Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sweetkaiser]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently living and working in Chungju, Chungbuk-do. I've self-studied Korean in my home country for over a year, and am continuing to study now that I'm living and teaching in Korea. My long-term plan is to gain fluency in Korean and go for an MA in Translation and Interpretation, Korean to English. I'd like to translate novels and perhaps begin working in the area of ESL materials/curriculum design. Teaching is my first love, but I'd like to expand my skillset.

My question is, are there any other hardcore learners on Dave's? I know some people are studying a little bit, to speak to spouses or to improve everyday life, but I'm looking for the level of Korean that will allow me to function in Korea at a graduate school level. My background is in linguistics and foreign languages are my passion, so the work isn't off-putting---it's just finding other people and good resources for support that's difficult.

Right now I'm at a high-intermediate level. Has anyone got any advice/links/company to offer? Has anyone attempted grad school in Korea, but IN KOREAN? There are International MA programs here, I know--but those classes are in English.

Thanks in advance!

[skeeterses]

[coralreefer_1]

I have done a second BA, and currently doing a second MA in a university. ALL of the courses of the BA, and at least 70% of my MA courses were/are in Korean.

With that said however, although I do not consider myself anywhere near fluent and with having passed the level 5 TOPIK, I have no trouble understanding the vast majority of lectures/materials in my field of study. I do however have much trouble understanding a news broadcast or reading a Korean newspaper on subjects that are not related to international business/commerce/trade.

I mention this to say that although it is commendable that you desire to be fluent in the language, it is not absolutely necessary to be fluent to do a degree in a program conducted in Korean.

As far as learning, the only advice I can offer is to study materials related to the field you are interested in. Korean language books like what you find in the bookstore fall short in regards to preparing folks for university lectures in Korean (rather ironic since in most cases these books/programs are aimed at foreign students) They can be good for "social" fluency, but if the goal is to do a degree, advance learning of the concepts related to your field in your own language, coupled with later learning the Korean vocabulary associated with those same concepts and other related vocab will be vital.

You can find Korean textbooks at the bookstore (I have seen several of the same textbooks I used in my BA program, books written/co-written by same of the same professors I had) in Kyobo. Try picking up one or two of these, and going through it working on acquiring the relevant and repeated vocabulary

If your experience is to be anything like mine, the vast amount of new vocabulary related to the field will be the most difficult aspect, but also one easily conquered as typically you will see the same vocab over and over during the course of your study.

[Son Deureo!]

You might want to consider completing one of the better university Korean language programs like Sogang's or Ehwa's. One of their goals is to prepare their students for study in their regular programs geared towards Korean students. Also, many universities automatically allow admission to their degree programs to their foreign graduates of their language institutes. It's definitely the case for Sogang.

Since you're specifically interested in translation, you might want to look into the Korean Literary Translation Institute's (an arm of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) translation academy. They offer very modestly priced (W100k for a year) courses to Korean and foreign students interested in studying literary translation. They even offer an intensive program that includes a living stipend. Check here for more details (http://eng.klti.or.kr/ke_02_04_011.do). I know they also at least used to offer scholarships to foreign students doing degree programs, not sure if they still do.