Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mokpochica]

Korean speech competitions can be truly silly. I've been asked to write/correct about 11 scripts in my 2 years here. Today I just corrected a script that I had worked on almost 3 years ago (written by a HS teacher) passed off to me by a middle school teacher who claimed that he wrote it. And then it had a bunch of mistakes that I had corrected the first time around, but were misunderstood or never fixed.

One time, I wrote a script with the students about Halloween. It was really cute and they sounded almost natural practicing it. The scripts that the teachers write (or download off the internet) are usually unlike anything a Korean or English-speaking student would say. I've suggested to the teachers that I and the students sit down and write a script, but that suggestion was met with 'I think that would be hard.' "it would take too long'. 'The students skills are not so good'. Even when I am volunteering my time for this and my skills are good!

But anyway, the results of the speech competition seem to have no rhyme or reason. I've helped kids prepare, corrected scripts, and judged in the competition. The kids that were the best almost never won first place and in some cases didn't even place.

Maybe not all speech competitions in Korea are like this, but I'm pretty fed up with the way they run them here. It could be a great learning experience--and fun-- for the kids participating, but instead (at my school anyway) it just becomes another kill and drill exercise and any creativity that could have existed is sapped away by the quest for perfection and the prize.

[Trinny]

Mokpochica,

I've translated Korean scripts into English for speech competitions. One of the scripts I've translated was about World Cups and it was full of nationalistic ferver. There was a line that goes like, "World Cups will be a stepping stone to an advanced country for South Korea." Or "The world will be in awe with the power and the potentials of the South Koreans shown at World Cups."

I found it hard to believe it was written by a grade 6 kid. More than likely, high intervention parents or teachers in Hogwons wrote the Korean script on behalf of the kid and got it translated into English.

I sort of translated using the colourful expressions I could think of to carry the feel of the Korean script over to English. After presenting the work to my client, I got a complaint from the parents of the kid, as they thought the English translation was too difficult and too long for the kid. So I ended up editing and rewriting the whole script (it was 5-page long). I just couldn't imagine how grade 6 kid will memorize the whole thing.

[Draven]

For the contest I was involved in, 'speech' was a bit of a misnomer; it was more of a skit contest than anything else.
To echo Mokpochica, the final placements made no sense, but that's because the fix was in. When the judge's (two foreign teachers, btw, who made a cool 120,000 won each for their hour-long effort ) began tabulating their scores, they were swarmed by the officials organizing the contest and then quickly ushered out as soon as they handed their decision over.
Afterwards, I was talking to the judges outside the hall where they told me that they were torn between teams 3 and 8, but decided to go with #8. When the awards were handed out, however, teams 3 and 1 tied for first, with team 8 way back in the pack.
Team 1 came from the school hosting the competition. Home court advantage, as it were.
Is nothing safe from corruption?

[The Lemon]

A discussion of the Korean educational void known as the "speech contest" can be found here:

http://www.eslcafe.com//forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=4216

Did I mention I hate speech contests?

[mokpochica]

[billbile]

I always think its a bit cruel and a bit way-out when they force them to memorise their speeches. In my time at school, part of the skill was how to hold notes and keep them 'subliminal' as possible and make the written notes come to life. Memorisation is wasteful, and notes are a good prompt and confidence boost. But I guess that just wouldn't do in a land when appearances are everything and substance takes second place...

[Stunted Wookie]

I was an experienced speaker in Canada, while here one year I was hired to judge a contest..so I did with the help of fellow foreigners. We spent our entire weekend listening and then discussing the placings....
The results were not going to come out for a few more days and of course everyone wanted to know who won.
My wife told her students who came first and the crapola hit the fan!!!!
Turns out the 'winners' were decided by the director not the judges...heheh she was so angry that we told some of the contestants a few days before the director could post 'her' winners....

She had to concede though and award the prize to the best speaker rather than the most influential parent's kid.

I doubt she will ever hold another speech contest ! hahah