|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
cj1976
Joined: 26 Oct 2005
|
 Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 5:31 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| metalhead wrote: |
| Mix1 wrote: |
Korean culture is not for everyone; not everyone wants to swallow that pill (drink the Kool-Aid?). It takes a certain kind of person to actually want to dive in all the way, which is almost what you have to do to learn the language that well. |
While I personally have zero interest in the language as I think it sounds ugly and I don't want those sounds coming out of my mouth, along with the general unfriendliness of Koreans being a deterrent to learning it, it has to be said that someone who is married to a Korean and living in Korea should learn the damn language, otherwise it implies retardation.
Also, everyone should be able to speak at least two languages fluently, otherwise you're just missing out on a slice of the world. |
While I agree with your point that being bilingual may be enriching, your other thinly veiled barb about long-timers like myself not learning Korean is a crude generalisation. Experiences differ. In my case, I meet my wife's family twice a year max, and my wife speaks English. If I had more contact time with them, then that would be a different matter.
Anyway, like I already said, I have been lazy. On the flip side, I have had loads of time to practice guitar and I have become pretty good haha. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
nicwr2002
Joined: 17 Aug 2011
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 6:23 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Lionman wrote: |
I recently was interviewed at a top graduate school in Seoul. One of the professors seemed to be impressed with my Korean and said, 'Ah, you are like the abnormal summit (비정상회담) guys.' I had not heard of it at the time and asked if it was TV show. He said it was. I then said, 'Oh, I don't watch TV.'
When I later saw these guys on Youtube, I felt quite insulted that someone would put me in the same category as these clowns. They are obviously following a script. Granted they are good at conversational Korean (2 years of living while moderately studying in country to attain that sort of level). One of the guys pronunciation was pretty bad, and they don't seem to have a good handle on the culture. (hence the heavily scripted lines)
They do not seem to have any career aspirations or any goals, just goofing off on TV. The commercials with these guys are even worse.
I am glad to see that they have people from different countries though, not a preference for those of a European background.
I just feel that Korea needs to recognize foreigners for more than just being the token foreigner. |
You do know that the Turkish guy(Enes?) is/was a Korean translator right? There are some guys who can't speak that well, but him, Julien, and Takuya all speak really well.
Most of these guys have jobs other than teaching and are not students like one poster said. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
basic69isokay
Joined: 28 Sep 2014
Location: korea
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 6:29 am Post subject: |
|
|
I said they were students here studying korean, which is true.
They do other things now, sure. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
basic69isokay
Joined: 28 Sep 2014
Location: korea
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 6:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
| aq8knyus wrote: |
| basic69isokay wrote: |
a relatively useless language.
Unless you have a trust fund or something. And if you do, choose Chinese for Christ's sake. |
All second languages are equally useless unless you combine it with a skill or live in a country where it is spoken.
Also the rarer the language the more useful it will be for your future. There are countless westerners learning Chinese full time and living in a Chinese speaking country. On top of that there are millions of ethnic Chinese living in western countries and I wouldn't even want to guess the number of Chinese speakers who can hold a conversation in English. |
There are definitely degrees of usefulness.
Cmon Korean is pretty useless compared to chinese, english, spanish, well....basically every other language.
Why do you think koreans are scrambling to learn other languages?? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
wooden nickels
Joined: 23 May 2010
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 6:42 am Post subject: |
|
|
| metalhead wrote: |
| Mix1 wrote: |
Korean culture is not for everyone; not everyone wants to swallow that pill (drink the Kool-Aid?). It takes a certain kind of person to actually want to dive in all the way, which is almost what you have to do to learn the language that well. |
While I personally have zero interest in the language as I think it sounds ugly and I don't want those sounds coming out of my mouth, along with the general unfriendliness of Koreans being a deterrent to learning it, it has to be said that someone who is married to a Korean and living in Korea should learn the damn language, otherwise it implies retardation.
Also, everyone should be able to speak at least two languages fluently, otherwise you're just missing out on a slice of the world. |
I'm married to a Korean and have lived in Korea for eleven years. I haven't learned the language beyond survival level. This has been my choice.
I decided I would use the extra time to start up a business to bring in more income, and to have time for my hobbies. I have a succesful business and a lot of free time for my hobbies. Looking back, I don't think I would have had the time to pour into my business if I had been studying Korean. I don't regret my decision of not putting a lot of time into studying Korean.
