Korean Job Discussion Forums

tomato · Last edited by tomato on Fri May 09, 2003 1:42 am; edited 2 times in total

�� ϱ� �Ǹ� �� ѱ�� ϱ� �Ǹ� ��ϱ�?

Evil or Very Mad

�� ܱ�� ֱ��Դϱ�?

Evil or Very Mad

�̾� �մϴ�. �� ̽ʻ� �ð� �� Դϴ�.

Evil or Very Mad

�̾� �մϴ�. �� �� Դϴ�. �� Դϴ�.

Evil or Very Mad

�ƹ�� ʰڽ��ϴ�.

Evil or Very Mad

Three thousand won, please.
�� "��õ ��"�̶�� ˰ڽ��ϴ�.
Thank you.
�� "��մϴ�"�� ˰ڽ��ϴ�.

Evil or Very Mad

Will you please speak English?
�ƴ�. �� ڰ� �ѱ�� ϸ� �� ѱ�� ؾ� �մϴ�.

Evil or Very Mad

Can I help you?
��, �� ʰ� �� ֽ��ϴ�.

Evil or Very Mad

Where are you going?
��ִ� �� ϴ� �ѱ� �� ϴ�.

............................................

If the above message does not appear in Korean on your screen,
click on Bogi (V), Inkoding (D), Hangukeo.

Cedar · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2003 6:37 am Post subject:

Oh, my best reply is always

"��? �� 𸣰ھ��!"(I have no idea what you are saying).

but I also often say what I heard a million times my first couple of years here:

"�ѱ�� ѱ� ��ϼ��!" (In Korea, you should speak Korean)

occassionally I explain

"��ϴ� �� , �� ð�� Ϻ�� ѱ�� ;��." (When working I hear enough bad English, in my free time I'd like to hear your perfect Korean.)

masuro · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2003 7:44 pm Post subject:

It depends on who's talking to me. If they are my students I obviously encourage them to speak English but in other cases I reply only in Korean. Most people quickly abandon English when they realise my Korean is fairly good.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Location: Middle Land

저는 독일인 입니다.

누구세요? 너는 내칭구 입니까? 싫어! 조리가! (a bit too aggressive)

Not sure if anyone can actually read that or not, so I will try Romanizing as well:

Mian hamnida. Jeo neun Dogilin imnida.
I am very sorry. I am German.

Nugusayo? Neo neun nae chingu imnikka? Shiro!* Joliga!
(who are you? Are you my friend? Shiro! Go away!)

*not sure how to translate the one-word "shiro" into English....

bucheon bum · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

great wall, you're being a little too polite there with the imnida's there Smile

gang ah jee · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: city of paper

Tomato,

I'm surprised no-one has called you on this yet, but many of the phrases you posted are unclear and/or unidiomatic and awkward, not to mention incorrect.

As an example, although the word is used a lot in advertising copy and is generally glossed as meaning 'you', it is not generally advisable to call strangers dangsin.

I get the feeling that you're translating English directly into Korean, an approach that doesn't always yield particularly accurate results. I suggest you get the phrases proofread by a native speaker of Korean.

The other issue is that your 'comebacks' seem confrontational. If someone were to say them to me I would be less likely to want to speak to them in any language. Try to remember that the vast majority of the time, if a Korean speaks to you in English, it is for the purposes of communication, not selfish practice. Koreans feel nervous and insecure about their English also, and in the majority of instances using English when speaking to you is an attempt to accomodate you, even if it does appear patronising.

I know you feel that you do not get enough opportunities to practice spoken Korean, and that you feel slighted when spoken to in English by Koreans, but try not to take it personally.

For me, I've found that taking the initiative in conversation is effective for getting people to switch to Korean. If a Korean speaks English to you when you wish to speak Korean try something like this (i'll romanise for those who don't have Korean options)

ah! yeong-eo gwengjang-hi jal hasineyo! eodi-seo bae-usheot-na-yo?

(ah, your english is really good, where did you learn it?)

and like Cedar said, saying something like

mworago-yo?

(what did you say)

works well too. The most important thing is getting people to think that communication will be more efficient and effective if conducted in Korean. There will be times where you are just better off speaking English though, you just have to live with it.

Dan · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Sunny Glendale, CA

Yeah, i'm kinda curious why you have to go off on someone who tries speaking to you in english. aren't they actually trying to be considerate?

now, if they start cursing at you in English, i could offer some choice words, but otherwise, wheres the fire.

gang ah jee · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: city of paper

right dan.

i'm reminded of this time a couple of years ago. some friends and I, including a gyopo guy were having a drink at a bar. I went up to order more drinks and met this canadian guy who'd been around for a few years. we lived in a smallish town without many other foreigners, so i invited him back to our table.

so he sits down and we're chatting then my gyopo friend comes back from the bathroom and says to this guy 'hi, what's your name?'. Suddenly, this dude gets all angry and starts yelling (in bad Korean too) 'WHY ARE YOU SPEAKING ENGLISH TO ME!? YOU THINK I CAN'T SPEAK KOREAN?! THIS IS NOT A HAKWON, WE SPEAK KOREAN FROM NOW ON!'

we were ready to kick his ass, i mean what a MOOK. We just told him to leave the table. Never saw him again.

oh whiner, it's a bit weird to use words like 'neo-neun' with imnida/imnikka endings. If memory serves me right, 'shilta' means 'to be distasteful'. also, I'm surprised your sig hasn't been moderated yet.

jaderedux · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Lurking outside Seoul

I speak a little Korean now BUT NEVER EVER do I complain or whine because somebody takes the trouble to try to speak English to me.

