Korean Job Discussion Forums

[noelinkorea]

So - I watch this channel daily just to annoy myself really, but also to catch up on Korea's news from a nationalistic point of view - but the ENGLISH! It's obviously thought of in Korean first, then directly translated - various shows fail with respect to using English well. The advertisements are shocking - calling provinces "hometowns", saying things are "harmonious" and telling us our "mouths will soon be joyous"...wtf?! Some things just don't translate well. What's more shocking is that very often they seem to use native speakers, but these mistakes are carried on through...on "The Contenders" the male co-host struggles with plurals EVERY week..."the next question is about movie", "this question is about country"... Does anyone else have any gripes about this channel? As English teachers we ought to complain to these folk or something...

[Drakoi]

And yet the english on that channel is still SOOOOOOO much better than the other channels. (aside from AFN, bbc, cnn duh)

Have you seen that awful show that keeps putting people who can't speak english on TV just cause they're white. It's like some kind of celebrity life re-enactment thing. I can't stand it, but I hear that it's popular.

[coolsage]

I watch Arirang for the BBC News; the rest of the content is rather pathetic. And in some need to become a globally-recognized nation, Korea is beaming Arirang to other countries. I stumbled across it in Thailand this summer. Needless to say, neither the locals nor I stayed with it for long. It's akin to Korean food; the first taste is interesting, but there's no variety after that.

[bibimbap]

frankly, i give them points for even having an english only channel.

god knows the english gets butchered regularly on AFN too.

[sistersarah]

yeah, i don't watch it much either, for the reasons the OP mentioned....especially the food commercial that says "your stomach and mouth will soon be joyous".....also, i like the ad for the next program....."coming up................................next..........................." . is the "next" necessary? ah, it's funny stuff.

but, strangely enough, sometimes there's an interesting show on that'll give you an insight into some things about korea you wouldn't have known. i watched an interesting show about the rescue crew of the han river. poor guys fishing dead bodies outta the river all the time, trying to prevent suicides, putting up with abuse from victims' families, etc, and getting paid peanuts.

[jurassic5]

not a big fan or arirang. i went for an interview there once, had an on-camera test, but that was only for a few minutes...the rest of it consisted of taking a 2 hour essay test about korean issues and culture. (ex: how do you feel about the presence of US troops in korea, write everything you know about the KTX etc)
i don't think i was "korean" enough for them (not only my lack of korean language skills, but also they way i viewed certain issues).

oh yeah...i also applied to be a radio DJ/announcer there (what i used to do back in the USA), but was told that even though the shows are all presented in English, i still needed to speak fluent korean (why? i dunno, i guess people enjoy listening to a FOB accent )

oh well...

[eamo]

You have to applaud Arirang as the only channel to get to watch Korean insecurity in English.

[sumundur]

My buddy and I just went there to shoot an episode of "The Contenders." For being an English speaking station, they didn't offer us many fluent speakers. Oh, except the ultra cheesy hosts. David Hwang something and that know it all, but not really, Korean chick Pak something.

[SweetBear]

[casey's moon]

I can forgive Arirang (although sometimes it's so terrible that my Korean husband -- who is far from fluent -- finds it laughable) but I CAN'T forgive the native speakers who agree to say those things!!! If it was me, I'd be saying, "uhhh, I can't say that... I have my dignity." Perhaps they don't get to give any input at all? But if that's the case, why???

[Juggertha]

I just had an interview with them (should be on the evening news next week or so) and I found them to be fine. They were professional in all matters with me.

Thats being said I can barely watch that channel. The heart to heart chick drives me INSANE!!!!!

[noelinkorea]

Sistersarah - yes! The "coming up............next" thing gets to me as well - just pick one already. And what about the two ads on either side of Arirang news - one about Suzie dreaming about Jeju...hahaha. And also the one after for Samyook Foods - way too overtly religious...I've heard it in Korean too, and it's exactly the same. My flatmate and I shove over single syllable words in to replace theirs. Oh yeah- that Heart to Heart chick - golly she's annoying. She whispers...perhaps to disguise her ability in English (like I do in Korean...)...but more than that - her subject content's pretty dry. Drakoi: I've seen that show a lot, since a (Korean) friend of mine likes it...they use Russians a lot in those shows, though I've also heard the odd Aussie/Kiwi in there too. I don't think their English is all that bad, but their pronunciation isn't the "all-American" accent that Korean students (or their parents) seem to demand...

[dogbert]

[jurassic5]

[hogwonguy1979]

Of course the new weathergirl dresses like a *beep* or is ready to hit Hongdae. then she adds these little tidbits like songs about rain

If this is what the world sees of Korean tv man I wonder what the rest of the world thinks