Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dude Love]

Maybe it shouldn't bother me but it does very much. I get furious when Koreans laugh when I speak Korean no matter what their intention is, even if it's meant to be intimate, despite all their reasons why I shouldn't be offended it's very infuriating and discouraging. What I find most ironic is the Koreans I speak to about it always tell me why it shouldn't bother me but when I ask if they want me to laugh at their English they always say no.
How can I deal with this? It still bothers me after years here. Maybe it's time to leave Korea. Is there a polite/witty response? Last night I got very angry and discouraged and it's really getting to me. Maybe I have some sort of complex. Please help.

[Ilsanman]

Not to sound arrogant here, but here is my thought.

I have spent a lot of time and money on learning Korean. When I speak Korean to someone, I am doing them a favour. I can be just like a lot of people and refuse to learn any Korean, or refuse to speak it even if I know. Just like I usually appreciate it when a Korean speaks English to me, because they're trying to help me or make it easier to me.

If they laugh at me, I no longer speak Korean to them. They don't deserve my help.

[ajgeddes]

I agree with both of you. As soon as they start laughing, and I am not telling a joke, I just stop talking to them in Korean.

[Dude Love]

That's an interesting point. Maybe I'll stop speaking Korean to anyone who laughs at me. Still, I'm with a club and don't want to seem beligerent and they would probably not have the slightest idea why I'm annoyed.

[djsmnc]

I never had anyone laugh at my Korean. I've made them look like they are going to wet their pants, but not laugh.

OK, one time, but that's because I used a phrase that came out sounding like a bad word when it shouldn't have (and no, it wasn't 18, something a little more unusual).

[kat2]

Have you told them that it bothers you. ITs extremely rude to laugh at you, but Koreans don't really have a rude meter that is up to western stadards. If you jsut tell them that it is really ofensive, maybe they will stop.

[laogaiguk]

[mithridates]

[Gwangjuboy]

[adventureman]

I think its safe to say that we, as learners of Korean, have ALL shared similar experinces..Just try in keep remindind yourself Korea is a close-minded and inward looking society which has not had non-koreans (and especially non-asian looking people) speaking their language for very long. I really wish korean was a more global language and more non-koreans had desire to learn 우리말, however with the lack of quality korean programs overseas and korean percieved inferiority complexes about their language and their nation which have been dicussed on there a million times already, I unfortunetly don't see that happening anytime soon...Therefore, if you can't learn to accept this kinds of things for what and ignore/accept their immature cultural traits, then you'd best move on...

Hey, for a real test in confidence-diminshment try using your korean on your middle school students:

Here is an example of a typical experience I have had when attempting to speak korean to my students..

Me: Ok class, today we are going to learn about how to make plans?..Do you know what 'plan' in korea is? It is 계획."

Certain students: (in high pitched, whiny 5-year-old voice) Kyyyeee Hweeeaaacccck!!!

It got the point where i was so constantly infuriated and discouraged..I had to tell the korean teacher to remind the students how rude and disrecpectful by contantly mocking my accent (he steadfastly disagreed and thought they were "encouraging me")

Like i said, all you can do is learn to develop a thicker skin or shrug it off....I wonder how korean speakers like the Beaver feel when they say they've been here 10 years and they still get the obligatory "oooooooo" and "한국말 잘해요!"...maybe it doesn't phase them in the least anymore becasue its happened to them so many times?

[SPINOZA]

It's annoying, yes. You how when you say something brilliant and they're all like 와! ? Well this is the other side of the coin - when you fook something up, they laugh at you.

I don't think it's mean-spirited laughter. Like many things Koreans do that piss me off, rarely if ever are they done to humiliate or patronize.

Think of these moments as opportunities to teach yourself a new phrase, like 씨빨 역겨운 사람, 왜 웃어? 괴로워하고 싶냐? 고문하고 싶냐?

[manlyboy]

Here's what you do:

As soon as they start laughing, slow your speech right down, raise your voice to an uncomfortably loud level, lean in towards them, open your eyes really wide, and annunciate in a drawn out, exaggerated style as though you're speaking to a retarded child.

They will stop laughing. Guaranteed.

[mithridates]

[kermo]

When people laugh/chuckle/giggle when I speak Korean, I think it's for a few reasons:

a) They're pleasantly surprised that I've responded correctly
b) They're amused because my accent is weird
c) I've said something nonsensical

I usually play along, i.e., "Yes, I'm adorable, aren't I? Please humour me." However, if I were trying to say something serious, or they laughed instead of answering me, I'd be ticked off.

What bothers me more is when people jump to conclusions about what I want/need, and ignore me when I try to communicate in Korean or English, just chanting "OK OK OK" as they drag me around. I'm still at the point where I have to think pretty hard before putting together a sentence, and I need a fairly patient listener.

[Qinella]