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"Absurd emphasis on learning English"
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coolsage



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: The overcast afternoon of the soul

PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 6:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sometimes it seems as though virtually everyone in Korea is studying English, but no one is actually using it. And yes, hagwons are often used as a glorified babysitting service, and many of those squalling little, fingers-up-your butt primates are 'learning' English against their will. Nonetheless, your mandate and mine is to do the existential deal, which is to serve up and deliver the goods as well as we know how, without regard to the outcome. Some of your clients will get it, some won't, depending upon their disposition and attitude. Go for it anyway, serve it up, bank the quid, and sleep well at night.
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sid



Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Location: Berkshire, England

PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 8:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kiwiboy_nz_99 wrote:
Currently Korea has pretty much lowest rating in Asia regarding English speaking ability, don't ask me for a quote but I remember reading that more than once.


I seem to remember that Gord went to work on that particular stat and showed it to be highly dubious. The high number of people who had to take TOIEC etc in Korea (and Japan?) meant that the average was much lower than in other countries where a much smaller sample of people had been 'rated'.
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kiwiboy_nz_99



Joined: 05 Jul 2003
Location: ...Enlightenment...

PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 8:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In any case, stats aside, the level of English here is dissproportionately low considering the focus, time, and money that goes into it. As I said, that will change when the current crop of Hagwon kids come of age.
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Gladiator



Joined: 23 May 2003
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 7:12 pm    Post subject: Absurd emphasis on learning English Reply with quote

Quote:
that will change when the current crop of Hagwon kids come of age.


I don't think it will. I see every single reason for Korea's collective struggle to communicate meaningfully in English connected to insurmountable cultural factors that hours of toiling away in a kongbubang will never remove. Of course the educational approach to English here doesn't help either.

Addressing the OP I could add that the necessity for English in Korea has been increased as Korea has become a leading IT consumer and point of FDI over the recent years. In my company the technicians agonise for hours hunched over CISCO router manuals so infested with jargonese even English natives couldn't fathom them. Programming a switch or PBX or setting up a LAN doesn't require those involved to coverse eloquently in English thus the "means to an end" crude, functional prupose it serves.
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