Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jzrossef]

I'm about to apply foreign language as an option course soon and I could use a bit of insight.

I�ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and I narrowed all the options down to Japanese or Chinese as they have the biggest influence in Korean society and economy. (At least in my lifetime, anyway) I am pretty comfortable with English and I have relatively good command in Korean (I�d expect that I�ll catch up much faster when I live there anyway) so it really just comes down to these different languages for me.

Japanese
Currently the biggest trading partner and foreign investors in Korean economy. (China will probably top that soon, but they�ll have good influence in my lifetime at least)

In social aspects as far as I�m concerned, Japanese culture, products and media are highly regarded whereas the Chinese counterparts are seen as inferior and second-class. (This is mostly due to wide gap of the standard of living and Chinese reputation as economic labouring nation� though this will change as China� standard of living rise� probably not in my lifetime though. The stereotype is mostly due to social class rather than racism as we have been Chinese neighbours and often allies exchanging culture and economic trades since the beginning of Korean history. Japanese media and culture (anime/manga, drama and literature) seems to be much more popular in Korean society. The only thing I personally can relate to in terms of Chinese influence back in my childhood is Three Kingdoms of Romance� and much of the cartoon and novels are written and produced by Japanese artists and writers. (Shrug)

Japanese is probably easier to learn for me. Japanese grammar tends to be more difficult, but I think I�d fare better at it as Japanese grammar is pretty similar to Korean hangul.

Chinese
There are more Chinese immigrants and students compared to Japanese counterparts, and I�d probably have more opportunities to practice Chinese since I�m more likely to run into them than Japanese speaking people. More people speak Chinese, not just in the mainland.

Chinese society and average standard of living is rising steadily, and it is likely that more wealthy Chinese immigrants and students will be coming to Korea than Japanese counterparts. Not immediately, perhaps. And it may not make a huge difference until I am close to late 40s or 50s, but you never know.

China� influence over the world is growing while Japanese influence is on the steady decline. Like how people are learning English when immigrating to North America or Europe, it may be a similar reason why one should learn Chinese when immigrating to Far East and southeastern Asia.

Based on your living and teaching experience, any thoughts?

[Kimchifart]

I would just pick the one you would find most interesting. Both languages are pretty useful.

[victorology]

I am not a teacher but I do business here in Korea. I am fluent in Korean and am fairly proficient in Japanese. I am trying to learn Mandarin at the moment. If I were to take up a 3rd language all over again, I would choose Mandarin over Japanese. I feel like there is much more business opportunity in China at the moment.

[interestedinhanguk]

Was the point of your post to seek advice or to give us an unsolicited essay?

[SinclairLondon]

Both.

[redaxe]

I studied both and would recommend learning Chinese. I find it easier, more useful, and more interesting than Japanese.