Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ekaia]

Do you speak Korean?
Does it give you a better understanding of the culture we're in?

Has your everyday life changed for the better as a result of your knowledge of Korean? Like career-wise or branching out?

I've heard Korean is one of the most challenging languages for us English-speakers to pick up....

[VanIslander]

i know squat

other than the names of hundreds of korean dishes i've tried and enjoyed and the names of over a dozen islands and a hundred beaches I've enjoyed and a few extra words beyond please and thank you

it's been a very pleasant six years here for me and i expect to enjoy another year or two of travel and friendships with english speaking locals

then i'll leave this country behind and have lots of great things to say about it, and i'll be saying it all in english

[T-J]

[IlIlNine]

This topic is pretty general, so I'll answer likewise...

If you're going to stay here a while, a good knowledge of korean will open many doors. If I didn't know Korean, my situation would be far worse than it is now - which means that I would likely not be living in Korea.

I didn't really put that much effort into it, but I guess the motivation initially was... that I didn't want to feel like a baby. I hated feeling helpless and having others always doing things for me. I wanted empowerment, damnit!

Now, I'm empowered! Life here is great!

[Join Me]

IlIlNine maybe joking but there is something to the empowerment issue. I am not fluent in Korean yet but I now speak enough that I can get anything done that I need to. Occasionally I still ask Korean friends to help me out if I don't want extra stress on a particular day. But, it is also a great feeling to know you can get any job done on your own here. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be depending upon the people I work with for anything. It also still kinda blows me away to be able to communicate with someone who can't speak any English other than "hi" and "bye, bye.""

[RACETRAITOR]

Learning any language at any time is a good thing to do. The people who don't stay in Korea very long will go back to their hometowns and start to notice all sorts of signs of Korean culture there.

[Css]

I speak a bit of korean..and yes it helps immensely.
I cant imagine being in korea and not being able to speak more than a few basic phrases. It must be so frustrating having to hope that the korean you are talking to can speak english.

Sounds like a small thing but the small conversations with taxi drivers or bank tellers or whatever...thats what always makes me smile...When i can flirt with a cute bank teller or joke around with a taxi driver about the other bad drivers..those kind of small things make me appreciate things more.

[mssinmymind]

[umpittse]

[shoeboy]

If you like studying language do it. Otherwise don't worry about it.
I know very little and it hasn't stopped me from getting anything done at all. At first it seems like a nessesity but after a month or two you can get almost anything done without it. If you plan to live in Korea for awhile you may want to spend the countless hours studying the language but if you are only here for a year or two there isn't any real point. Most people spend all their social time hanging out with other English speakers so you don't need it there. You don't need it to buy food, get a cab, do your job, buy smokes, buy beer, etc. After Korea you won't be using it.
Maybe once a month there would be a situation where it would have been nice to know. Not worth the time for that little use.
So if you enjoy it do it but it isn't needed.

[Ekaia]

Yeah, I hear you.

As most of my friends here are Korean I feel obliged in a way to make an effort to learn the local language. Can't always expect to get by on English

What are some good websites for Korean self study?
I checked out koreanclass101.com, they let you download mp3 files for free but everything else is for members.

I don't have the time to to take regular classes, yet...

[samd]

www.korean.sogang.co.kr

It has its issues, but is a pretty comprehensive self study resource.

KoreanClass101 is available for download via bittorrent. Check the major sites.

As to those who advise against learning the language, you don't know what you're missing. Sure, reaching a decent level is hard work, but it pays off so many times over.

Think about the disadvantages you would face if you didn't speak English at home - that's what it is like here if you don't speak Korean. Sadly, many foreigners here have no idea what it's like to be able to speak the language, and therefore how no idea what they're missing.

You can give all the excuses you want (and there are some decent ones, like not being able to speak Korean at work where you spend the majority of your time) but when it comes down to it, failure to learn Korean is your fault and yours alone, and shows that you are lazy, and imo, a bit arrogant.

[MollyBloom]

The source of most frustration for me being here is not being as fluent as I would like. I get very upset when I cannot communicate with people, but also I seem to make "friends" easily. I am a regular at a galbi place, and the owner really likes me. He speaks some English, but not enough to converse with me. I would love to ask him so many questions, but I am not at that point yet. Same thing with my adjumma "friends" at my neighborhood KimBapChungGuk. They always hook me up with free kimbap, and I bring them apples and other little treats, things for holidays, etc. It's frustrating not being able to carry on conversations with them. And yet the same with the couple that owns the corner market. I hate just walking in, saying hello, asking how she is, etc. but not being able to carry it where I want it to go. I'm doing the best I can with the time I have, but I will be very happy when I can talk to people a bit more.

[Css]

[VanIslander]