Korean Job Discussion Forums

[joe_doufu]

I've got to get a dictionary for the Korean language class I'm taking, or I'll fall hopelessly behind in the homework. Are there any good ones? Cuz I can't find them if there are. Which ones do you use?

[excitinghead]

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any Korean dictionaries by foreign publishers, except for the crap romanised ones of course. Seeing as they're all designed for Korean learners of English then, I wouldn't bother getting a combined kor-Eng and Eng-Kor one, just get the former. First of all because the combined ones are a bit wieghty to carry around with you, and because they're so thick but small they seem to fall apart easily. But the main reason is because when I want to look up what an English word is in Korean, I'm presented with several similar alternatives that I can't tell apart. For instance, because of that when I was a beginner, instead of the word for "article" as in newspaper, magazine etc., I was using the word for article as in indefinate and definate English "articles" instead, and my Korean friends were too polite to say they had no idea what the hell I was saying.

These days I'm an intermediate speaker (level 3 KPT in 17 days, I hope!), but still rarely open my Eng-kor dictionary and then only to confirm words I already know but couldn't remember. I still can't really use it to learn new words.

As for what dictionary then, I had no job when I chose and so spent an hour over it! In the end, I plumped for the Minjung Handy Kor-Eng Dictionary, because the typeface seemed big enough to read when tired and for each entry it seemed to give a lot of associated words. But they're all pretty similar really, in the end it's just what appeals to you on the day.

Cheers.

p.s. You don't need one of those huge ones either. I got one I keep at home, but I find myself using it there just to justify buying it. You don't really need a big one, they don't seem to have anything the smaller ones don't.

[denverdeath]

YBM Sisa Elite(s) are pretty good and extremely popular. I'm sure you'd have no problem finding a variety of kinds and sizes at most bookstores. Or, as the previous poster mentioned, Min/Mihn-jung/joong (Essence) puts out some good stuff. You can find lots of on-line ones as well as electronic ones if you feel like investing a little extra - various models, functions, and prices available from Sharp, Casio, ans I-River, among others. Although not always the best, I use my electtronic one a lot, especialy when my students and I are trying to decipher difficult vocabulary items...I actualy find it sometimes elicits more English when we try to decide which is the correct meaning to choose from the options available.

[Son Deureo!]

Shell out for a decent electronic one. Some people say the definitions and translations aren't perfect, but IMHO these days that's no more true of electronic dictionaries and paper dictionaries. You can get a good one for about 200,000. Think of it as an investment, and not just for use during your Korean classes. The beauty of electronic dictionaries is that they fit in your pocket, so you can always have it with you. You never know when you'll need the mot juste.[/i]

[Cedar]

Electronic dictionary: Buy a SHARP

BUT what you really need is an ENGLISH-ENGLISH KOREAN dictionary. Why? Well, you'd be surprised what some words mean, and you can see exactly which definition of "come" or "charge" you want to use if the dictionary has the English definition, too.

I recommend the Longman.