most Koreans are convinced I come from England (which probably makes my Welsh grandfather spin in his grave!).

The point is to not judge all South Africans by the actions of a few individuals who stand out of the crowd by their habit of speaking another language.

[bovinerebel]

I don't care if English is your second , third or fourth language . As a South African you simply will not get a degree from a university unless you are FLUENT beyond question . That's not relevant as the gross majority of South Africans here speak English as a first language . 50% of white South Africans are of English heritage . If you stop them getting visas then you surely have to stop Australians , New Zealanders Americans and Canadians etc too or best case scenario only allow people from those countries of english heritage to teach . Absurd .

[livinginkunsan]

[cbclark4]

I think I'm going to through up now.

Most pleasing.

[livinginkunsan]

[cbclark4]