Korean Job Discussion Forums

[asmith]

Are any of you people fluent in Korean.

I'm currently taking courses.

How long did it take you to become functional?

[andrewchon]

I presume you are not talking about gyopoes fluent in Korean?

[asmith]

[yeremy]

I asked one of my co-teachers to be crystal clear as to what nom, 놈, means. He said that originally it referred to a person and did not have a bad meaning, but today it has the derogatory meaning of "looking down on someone." So, who are you calling a "nom"? I doubt that you, personally, have too much to look down on people.

[LL Moonmanhead]

Obviously depends how hard you go at it. But I'd say 18 months to two years studying 20-30 hours a week and you'd be more than functional.

Some of my none Korean speaking foreign friends think I'm fluent, but obviously Koreans know better. I have no problem discussing most things at length though.

I started talking to a Korean about KDJ's sunshine policy the other weekend in Korean and let's just say i understood about 40-50% of what he was saying, but I was trying to steer it back to topics i'm more comfortable with, even now.

[jiberish]

I don't think anyone can become fluent in any language quickly. I've been studying for awhile and I think I know a little bit. I can usaully somewhat express what I want to say. However when I go to my wifes parents and they start going on. It's all over my head

[nathanrutledge]

I'm fluent in ordering food, requesting Cleveland Steamers, and negotiating the price of said Steamer, i.e., all the important things. Don't worry about being fluent overall, worry about being fluent in the individual things you do every day. Once you can tell that taxi driver where to shove it when he overcharges you, the prostitute that you don't like it that way, or the little kids that yes, you are in fact a foreigner, how amazing, it'll just continue to add up, no problem.