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chance2005
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
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 Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 9:56 pm Post subject: Speaking Korean - your experience |
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| I am just curious about the people who have really put a lot of effort into studying and speaking Korean and who have made it to an "advanced" level. What has your experience been like in Korea? How do Koreans react to you when you speak Korean but they have asked you a question in English? Or in any situation really? |
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TheMrCul
Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Korea, finally...
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 4:43 am Post subject: |
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My Korean isn't really advanced but almost (99%) their reactions are positive. I was taking a bus from GwangJu to Seoul the other day and the ajumma next to me was so happy that I spoke Korean, telling me that it's just like talking to a Korean  . She then preceded to put pressure on her 6 year old son to speak English like I can.  |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 9:59 am Post subject: |
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It's great to communicate, but frustrating to not be understood. Sometimes they get past your foreign face, sometimes not. If you are a regular, like at a store you frequent, then that is a good place to try your Korean. I have a few in my neighborhood now who are used to me and now know I can handle at least some Korean. I feel they do respect the foreigner more when he can manage even a little local lingo. Same anywhere perhaps.  |
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Ilsanman
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Bucheon, Korea
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 6:35 am Post subject: yes |
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| My experiences are almost all good, too. I just don't like the over flattery, and the unspoken assumption that whiteys are incapable of speaking �츮 �� |
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tomato
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
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chance2005
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 6:17 pm Post subject: Re: yes |
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| Ilsanman wrote: |
| My experiences are almost all good, too. I just don't like the over flattery, and the unspoken assumption that whiteys are incapable of speaking �츮 �� |
Yes these are my thoughts exactly. My experience in general has been good, but your other two points happen to me often and can be very bothersome. "The assumption that whiteys are incapable of speaking Korean" often bothers me so much that I am particularly hard on myself to speak perfectly even though my Korean pronunciation can be so imperfect at times. Unfortunately though, for me to break into the really fluent level at ease in all situations including business, I have to be able to speak even when I know I might make a grammatical or pronunciation mistake.
Anyway I did not know about Mith's website until now, so I am glad I posted my question. |
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tomato
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
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chance2005
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 2:43 am Post subject: Re: yes |
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I hear you. I was in the same boat as you about five years ago. I had invested a lot of time in studying Korean. I avoided people who would only speak English to me. I felt like a walking neon sign blinking "I am a tourist....help me, I don't speak Korean". Every day I was filled with either an emotional high or low linked to how I felt I had been treated or spoken to that day. I was often met with extreme kindness and acceptance with open conversation or ignored. Anyway to fix the problem I just left Korea. I later returned while working for an international company for several months, and I finally got the Korean immersion I had always wanted. The key was to get out of teaching English. In Korea, you are what you do. If you are an English teacher, people will always think it strange you want to speak Korean. It is difficult to reconcile the two, because you are always around people who are studying English. |
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tomato
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 5:02 am Post subject: Re: yes |
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Chance, I agree. I would love nothing better than to "get out of teaching English." To get out of teaching English, I need to qualify for some other job by learning Korean. To learn Korean, I need to get out of teaching English, where I don't have to speak English 25 or 30 hours a week.
I'm doing the best I can by furiously studying Korean during my free time and by staying away from good Samaritans who say "Can I help you?"
Is there any better way I can get out of this vicious circle? |
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chance2005
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 7:57 am Post subject: Re: yes |
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| tomato wrote: |
Chance, I agree. I would love nothing better than to "get out of teaching English." To get out of teaching English, I need to qualify for some other job by learning Korean. To learn Korean, I need to get out of teaching English, where I don't have to speak English 25 or 30 hours a week.
I'm doing the best I can by furiously studying Korean during my free time and by staying away from good Samaritans who say "Can I help you?"
Is there any better way I can get out of this vicious circle? |
It really depends on how much you want to learn Korean and how long you want to stay in Korea. To someone who is already in Korea, and who plans to stay for several more years, but is unsure what kind of job he or she can get in his home country, I would say this...go to Seoul, study at Sogang or Yonsei full time until 12:30 pm every day and schedule your work hours in the afternoon and evening. Explain to whoever hires you your intentions to study. They will work with you as all Koreans are very respectful of education and study. Work the minimum hours that can sustain your lifestyle...around 15-20 hours max would allow you to study and keep up with your homework. You could also live in a hasukjib for about 400,000 won a month. If so you would be immersed in Korean, as the students at the �ϼ� would be too shy to speak English to you. In a year and a half you could finish the program and be at a level where you could actually work in an office albeit with some trouble, but you would have the necessary language skills to add to your vocab quickly. If you are really interested you could try Yonsei's MBA program. If you graduate from there you can find very good jobs with Korean companies...that degree along with Korean fluency is golden. An American MBA is better, but Yonsei is cheap and if you are already in Korea why not.
All in all my thinking is that if you are not in a full time professional language program it is a very very long road to fluency full of many many embarassing moments of miscommunication and mistakes.
Although Korean is not an international language, Korean companies like Samsung, LG, Hyundai actively recruit in the USA, if that happens to be where you are from, then your language skills can be used in America to get decent entry level professional positions that pay similar as American companies. With your language skills, management would choose you over hundreds of applicants with better qualifications. |
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Ilsanman
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Bucheon, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 6:40 am Post subject: Re: yes |
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Yes, well, I hate to repeat myself. That's why I don't post everywhere that states the same thing.
Anyways, it's true. Happened again last night. I think their English was slightly better in comparison, but I was called a �ܱ��� õ�� and a few other over-exaggerated words.
Whatever. Nice, but annoying.
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 7:57 am Post subject: |
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| It is funny to see the reaction when you say much beyond "hello" or "thanks" or "how much?" |
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just because
Joined: 01 Aug 2003
Location: Changwon - 4964
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 4:47 am Post subject: |
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I have always had very positive reactions to my korean...and I am only high intermidiate at best......
Actually never a negative reaction and life here is a lot easier and people are a lot friendlier. |
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Ilsanman
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Bucheon, Korea
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:35 am Post subject: |
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| I even get the calculator shoved in my face when I ask in Korean ���ΰ���? or something. Even if I say ���� �ʿ� ���ݾƿ� ���� �ѱ��� �˾Ƶ��� and they still do it. |
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tomato
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:42 am Post subject: |
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I refuse to even look at the calculator.
I look straight ahead and say "���⸦ �� ���ڽ��ϴ�."
Then I refuse to hand over any money until they give me the price in Korean. |
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