Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Chica Chula]

Hello everyone!

I just joined Dave's but i have been lurking here for a while now.
My friend is working in Korea and just came back for a vacation telling me all about what a great time she is having so i'm thinking about going over there myself in a few months.
But before i go i would like to learn just a little bit of the language.
My question is: does anyone know if there is anyplace in or near vancouver where i can study korean? I know they have korean classes at UBC but i heard that they are not very good.

P.S. i did see the posts about learning korean online, but i can't study well that way. For me the best way is to be in a class room with a teacher i can ask questions.

[SuperHero]

Try contacting the korean cultural center - I supplemented my university Japanese classes that way. Additionally you might check at one of the universities (UBC or SFU would probably be best) about taking a Korean classs for non-credit purposes (damn I forgot the correct term). Usually you can do this and only pay a nominal fee.

[MeanyMichi]

I'm currently taking a Korean class at Langara.
The teacher isn't very good though, so unless you already know at least a little Korean, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Jensen]

That's a good attitude, it's time well spent. Your only regret when you arrive in Korea is that you wasted time eating and sleeping when you could have been studying.

Guess not everyone feels the same, but I can't imagine trying to live in Korea without having some language skills. And really, the sooner you get through those first baby steps...where you lose all diginity and make awful mistakes...the sooner you can move on to a more advanced level...where you imagine yourself to have a little diginity and are so used to making awful mistakes it doesn't bother you.

You can learn a lot from a class even if the teacher is boring, it's a chance to meet other people who are studying the language. It increases your chances of being introduced to books and native speakers you might otherwise not encounter.

If I was starting to learn Korean today I would try to find a copy of "Kich'o Munbop" (basic grammar) by Slover. It's written for Mormon missionaries, I expect there's a couple of returned-missionaries in Bruce Fulton's translation/lit classes at UBC. They'll either have a copy or can tell you where to get one. I've seen some other texts recently...don't remember the titles that were good. Maybe from University of Hawaii? Should be some at the UBC bookstore.

I would also talk a Korean student, convenience store owner, or some such person, into inviting me to church. Singing slow, dumb hymns is great hangul-reading practice, and it's easy. Nothing better to help you get used to the wall of language you'll be facing than an hour-long sermon. Don't waste your time on a Korean church that doesn't have a good pot-luck dinner after the service...

[Chica Chula]

Thx for your replies. I'm not sure i want to start with grammar. Maybe just memorize a few useful phrases first.

[doggyji]

[Jensen]

[jinglejangle]

I HAVE met people who have "just picked it up", but I agree with Jenson in that it is exceedingly rare, and most people who do it that way actually work very hard at it, even though not through formallized classes.

I myself have tried it both ways. I started by learning phrases from a friend, then went to an intensive study course for a year+ (but was a very lazy student and didn't learn as well as I should have), moved to Korea and tried just talking to people, went back to school, tried just talking to people, went back to school, and now I'm in the states and I mostly study on line. Then again, I'm conversationally fluent.

I would advise a mix. Both simultaeneously. Hmm, I can't spell.
Anyway, likely, depending on who you are one way or the other will work better for you. That doesn't mean you should entirely neglect the other. Most humans are naturally predispositioned towards one type of learning or another, but we learn fastest when we study in all sorts of ways, weighted towards the one that works best for us.

I would DEFINATELY reccomend beginning in an organized class and focusing on it for at least a month or two. I would ALSO start studying with and hanging out with either fellow students or native speakers.

The more you practice the better you will understand. There is no substitute for doing it yourself, (for most people) but organized study from the basics up is also usually beneficial and even necessary.

One place where you can find help studying Korean online is www.galbijim.com there are native speakers there as well as fluent foreigners; and one of their focuses is helping people who want to learn Korean. Some of the regulars here may also be willing to help you.

Good luck! Hwai-ting!!!