Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tomato]

This is my greatest problem here in Korea.
Please help me.

[kimcheeking]

They didn't hear you speak Korean. They saw white face and assumed you can't speak Korean. It happens to me all the time. I just keep responding in Korean, unless I notice their English is better than my Korean.

[The Lemon]

I think for many, they've studied English for so long and now a real-live waeguk-in is there - so this is their big chance to actually use some of that English. I wouldn't classify that as "selfish" like you did in your survey options, however.

When I taught at a high school in Canada, occasionally I ran into Korean students. You can be sure I was trying to demonstrate/show off my own Korean language skills, even though they were fluent in English. Sometimes they'd be annoyed by this, so I guess I know how they feel.

I've no problem with people here speaking English to me. However, I'm really annoyed by the Calculator-From-Hell that comes at me whenever I ask how much something costs. Now that thing bugs me.

[Ignatious Loyola]

What is this, a trick question? They do it for the same reason you do.

[J.B. Clamence]

This isn't a Korean problem, it's the same the world over. You go to another country and you try to use the local language, but no one wants to let you because they're too preoccupied with showing you that they speak English. It's the same everywhere. It's nice that they speak English, but if you're trying to learn the language, it can get pretty annoying. If you know them, you can ask them to speak Korean with you at least sometimes, but there's not much you can do if you're just talking to a guy in a shop or a restaurant -- I think it would be a bit rude to demand to be spoken to in Korean in that situation. After all, they do mean well.

[weatherman]

Boy, I would have to vote for Kimcheeking's answer. Koreans don't even hear you speaking Korean. They make a fast judgment and decide whatever comes out of your mouth is English. You can repeat what you are trying to say a good dozen times, and some still won't get the fact that you are speaking Korean. I know what I can say in Korean, and I believe my pronunciation isn't half bad, for I get the occasional compliment, but the lack of listening modification on the part of Koreans is horrible. Ever play the game where you pretend you don't understand what a Korean is saying to you because it isn't pronounced perfectly? Of course you don't, that would be rude almost. But here in Korea, Koreans expect either a fluent speaker or no speaker, and not somebody in the hundreds of stages in-between. Because of this they haven't learnt to modify their listening to a non native speaker of Korean trying very hard to speak Korean.

[william beckerson]

I think they do it because experience has shown them that most foreigners CANT speak Korean, and they're trying to be nice to you.

Dont go looking for insults that aint there.

[kimcheeking]

[chi-chi]

mods you may delete

[Circus Monkey]

[Derrek]

Hey, I ask for the calculator!

[Been Here Years]

I have to agree with the Weatherman. I have tried to use the very limited Korean I have to no avail so I gave up. Taxi drivers and young children are the most co-operative in the language exchange business. They seem to be less "rude" and more open to mis-pronunciations.

[william beckerson]

[tomato]

[sid]

Think this must be a Seoul thing.

I lived in a smaller city and had plenty of practice speaking my low-intermediate level of Korean. Actually, older people seemed on the whole quite unsurprised by it. With young people I sometimes got that sniggering panic "Oh no! He's going to speak English. What do I do?" followed by dumb surprise when I spoke in Korean.