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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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 Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 9:57 am Post subject: Would you consider speaking Korean in front of you rude? |
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Would you, as teacher, feel uncomfortable being in a small office room with your two Korean co-teachers at your hagwon/academy speaking in Korean about the job, students, or who knows what in Korean?
They do speak English. They're English teachers. I feel uncomfortable when they start speaking Korean. They could be bad mouthing me, bad mouthing the boss, saying things about students that maybe I should know..... I could be off-base by saying that, but I somehow don't like two people talking in another language when I don't speak their language and I am right next to them. |
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samd
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:41 am Post subject: |
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If English is their second language then they probably just want to relax and have a chat. Sometimes you just want to speak your native tongue with a fellow native speaker.
If they are gyopos who speak English just as well if not better than Korean, then I'd say it's rude, because the only reason they could have for using Korean would be to exclude you.
When it comes down to it, they are speaking their language in their country - maybe you could make more of an effort to learn Korean in order to communicate with them. |
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berrieh
Joined: 10 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:07 pm Post subject: Re: Would you consider speaking Korean in front of you rude? |
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| Adventurer wrote: |
Would you, as teacher, feel uncomfortable being in a small office room with your two Korean co-teachers at your hagwon/academy speaking in Korean about the job, students, or who knows what in Korean?
They do speak English. They're English teachers. I feel uncomfortable when they start speaking Korean. They could be bad mouthing me, bad mouthing the boss, saying things about students that maybe I should know..... I could be off-base by saying that, but I somehow don't like two people talking in another language when I don't speak their language and I am right next to them. |
I'm not in Korea yet, BUT I work part time with a lot of Spanish speaking co-workers and some Russian speaking co-workers in the states. Granted, *I* can speak quite a bit of Spanish but many people who work there cannot, and the people who speak English/Spanish but Spanish as a first language often speak in Spanish with each other. I think it's just more comfortable. They're rarely doing it to talk about anyone. (They don't know I speak Spanish. I haven't told them because I'm always curious how they'll speak if they think I don't.) As far as the Russians go, I have no idea what they're saying, but it doesn't bother me either.
Most of them can speak English, but I can see where they'd choose not to. Like I said, I can speak Spanish (I can read/write at a 4th grade level, listen above that), but I'd become exhausted if I had to do it for long periods of time. Generally, people can only learn to "think" in one language efficiently. Even people I know who speak multiple languages beautifully have told me they think in their primary language. |
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machellebelle
Joined: 16 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Frankly, I love overhearing their conversations about their cheating husbands, diets, laxatives and their cute new shoes. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:35 pm Post subject: Re: Would you consider speaking Korean in front of you rude? |
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| berrieh wrote: |
I'm not in Korea yet, BUT I work part time with a lot of Spanish speaking co-workers and some Russian speaking co-workers in the states. Granted, *I* can speak quite a bit of Spanish but many people who work there cannot, and the people who speak English/Spanish but Spanish as a first language often speak in Spanish with each other. I think it's just more comfortable. They're rarely doing it to talk about anyone. (They don't know I speak Spanish. I haven't told them because I'm always curious how they'll speak if they think I don't.) As far as the Russians go, I have no idea what they're saying, but it doesn't bother me either.
Most of them can speak English, but I can see where they'd choose not to. Like I said, I can speak Spanish (I can read/write at a 4th grade level, listen above that), but I'd become exhausted if I had to do it for long periods of time. Generally, people can only learn to "think" in one language efficiently. Even people I know who speak multiple languages beautifully have told me they think in their primary language. |
Shame on you for speaking your primary language in your home country! Shame on you for making those visitors learn your language! |
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berrieh
Joined: 10 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:38 pm Post subject: Re: Would you consider speaking Korean in front of you rude? |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| berrieh wrote: |
I'm not in Korea yet, BUT I work part time with a lot of Spanish speaking co-workers and some Russian speaking co-workers in the states. Granted, *I* can speak quite a bit of Spanish but many people who work there cannot, and the people who speak English/Spanish but Spanish as a first language often speak in Spanish with each other. I think it's just more comfortable. They're rarely doing it to talk about anyone. (They don't know I speak Spanish. I haven't told them because I'm always curious how they'll speak if they think I don't.) As far as the Russians go, I have no idea what they're saying, but it doesn't bother me either.
Most of them can speak English, but I can see where they'd choose not to. Like I said, I can speak Spanish (I can read/write at a 4th grade level, listen above that), but I'd become exhausted if I had to do it for long periods of time. Generally, people can only learn to "think" in one language efficiently. Even people I know who speak multiple languages beautifully have told me they think in their primary language. |
Shame on you for speaking your primary language in your home country! Shame on you for making those visitors learn your language! |
Most of them aren't "visitors" - many are U.S. citizens, born in the U.S. (or Puerto Rico) and first generation to speak English. Others are permanent residents, who I don't consider "visitors" either. And none of them are being "made" to speak English. Not sure what your point was.
Last edited by berrieh on Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:17 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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travelingfool
Joined: 10 Mar 2008
Location: Parents' basement
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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| At the end of a class an ajosshi student thought he would tell me how to teach, and did this in front of the whole class. Hey, I like feedback but I think he could have waited until the other students had left. So after he made his comments he started talking to the rest of the students in Korean and alternating looking at me and looking at them. This was guy was a total dic*khead anyways and I ended up blowing a cork and totally went off on him telling him what an a-hole he had been and how it rude it was for him to speak Korean right in front of me like that. Luckily he never came back after that class. In that case I think it was definitely rude. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:16 pm Post subject: Re: Would you consider speaking Korean in front of you rude? |
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| berrieh wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| berrieh wrote: |
I'm not in Korea yet, BUT I work part time with a lot of Spanish speaking co-workers and some Russian speaking co-workers in the states. Granted, *I* can speak quite a bit of Spanish but many people who work there cannot, and the people who speak English/Spanish but Spanish as a first language often speak in Spanish with each other. I think it's just more comfortable. They're rarely doing it to talk about anyone. (They don't know I speak Spanish. I haven't told them because I'm always curious how they'll speak if they think I don't.) As far as the Russians go, I have no idea what they're saying, but it doesn't bother me either.