I think it is nice generous thing to do. Sometimes I answer in Korean and they might even correct my grammar or pronunciation. But to get all huffy because someone tries to speak english to me is well kinda rude.

Now if they are just being annoying and they just want to "practice" on me....I just start blinking with that deer in the headlights look and start speaking spanish.

But if it a shop keeper or something I am always nice and even when they get out the calculator...even though I understand I am not offended. Geez. I think it's it kinda nice they try so hard.

Most the supa clerks here in my little area know me now and don't bother with the English. But otherwise I don't have to PROVE how wonderful I am because I can speak a little Korean and hopefully when I can speak and comprehend even more of the language I can still appreciate the effort people put forth in trying to speak to me in my language.

But that's just me. I am very impressed (really) in those who have such a felicity for languages. Hangul is killing me but I am determined.

Jade

tomato · Posted: Sat May 03, 2003 7:48 pm Post subject:

Hello, Gang Ah Jee!

I'm sorry if my Korean's bad.
If my Korean is bad, then that's all the more reason why I need to practice Korean.
If I need to practice Korean, then those who speak English to me are acting against my interests.

Hello, Dan!

In reply to your question, I see an English-speaking Korean as implying that:

Evil or Very Mad

I'm such a helpless little infant that I should be spared the trauma of communicating in Korean.
Evil or Very Mad

my Korean is bad.
Evil or Very Mad

my Korean is so bad as to be considered hopeless. Therefore there is no point in even trying.
Evil or Very Mad

the English-speaking Korean is too important to spend even a few seconds speaking Korean to a little pipsqueak like me.
Evil or Very Mad

the English-speaking Korean has the right to practice English but I don't have the right to practice Korean.

I'm sorry if I'm over-sensitive for making these interpretations.
I wish I could appreciate English-speaking Koreans like Jaderedux does, but it's all I can to to tolerate them.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Location: Middle Land

The Lemon · Joined: 11 Jan 2003

It depends on the context.

Generally, I understand and appreciate Koreans who make the effort to speak English to me, though I wonder sometimes how it is they know I'm not French or Russian (most white people on the planet aren't English). Still, it's obvious they're trying to be nice. And occasionally they're trying to impress their friends standing nearby with their English prowess. That's ok too.

When I was teaching in Canada two years ago, I occasionally met students from Korea, who were not in my classes, but in the same building. When I found out they were Korean, and spoke a little bit of Korean to them (yes, I was showing off), more often than not they'd be irritated. You could tell they'd prefer to be addressed in English - I think for the same reasons we want people to speak Korean to us. You can't help but think "What, do you suppose I just got off the plane?"

The only time I'd go off on someone speaking English to me would be if an immature kid with his friends, after passing me on the street, yells loudly to my back, "hi everybody haw haw I'm from Korea haw haw hawwww" etc. You know what I'm talking about. It's usually boys or young college guys, in groups. And they're trying to be obnoxious, and impress their friends with their nerve and "bravery". Their friends are the intended audience, not you.

tomato · Posted: Sun May 04, 2003 1:21 am Post subject:

Hello, Cedar, Masuro, GW, Bucheon Bum, Gang Ah Jee, Dan, and Lemon!

And thank you for participating in my thread!

I would like for all of you to click onto the next page and answer the poll.
I'm testing a hypothesis.
I'll tell you what that hypothesis is once I have enough responses.

GW, thank you for remembering me in your millenial celebration.

*two similar threads merged by Lemon 6:39pm*

FierceInvalid · Joined: 16 Mar 2003

I think it's ridiculous to get upset about a Korean speaking to you in English, unless they're being deliberately confrontational or rude (and this is always obvious, and really pretty rare).

I mean c'mon, the Korean you meet on the street doesn't know how long you've been here or that you know some Korean. And going by the numbers, I'd say that at least 90% of foreigners here can't have even a basic conversation entirely in Korean. Why should a Korean assume that you have this rare ability?

It's been said already by others, but I felt I should add my vote: Koreans speaking English are going out of their way to accommodate you, so get off their backs. Besides, if you have enough Korean to have a conversation, then you should just be able to politely say "Can we speak Korean? I need to practice" instead of one of your misguided indignant responses.

Cedar · Posted: Sun May 04, 2003 5:39 am Post subject:

Let me tell you why I like Koreans to speak Korean to me.

1. Because it's so darn polite. It means they are treating me as they would any other customer, person on the street etc.

2. A stranger Korean will speak to you in very sweet Korean, but most of them will massacre their English, and end up with some improper tone or something... So of course I'd rather listen to that perfect Korean than the awkward English.

3. Because it's so sweet to be asked in Korean "Can you speak Korean?" and -then- if you can't to speak to you in English. It's so much more polite than assuming that I can't speak Korean, that I "just got off the boat". People who approach me politely like this have sometimes had amazingly good English. You can bet I was happier to speak to them in English than to some schmuck who started the conversation assuming I still say "kam sa ham ni da" instead of "gamsamnida" (yes, in case you never noticed, Koreans speak that with one less syllable than they write it) or (what in truth I say) "gomopsoomnida".

4. Because 99.9% of the time they can understand my Korean better than my English, and I'd rather have them understand me than be sitting their scratching their head trying to remember what a word means that was used three sentences ago, and of course they haven't been listening since they got stuck on that one word... I mean, isn't communication the point of speaking?

5. Because if they are a stranger randomly speaking English to me, -usually- either a. they are a businessperson/shopkeeper/bank teller etc. who's getting stress from having to speak English or b. they are after free language practice. I don't want anyone stressed, and I really don't like to listen to poor English more than I have to at work...

sure to be more reasons, but i got to go to sleep...