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Was anyone fluent in Korean after a year here?
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Gwangjuboy



Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Location: England

PostPosted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 9:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Eazy_E wrote:
I happen to live here right now. But why was that guy studying it?????? It's not like you really need it outside of Korea....


I hate it when I witness these sentiments! I used to think the same, but imagine the impact it might have on a CV. It also helps to fend off the "glorified holiday" remarks you might get back home. I have always wondered how that Korean HR manager at a Samsung plant in the UK would view my CV if he sees "fluent in Korean" written under the languages heading. It sure as hell makes you more competitive. Still, I am some way off fluency Sad
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FierceInvalid



Joined: 16 Mar 2003

PostPosted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 10:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I hate it when I witness these sentiments! I used to think the same, but imagine the impact it might have on a CV.


Fair enough I guess, though I'm not studying Korean in order to use it professionally. I'm studying it because I enjoy it and because I live here. The biggest motivation for me is meeting people and not being able to communicate as well as I'd like. I want to be able to talk to people, plain and simple.
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djsmnc



Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe

PostPosted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 8:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Koreans often say I am good at speaking Korean. They also say I look like Tom Cruise! And Beckham! and George Clooney! Handsome guy! Han-guk-mal-chal-ha-si-ne-yo!!
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Eazy_E



Joined: 30 Oct 2003
Location: British Columbia, Canada

PostPosted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 7:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

djsmnc wrote:
Koreans often say I am good at speaking Korean. They also say I look like Tom Cruise! And Beckham! and George Clooney! Handsome guy! Han-guk-mal-chal-ha-si-ne-yo!!


Yeah even if you're able to grunt "kamsamnida" in the most crude manner they compliment you on your Korean. Nice, but I don't quite believe it.

I get "handsome guy" all the time too. Always from some 13 year old middle school girl or my boss' old army buddy. Not the people I had in mind....
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tomato



Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 3:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

djsmnc wrote:
Koreans often say I am good at speaking Korean.


Yeah, they tell me that in English!
I say, "�׷��� �� ������ ����� ���ϰ� �ֽ��ϱ�?"
So far, no one has been able to worm out of that one.
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HardyandTiny



Joined: 03 Jun 2003

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 3:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've lived in korea for a total of seven years and everytime I say grandpa people say it sounds like "ah p ussy".

oh wait, emoticon
smile smile eyes and blush
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Gwangjuboy



Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Location: England

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 3:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

tomato wrote:
djsmnc wrote:
Koreans often say I am good at speaking Korean.


Yeah, they tell me that in English!
I say, "�׷��� �� ������ ����� ���ϰ� �ֽ��ϱ�?"
So far, no one has been able to worm out of that one.


Yes, "Then why are you speaking in English to me?"
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cacheSurfer



Joined: 07 Dec 2003

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 6:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't think it's a waste of time at all! Knowledge is power! The more you know the farther you will be able to get in this country. I live in a small town and I have been forced to learn this language.

It's amazing because...when I meet other teachers from big cities I usually know more than than they do and they have been here a lot longer than I have.

I think the first big step is to learn how to read Korean. It is very easy to read it. SEROIUSLY!(truth is, you can learn it in 1 week) I think its easier to read the true Korean than trying to read the Korean that has been converted into English.
Why are there so many teachers here who can't read the stuff? I will never understand that?

My goal has been to learn 5 Korean words everyday. This has really helped me. I probably haven't kept up with that goal...but it pushes me everyday. I don't think that is too unreasonable.
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carcerate



Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Location: Cerritos, California

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, I believe that for the most part, people do have a desire to learn what they want for themselves. However, you can also learn any language and be an inspiration to others for the purpose of motivation. I am glad that the people in this thread have an open mind. Actually, I do not know who said this but you can definitely use Korean in most places! I am in Southern California and I use it with my friends at my Korean church. There is a Korean town in LA as well. For my job, I go to other places in America to educate other programmers on C/C++ tools. Basically, most places I have been have a Korean population where Korean can be used. There is at least a Korean restaurant or a Korean hair salon that you can go to be able to keep up your skills. Just my two cents....
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Eazy_E



Joined: 30 Oct 2003
Location: British Columbia, Canada

PostPosted: Sat Mar 13, 2004 4:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gwangjuboy wrote:
Eazy_E wrote:
I happen to live here right now. But why was that guy studying it?????? It's not like you really need it outside of Korea....


I hate it when I witness these sentiments! I used to think the same, but imagine the impact it might have on a CV. It also helps to fend off the "glorified holiday" remarks you might get back home. I have always wondered how that Korean HR manager at a Samsung plant in the UK would view my CV if he sees "fluent in Korean" written under the languages heading. It sure as hell makes you more competitive. Still, I am some way off fluency Sad


Maybe my remarks were a bit flippant in that post... I meant to say that Korean is likely not a language one would learn outside of Korea because it is not an international language. It has little practical use outside of the country, besides just the fun aspect of talking with Korean shopkeepers and the like.

I'm not at all saying we shouldn't learn it.... just that if you're thinking of committing time/money/energy to learning a language for practical purposes, it's best to study a major international language. This is especially true in your home country.
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mithridates



Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency

PostPosted: Sat Mar 13, 2004 6:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That may be true for a person living outside of Korea, but the fact remains that Korean is the easiest language for a person living here to learn. It also ignores the fact that languages are interconnected and that learning Korean makes other Asian languages including Chinese a lot easier to learn.
Another interesting point is that sometimes knowing an obscure language can make one really stand out in a CV, interview and so on.
Imagine this: 500 Korean job applicants for a position
500 know English to a certain extent..blahblah
100 or so of those know Chinese or Japanese to a certain extent...blahblah
One of them is fluent in English and Gaelic
what?!

As a job interviewer I might want to interview the last one just to see what kind of person it was that spent so much time learning a language that so few people know.
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