Most of them can speak English, but I can see where they'd choose not to. Like I said, I can speak Spanish (I can read/write at a 4th grade level, listen above that), but I'd become exhausted if I had to do it for long periods of time. Generally, people can only learn to "think" in one language efficiently. Even people I know who speak multiple languages beautifully have told me they think in their primary language. |
Shame on you for speaking your primary language in your home country! Shame on you for making those visitors learn your language! |
Most of them aren't "visitors" - many are U.S. citizens, born in the U.S. and first generation to speak English. Not everyone who lives in America speaks English by any stretch, particularly not in my state. Heck, not everyone at work (my part time job at the restaurant at least) speaks English.
Not sure what your point was. |
Well partly putting the OP in his place. Partly showing that as far as visitors to other countries go, our bunch here are some of the least adaptive on the planet. Partly that Koreans shouldn't be judged for speaking Korean in Korea. |
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berrieh
Joined: 10 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:20 pm Post subject: Re: Would you consider speaking Korean in front of you rude? |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| berrieh wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| berrieh wrote: |
I'm not in Korea yet, BUT I work part time with a lot of Spanish speaking co-workers and some Russian speaking co-workers in the states. Granted, *I* can speak quite a bit of Spanish but many people who work there cannot, and the people who speak English/Spanish but Spanish as a first language often speak in Spanish with each other. I think it's just more comfortable. They're rarely doing it to talk about anyone. (They don't know I speak Spanish. I haven't told them because I'm always curious how they'll speak if they think I don't.) As far as the Russians go, I have no idea what they're saying, but it doesn't bother me either.
Most of them can speak English, but I can see where they'd choose not to. Like I said, I can speak Spanish (I can read/write at a 4th grade level, listen above that), but I'd become exhausted if I had to do it for long periods of time. Generally, people can only learn to "think" in one language efficiently. Even people I know who speak multiple languages beautifully have told me they think in their primary language. |
Shame on you for speaking your primary language in your home country! Shame on you for making those visitors learn your language! |
Most of them aren't "visitors" - many are U.S. citizens, born in the U.S. and first generation to speak English. Not everyone who lives in America speaks English by any stretch, particularly not in my state. Heck, not everyone at work (my part time job at the restaurant at least) speaks English.
Not sure what your point was. |
Well partly putting the OP in his place. Partly showing that as far as visitors to other countries go, our bunch here are some of the least adaptive on the planet. |
I imagine anyone in America on a one-year contract who wasn't required to learn English but could conduct most of their business in their own language would learn about the same amount of English as most Westerners learn (Korean) in Korea.
It's not as though people learn other languages out of the goodness of their hearts. Some learn because they're interested in languages, but those would study language at home, too. Mostly, people learn language to survive and fulfill communication needs. |
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bobbyhanlon
Joined: 09 Nov 2003
Location: 서울
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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learn some korean then!
..and i guarantee that they will be talking about some stupid crap that was on tv last night, or other inconsequential gibberish. |
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Ginormousaurus
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
Location: 700 Ft. Pulpit
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:48 pm Post subject: |
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| samd wrote: |
If English is their second language then they probably just want to relax and have a chat. Sometimes you just want to speak your native tongue with a fellow native speaker.
If they are gyopos who speak English just as well if not better than Korean, then I'd say it's rude, because the only reason they could have for using Korean would be to exclude you.
When it comes down to it, they are speaking their language in their country - maybe you could make more of an effort to learn Korean in order to communicate with them. |
Agree 100% |
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Scotticus
Joined: 18 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:06 pm Post subject: |
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| samd wrote: |
When it comes down to it, they are speaking their language in their country - maybe you could make more of an effort to learn Korean in order to communicate with them. |
Yeah, you lazy shitbag! Just learn Korean! I mean, it's not like learning a language is an involved process taking years of study and practice. Just pick up Learning Korean Volume I at your nearest Kyobo and you'll feel like a native in no time! |
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bobbyhanlon
Joined: 09 Nov 2003
Location: 서울
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Scotticus wrote: |
| samd wrote: |
When it comes down to it, they are speaking their language in their country - maybe you could make more of an effort to learn Korean in order to communicate with them. |
Yeah, you lazy shitbag! Just learn Korean! I mean, it's not like learning a language is an involved process taking years of study and practice. Just pick up Learning Korean Volume I at your nearest Kyobo and you'll feel like a native in no time! |
just being in korea, its not difficult to learn something though. i think you'd have to make a conscious effort to avoid korean to spend, say, 2 years here without being able to understand at least the vague gist of what people are talking about. |
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Chris_Dixon
Joined: 09 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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| sigh at thread... |
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DaeguKid
Joined: 09 Dec 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 12:32 am Post subject: |
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I understand where you are coming from, but you are in Korea, in a Korean work place with Koreans...if you are that paranoid, study Korean. I don't mean that in a rude way, I reccommend that based purely on helping you get over your problem with your workplace.
So really, get over it or study...
Good luck
DK |
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