Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mithridates]

IOW, anything but English. 'I'm learning English so please be my friend' is notorious for being the worst way for them to acquire a non-Korean friend, but what about others? I remember one time before in Japan - I was always irritated by the white = must know English mentality, but one day a lady came up to me with the assumption that white = must know French and she started talking away in that. I hadn't heard French since jr. high back then and I had fun trying to remember the few words I could still use properly, and I never thought to interrupt her and say 'hey, just because I'm white doesn't mean I can speak French'. You know, the novelty of the whole thing.

Some guy on my Cyworld today asked me if I knew anybody to speak German with, which is why this subject came to mind.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Actually, languages other than English (and perhaps Chinese) are being squeezed out of Korea. University departments are closing, merging, losing students. It's kind of sad. Koreans aren't just bad at learning English, they're essentially uni-lingual. Explains a lot of the ignorance.

[bucheon bum]

my ex was a German major in college. Her english is much better though.

I also was friends with a girl who was competant enough at Japanese to work at ANA's office in kangnam for a Japanese exec. who didn't speak Korean.

[Wangja]

Yep, I know several Koreans who speak German - my first secretary was one. And as I worked with a French company for my first few years I also know many - dozens - who speak French.

Strange thing is that apart from one of the German speakers, they are all women.

[funplanet]

I met a guy on the train once who was reading Tolstoy in Russian! I peered over his shoulder and asked him, in Russian, about it. He could not understand a word I was saying (no comments out there...I am fluent) but could read. His English was pretty good so we chatted about it. He learned how to read on his own because he was fascinated with Russian lit and wanted to read it in the original language. Kudos to him for that! I offered to teach him Russian but he said he had enough problems with English....at least the guy was honest.

[Hollywoodaction]

I was riding the subway in Seoul with my dad when an old man sat next to him. He started chatting with us. We complimented him on his excellent command of English, to which he replied: "Thank you, but English is my worst language. I can also speak Chinese fluently, but I'm very good at Russian." Turns out he had been in the Korean Air Force, where he spent close to 40 years scanning different radio frequencies in order to listen in on Chinese and Russian pilots.

[d503]

I have had a student who was also learning spanish (we has fun chatting in spanish) and I have a student who is learning german, it's cute she sometimes responds in German. Both of their parents where uni professors. As for Koreans who are older than 8, I have a couple of friends who speak japanese well, some that speak chinese, and one who speaks a little portugese and spanish (she traveled about south america for a couple of years) Oh and the cook at my school speaks spanish, she lived in argentina for 17 years.

From what i can tell romance languages aren't very popular in korea.

[funplanet]

Romance languages are not very popular 'cause there isn't much "romancing" going on here......all relationships are business deals; what a sad commentary

p.s. before some of you get your panties in a wad....almost all relationships are business deals

[Len8]

I just completed a summer camp at Handong University for the Pharos camp, and low and behold who do I get in my class, but a cute young kid who was born in Japan and grew up there. She's only 12 years old, and came over for the camp from Tokyo. When she's back home in Tokyo she will go to Korean school of course which has its small group of expat English teachers.

I actually tried to learn some Japanese off of her. Didn't do to well there, because she was busy trouncing around with all the other young kids her age.

I actually met a Korean who majored in Swahili at the Foreign Language Univerity in Seoul. It's the one next to Kyunghee University.
(wede or something like that, is what it's called)
A lot of those studying foreign languages other than English spend time in the countries of their major. A lot of them troop over to France or Italy to continue on with their studies as well
The Catholic university in Kyungsan has a lot of departments in European languages, and native speakers to boot for each of them.

[plattwaz]

I have a Korean friend who majored in Portugese in university, and graduated the top of his class. Thought he was a great Portugese speaker, untli the first time he went to Portugal. See, he had never actually spoken with any native Portugese speakers, only his Korean classmates and instructors. Got to Portugal and realized that he didn't understand a word they said, nor could anyone understand him.

So it's not just with English that happens....at least he was hoenst about it, and he says that now he can laugh about it, but at the time, at age 25 he was gutted and embarrased about it.

Still managed to get transferred to his company's Brazilian office for a few years, based on his excellent scores in Portugese language, and after a few years there, managed to improve his listening and speaking skills, travelled to Portugal a few times, and now speaks both Portugese-Portugese and Brazilian-Portugese quite well.

[Wangja]

I know how he felt.

I learned Portuguese in Brazil, provincial (Belo Horizonte) Brazilian with a heavy Mineiro accent. In Rio de Janeiro they understood me but called me a Mineiro and I understood them. When I got to Portugal, I understood next to nothing and they were so bemused by an Eglishman speaking Portuguese with a Brazilian accent that they failed to understand me.

It would be like a Frenchman going to USA speaking Pakistani English.

[Wrench]

My uncle is a very smart but slightly disturbed men. Last time I spoke with him he spoke almost 11 Languages.

[Hollywoodaction]

[Wangja]

By happenstance I met a Korean guy this evening who claimed to speak French: after my first sentence in French, it was clear that he was more comfortable in English. One might jest that this was a result of my French, but I know this was not so.

[Hollywoodaction]