I'm fluent in two languages. I taught both languages in my home country.
Booger off. Your statement implies ignorance on your part. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
aq8knyus
Joined: 28 Jul 2010
Location: London
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 8:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
| basic69isokay wrote: |
| aq8knyus wrote: |
| basic69isokay wrote: |
a relatively useless language.
Unless you have a trust fund or something. And if you do, choose Chinese for Christ's sake. |
All second languages are equally useless unless you combine it with a skill or live in a country where it is spoken.
Also the rarer the language the more useful it will be for your future. There are countless westerners learning Chinese full time and living in a Chinese speaking country. On top of that there are millions of ethnic Chinese living in western countries and I wouldn't even want to guess the number of Chinese speakers who can hold a conversation in English. |
There are definitely degrees of usefulness.
Cmon Korean is pretty useless compared to chinese, english, spanish, well....basically every other language.
Why do you think koreans are scrambling to learn other languages?? |
Cos they live in an incredibly competitive society where there are so few careers types and very few options for the army of graduates who enter the workforce every year. Remember this is a country where Korean history and hanja proficiency tests are seen as important qualifications for applications for big companies. In such a world a 900+ TOEIC is not just desirable, it is essential.
I also say that beyond pairing your language proficiency with a skill, the best way to earn tangible benefits from second language learning would be to learn a language that was not already spoken by every Tom, Dick and Harry.
Mandarin is more useful in the sense that there are more opportunities to use the language, but there are also far more people capable of speaking it fluently. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
aq8knyus
Joined: 28 Jul 2010
Location: London
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 8:24 am Post subject: |
|
|
| wooden nickels wrote: |
| metalhead wrote: |
| Mix1 wrote: |
Korean culture is not for everyone; not everyone wants to swallow that pill (drink the Kool-Aid?). It takes a certain kind of person to actually want to dive in all the way, which is almost what you have to do to learn the language that well. |
While I personally have zero interest in the language as I think it sounds ugly and I don't want those sounds coming out of my mouth, along with the general unfriendliness of Koreans being a deterrent to learning it, it has to be said that someone who is married to a Korean and living in Korea should learn the damn language, otherwise it implies retardation.
Also, everyone should be able to speak at least two languages fluently, otherwise you're just missing out on a slice of the world. |
I'm married to a Korean and have lived in Korea for eleven years. I haven't learned the language beyond survival level. This has been my choice.
I decided I would use the extra time to start up a business to bring in more income, and to have time for my hobbies. I have a succesful business and a lot of free time for my hobbies. Looking back, I don't think I would have had the time to pour into my business if I had been studying Korean. I don't regret my decision of not putting a lot of time into studying Korean.
I'm fluent in two languages. I taught both languages in my home country.
Booger off. Your statement implies ignorance on your part. |
I dont think anyone should fault you for taking that position.
Some of the people on that show also don't seem to understand that when you live in a country where English has become the de facto second language, there are even fewer incentives for learning Korean as a native English speaker.
Of course a Bengali speaker or a French speaker is going to put the time into learning Korean cos a) they don't want to rely on their cruddy English skills and b) very, very few people will speak their native language. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 1:59 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Well I would feel embarrassed if I were to tell someone I have lived in a place for ten years, married a local, have a kid or two and can't speak the language. I mean it's cool for the kid and mom because they can talk about you in front of you while you sit there oblivious to what they're saying but that is not cool for you, Mr Lazy Man. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cj1976
Joined: 26 Oct 2005
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 2:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| metalhead wrote: |
| Well I would feel embarrassed if I were to tell someone I have lived in a place for ten years, married a local, have a kid or two and can't speak the language. I mean it's cool for the kid and mom because they can talk about you in front of you while you sit there oblivious to what they're saying but that is not cool for you, Mr Lazy Man. |
Necessity is a key factor for learning a second language. I simply haven't needed to go beyond my current level. Tbh, my Korean is not as bad as I make out. My listening, pronunciation, and vocab are not bad, but I am lacking in fluency and grammar. I need to go back to class and practice more.
If I had kids, that would be different. I would have been forced to speak more Korean with teachers, doctors, other parents etc.
Another factor is personality. I am not very sociable, and I much prefer to be alone. Perhaps this is down to my age and being married. Before I met my wife, I was much more enthusiastic about learning Korean and meeting new people (ie women), so not surprisingly I studied more.
