Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wormholes101]

Koreans use quite a few English expressions that don't sound quite right.

Talent = TV Star? What's your best translation?

힘내라 = ?? I don't think we even have an equivalent expression for this in English. Perhaps "Give it your best effort!" but even that doesn't translate correctly in all situations...

What are other Konglish expression? Which ones are untranslatable? What's your best translation?

[some waygug-in]

Perhaps this will help:

efl.htmlplanet.com/interlanguage.htm

My personal favorite is "hwighting".

[Kiarell]

Performance test

A "what the *beep*?" moment for me...a "test test" It tests performance, which is how ell you test. So that I finally deciphered as attitude evaluation.

"Rehearsal"

Rehearsal, okay, practice,......for what?......a musical....OH! Theater

"Striker"

"Beer room"

Yeah...you're better off telling the students to use Korean and bust out a dictionary or asking them to elaborate. You must break them of these stupid Konglish expressions. I speak very little Korean and I will take pure Korean over Konglish any day of the week. Keep konglish/korean words for stuff that's only in Korea, but for everything else, don't try to do a translation. When they use these Konglish words they use the same word for several divergent meanings in English. Or worse yet, vice versa: they'll take stamina and mean sexual stamina (two words we never paiur together) then keep only the generic word, stamina. That happens so FUCKING OFTEN. Every other word I say has become sexual slang. Well at least I don't say "pocket pool" for billiards.

Just give them vocab lessons and refuse to acknowledge Konglish. Act as if you don't hear it. Starting off with Konglish and then translating will cement these incorrect word associations.

Big thing with my kids is "방 " Some of them translate it to "room" which makes sense sometimes, but then often it doesn't, so I tell them that "방 " could many different things and teach them phrases as vocab lessons.

I also had a fun time explaining what "drugs" means in English, especially in the context of musicians (relevant to the discussion). It had some weird, Konglish meaning I still can't figure out.

[Whistleblower]

Q. "How are you?"
A. "So-so".

"I am booking!!! I had my stamina juice!!!"

"I want some Cider." A Korean child says to a British pub owner.

"Culture is fusion in Korea!!!"

"I live in a mansion" An upper class Korean talking about his apartment.

"We are staying in a pension".

"Pass me the hotchkiss"

"Shall we dutch pay?"

"I want to speak-ee live English"

"I drink live beer"

"My car has 'yang seat' (pronounced: yang sh--it)" - Basically my car has sheep skin covers.

[ernie]

"i'm feeling extremely so-so today"

...not really konglish, but one of my favorite expressions!

[southern boy]

white or huwhitu means correction pen or twink
Huzzee - tissue