Korean Job Discussion Forums

[noelinkorea]

About forreigners learning Korean: I met a woman about a month back who is a volunteer at the Foreigners' Information Centre in City Hall...anyway - she is filipina and has lived in Korea since 1980, but admitted she has never learned the language. Her husband works for the US Army, and they have raised their children here in Korea.

I've been studying Korean formally for abuot six months now, and I have found it has life here that much more easier and interesting. On the down side, I hear and follow a bit more of what people say...and that's not always good (especially when the iddle school girls across from me on the subway are talking about my facial features...). It has also been invaluable for understanding Koreans' problems when studying English, and understanding the grammar of my own language better. As someone else has mentioned, however, I have found it a struggle to get Koreans (even close Korean friends) to speak Korean with me. It has often lead me to believe that people often see you as an English-speaking machine, or something to aid in their economic success/head swell. I learn Korean out of pure interest in Korea and its people, and because I like communication. I don't tie it to my future economic well-being.

[Cedar]

I work with a bunch of people, if they are a statistically accurate sampling (they aren't because hagwon hires and uni hires are not the same thing), then a HECK of a lot of the foreign population speaks fair Korean.

On staff there are only three people to my knowledge (and one is French) who can't get by in Korean okay, and one of them has the excuse of just moving to Korea this fall. There are two people whose ability I don't really know, I just assume they are fair Korean speakers.

One guy makes money translating in his spare time.
Two are married to Koreans but in my observation converse in at least 50% Korean with their spouses. (and most people who say they do that, in my observation don't, so that's why I mention these two... the other two married to Koreans are the two whose ability I don't know).

And I spent all morning translating a Korean law into English, though i do mean all morning (4 hours?) and I didn't finish... I have to do SOME other work!

So, I'd say if you discount the soldiers the number of people who can get by in Korean is higher than 5%, maybe higher than 10%, but it WAS NOT this way a few years back.

--definition-- when I say get by in Korean I mean these people can go to the market, bargain, order food on the phone for the first time from that restaurant, hold a conversation about what they plan to do next week sometime, and talk about classes and students with each other intelligibly. I do not mean they can answer the questions "Where are you from" from a taxi driver and spit out some memorized phrases. That's just survival Korean, a lot lower than where most of my co-workers are.

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

It's interesting, I guess as there's a higher proportion of foreigners who have been in Korea for several years and may have roots (spouse, children, etc.). The proportion of Korean speakers foreigners will increase.

I wonder in 20 years whether Koreans preceptions of foreigners Korean ability will change?

At the moment, it's not too difficult to get around being a foreigner after a few months if you know minimal Korean as many locals know some English and are often happy to converse with you in English.

Whereas, in most English speaking countries, it's very difficult to get around unaccompanied if you can't speak English as most locals can and will only converse in English.

I wonder it will get to the stage where Koreans will be reluctant to converse with foreigners in English, if they believe that the foreigner should be able to converse in Korean.