Having said all that, I often think about giving up work to study korean full time, just for the challenge of learning something so difficult. My wife actually vetoed that because she think earning money is more important. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 3:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
I also say that beyond pairing your language proficiency with a skill, the best way to earn tangible benefits from second language learning would be to learn a language that was not already spoken by every Tom, Dick and Harry.
|
Learning an obscure language might get you a translating or interpreting job but as you say the way to get a well paid job is to pair a language with a skill. For this a common language might be best. E.g. Here are the languages most prized by UK employers
http://www.cbi.org.uk/media-centre/news-articles/2012/06/which-languages-do-uk-managers-value/
In the US Spanish is top followed by French then Mandarin. You can see the most desired languages by employers are actually very common and for English speakers relatively easy to learn. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JFP2020
Joined: 31 May 2010
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 8:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Lionman wrote: |
I recently was interviewed at a top graduate school in Seoul. One of the professors seemed to be impressed with my Korean and said, 'Ah, you are like the abnormal summit (비정상회담) guys.' I had not heard of it at the time and asked if it was TV show. He said it was. I then said, 'Oh, I don't watch TV.'
When I later saw these guys on Youtube, I felt quite insulted that someone would put me in the same category as these clowns. They are obviously following a script. Granted they are good at conversational Korean (2 years of living while moderately studying in country to attain that sort of level). One of the guys pronunciation was pretty bad, and they don't seem to have a good handle on the culture. (hence the heavily scripted lines)
They do not seem to have any career aspirations or any goals, just goofing off on TV. The commercials with these guys are even worse.
I am glad to see that they have people from different countries though, not a preference for those of a European background.
I just feel that Korea needs to recognize foreigners for more than just being the token foreigner. |
"Granted they are good at conversational Korean (2 years of living while moderately studying in country to attain that sort of level)."
I think this is a big disservice to the panelists. Yes, it is presumably scripted to some extent, but they still have an admirable command of the language. Even the worst of them speaks better Korean than the vast majority of Westerners I've met here, and, as has been pointed out, some of them, such as Tyler and the Turkish guy come across as fluent (or something close to that, as far as I can discern with my intermediate ability.) Two years of "moderate study" -- though I suppose that's an ambiguous phrase -- would absolutely not get most people to that level. Korean is much harder than that.
Last edited by JFP2020 on Fri Nov 28, 2014 8:23 pm; edited 3 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JFP2020
Joined: 31 May 2010
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 8:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| JFP2020 wrote: |
| Lionman wrote: |
I recently was interviewed at a top graduate school in Seoul. One of the professors seemed to be impressed with my Korean and said, 'Ah, you are like the abnormal summit (비정상회담) guys.' I had not heard of it at the time and asked if it was TV show. He said it was. I then said, 'Oh, I don't watch TV.'
When I later saw these guys on Youtube, I felt quite insulted that someone would put me in the same category as these clowns. They are obviously following a script. Granted they are good at conversational Korean (2 years of living while moderately studying in country to attain that sort of level). One of the guys pronunciation was pretty bad, and they don't seem to have a good handle on the culture. (hence the heavily scripted lines)
They do not seem to have any career aspirations or any goals, just goofing off on TV. The commercials with these guys are even worse.
I am glad to see that they have people from different countries though, not a preference for those of a European background.
I just feel that Korea needs to recognize foreigners for more than just being the token foreigner. |
"Granted they are good at conversational Korean (2 years of living while moderately studying in country to attain that sort of level)."
I think this is a big disservice to the panelists. Yes, it is presumably scripted to some extent, but they still have an admirable command of the language. Even the worst of them speaks better Korean than the vast majority of Westerners I've met here, and, as has been pointed out, some of them, such as Tyler and the Turkish guy come across as fluent (or something close to that, as far as I can discern with my intermediate ability.) Two years of "moderate study" -- though I suppose that's an ambiguous phrase -- would absolutely not get most people to that level. Korea is much harder than that. |
As for the "token" aspect, that's another issue, I just meant to comment on their language learning, I should clarify. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Konglishman
Joined: 14 Sep 2007
Location: Nanjing
|
| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 5:47 am Post subject: |
|
|
| It is fascinating to me that this sort of show now exists in Korea. This is namely because back when I lived in Korea from 2007 to 2012, I sometimes daydreamed about making a drama/comedy about foreigners living in Korea. I figured I would call it "This is Korea". |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
