Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Steelrails]

I've always wondered if I lived a life of crime if there might be some advantage to having a literally unpronounceable name like one made up entirely of consonants

"Attention all units! Attention all units! Be on the lookout for a suspect by the name of...what, what does this say? I can't read that. That's not a name. Who messed up on this APB...standby please..."

[Otherside]

Ironically, the average English speaker will read the name Bortak and know exactly how to pronounce it. Again, he will hear the name Bortak, and know how to write it. Can the average English speaker easily pronounce names like Hyun Eui, Jaesung or Si Yeon? Judging from the recent Olympic coverage, I'd say no, most English speakers struggle even with common Korean surnames such as Jeon and Jung. (The multiple English transliterations don't help).

So in that regard, Bortak is pretty successful. Most Koreans who use a name in a professional sense will inevitably choose something rather common such as Mike, Jane, Jessica or Brian. In a social setting as long as it's easy to pronounce it's fine.

Another reason for using "English" names is cultural. Most Koreans don't address each other by their first name, rather using titles, eg. Onni, and may not be too comfortable being addressed by their Korean names. Having an English name breaks down this barrier.

[ironjohn]

Koreans who introduce themselves with their English name. To me, the idea of needing an English name reflects two things. First, there is a reluctance on the part of English teachers to learn Korean. Rather than accepting that Korean words and Korean names are going to be difficult to remember/pronounce (at first), the solution is just to create a new name (and by extension not learn the language).

Second, there seems to be a self-consciousness that many Koreans have about speaking English and about appearances in general. I've met many Koreans who feel bad because they cannot speak English with native-level pronunciation and fluency. Having a Korean name which is difficult to pronounce in English seems to add to that self-consciousness.

Until either of these change, there is going to be a need for English names. By the way, I'm an American who speaks Korean fairly well (not a gyopo, and just finished level 5 of 6 at Sogang). I know it isn't particularly necessary here, but if I'm going to live abroad somewhere, I want to go home fluent in a language.

In my opinion, Korean names are difficult to pronounce and remember AT FIRST, but just like everything else, it gets easier with exposure and practice. For example, a lot of girls names use 지, 희, 은, 주, 원, 혜, and a lot of guys names use 재, 강, 호, 석, 혁, 용, etc. You start to recognize patterns, make new categories and new connections, in other words learning!

Also, most names have a meaning based on hanja. An easy topic for conversation is to ask a Korean what their name means, and this helps me to remember. Of course it IS much easier to remember the English name, but I do consciously try to learn and remember both when I meet somebody new.

In the end, I understand why some Koreans use an English name, and why some continue to use their Korean name. I also understand why a lot of English teachers here don't bother to learn Korean. I'm not thrilled by the last one, but at least I'm trying to do my part.

[transmogrifier]

[transmogrifier]

The two most inappropriate English names I have encountered in Korea were both Chinese exchange students: Orange (a boy) and Sprinkle.

Both were exceptional students, but only Orange even halfway considered my advice to find a new English name. As far as I know, he never did.

[edwardcatflap]

[r122925]

[Otherside]

[madoka]

[Landros]

[viciousdinosaur]

[viciousdinosaur]

[Modernist]

[byrddogs]

[viciousdinosaur]

Korean is frickin hard. I know a lot of people on this board claim to speak Korean. But if you're not Gyopo or spent at least a decade studying it, then you aren't fluent. You might know it at a high-intermediate level, good for most situations, but definitely not fluent.

I learned French and German before coming to Korea. Those languages were a walk in the park. In less than three years you can master those languages. They're almost like dialects of English.

But Korean is just other-worldly. Six years here and I'm still not at the intermediate level. Mind you it is my fourth language, but just everything about it is counter-intuitive. Hat-tip to all those Koreans out there who manage to master English.