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| Does not studying Korean make me a loser if I plan to stay in Korea long term? |
| Yes |
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40% |
[ 17 ] |
| No |
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40% |
[ 17 ] |
| Depends |
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19% |
[ 8 ] |
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| Total Votes : 42 |
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candy bar
Joined: 03 Dec 2012
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 Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 1:52 am Post subject: Will I be a loser, too? |
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| Will I be a loser? |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 2:22 am Post subject: |
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| No, but it might impact the quality of your time here, and will certainly influence what your Korean co-workers think of you. |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 2:35 am Post subject: |
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It doesnt take much effort to pick up common greetings & pleasantries & how to ask nicely for stuff. The writing is also pretty easy to crack, which is useful.
If you cant be bothered to learn at least that much, then I'd say yes, you're a loser. |
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aq8knyus
Joined: 28 Jul 2010
Location: London
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 3:51 am Post subject: Re: Will I be a loser, too? |
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| candy bar wrote: |
| Will I be a loser? |
No, but 11 years later and with a little bit of luck you could be this guy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lza7dEwVDhs |
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tran.huongthu
Joined: 23 May 2011
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 4:48 am Post subject: Re: Will I be a loser, too? |
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Still a loser... |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:08 am Post subject: Re: Will I be a loser, too? |
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| I see that guy on TV a lot. Is he the most famous Korean speaking Westerner in Korea right now? I think so. (Because I see him in advertisements and on many TV shows.) How did he learn Korean? (I'm wondering because I want to pick up some tips.) And how did he happen to get famous? Superior Korean ability (compared to other Westerners)? That combined with the right visa is rare? He is really good at acting? All three factors combined? |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:11 am Post subject: |
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| I would not say it makes you a loser no. I think for long term residents it is highly beneficial to learn Korean but it remains a personal choice. |
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candy bar
Joined: 03 Dec 2012
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:13 am Post subject: |
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| I understand how learning basic survival Korean would be helpful. But I have talked to some people who have been here 2, 3, 5 years~ and they have never studied or attained a level beyond basic survival skills. They seem to be content and fit into the environment. |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:36 am Post subject: |
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| candy bar wrote: |
| I have talked to some people who have been here 2, 3, 5 years~ and they have never studied or attained a level beyond basic survival skills. |
That's not just some people, but most. (For example, schwa and theurbanmyth have a low level of Korean ability despite having lived in the country for 13 years.) Korean is a freaking hard language and most adults lack the capability to learn languages as well as a child could. A lot of people study very very hard yet stay stuck at the beginner level. Korean grammar is hard as heck, but especially tough is the listening (differentiation between the many sounds) and pronunciation. Aptitude varies person to person. |
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bmaw01
Joined: 13 May 2013
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:56 am Post subject: |
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I've met a ton of foreigners who don't speak Korean, and they've normally been here a very long time. They can say hello and a few other words but that's about it.
In my case I speak a little but that's about it. To be honest learning Korean wasn't that high on my list when I arrived. Teaching was what I truly wanted to do and this is why I came to Korea. Also, I work 9-10 hour days and the last thing I want to do after work is to learn a language. I need to decompress and relax a bit before I do it all over again the next day. I'm not trying to make excuses. It is what it is. |
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aq8knyus
Joined: 28 Jul 2010
Location: London
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 6:26 am Post subject: Re: Will I be a loser, too? |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
| I see that guy on TV a lot. Is he the most famous Korean speaking Westerner in Korea right now? I think so. (Because I see him in advertisements and on many TV shows.) How did he learn Korean? (I'm wondering because I want to pick up some tips.) And how did he happen to get famous? Superior Korean ability (compared to other Westerners)? That combined with the right visa is rare? He is really good at acting? All three factors combined? |
He came over in 98 as an exchange student and then again to live in 2002. He married a Korean girl, although didn't have a ceremony and didn't tell his mom. That led some to question whether or not he did it for the visa, but I dont buy into that. He also used to do acting as a kid because his mom was in the business.
I got all that from watching his videos on youtube, he is pretty funny and the videos about his gay dad were quite touching. |
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littlelisa
Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 6:44 am Post subject: |
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If you're here for more than 5 years and can't sound out hangeul, that's pretty sad (I've met at least one person like this). Otherwise it depends on you, but really, it's going to make your life better.
I can't tell you how much even the bit I know has paid off. It makes life easier and opens up opportunities. |
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candy bar
Joined: 03 Dec 2012
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 6:59 am Post subject: |
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| littlelisa wrote: |
If you're here for more than 5 years and can't sound out hangeul, that's pretty sad (I've met at least one person like this). Otherwise it depends on you, but really, it's going to make your life better.
I can't tell you how much even the bit I know has paid off. It makes life easier and opens up opportunities. |
Sure I can ask the person at the mart for something I don't see on the shelf, but is it really going to open up opportunities that are worth the effort? Wouldn't my time be better invested in say trying to fine tune my teaching skills or getting a second job okayed outside of my regular job?
What if I'm not really that sociable outside of my job?
I see English, English, everywhere. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 8:17 am Post subject: |
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| candy bar wrote: |
| littlelisa wrote: |
If you're here for more than 5 years and can't sound out hangeul, that's pretty sad (I've met at least one person like this). Otherwise it depends on you, but really, it's going to make your life better.
I can't tell you how much even the bit I know has paid off. It makes life easier and opens up opportunities. |
Sure I can ask the person at the mart for something I don't see on the shelf, but is it really going to open up opportunities that are worth the effort? Wouldn't my time be better invested in say trying to fine tune my teaching skills or getting a second job okayed outside of my regular job?
What if I'm not really that sociable outside of my job?
I see English, English, everywhere. |
Depends on where you live. Seoul, english everywhere. Rural nowhere's ville, you'll be SOL. Kind of need Korean there. But, even then, not that much. I visited a rural town this weekend and spoke some simple Korean to the locals in some shops. Blew them away, actually. Maybe 7 or 8 waygooks living in the town, but doubt they can speak to save their life. Was kind of cool actually. Though, I suck at Korean. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 8:20 am Post subject: |
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| But, he speaks well with little to no accent. I don understand enough to be able to tell that. Where there's a will there's a way. But most of us don't need it to that extent. Would we be hired for a good paying Korean job if we did? Would it result in a pay bump if there was a job requesting it? |
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