Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hanson]

A colleague of mine and I had an interesting conversation the other day about general English ability by the layman in Korea. My colleague suggested that in ten years, basic English will be spoken by Burger King employees, HomePlus cashiers, bus/train terminal ticket sellers, stadium personnel, police officers, etc.

My position was/is the opposite. I don't see a dramatic improvement in general English proficiency happening in the next ten years.

NOTE: By "basic English", I mean an ability to communicate with English speakers about simple matters in English.

So, who do you agree with?

[tfunk]

You haven't given any reasons for your opinion.

I think the general level of English usage will go up. There will be more English teachers in the public school system and people will have more experience speaking with English speakers on a day to day basis. People will have more confidence talking to English speakers and they won't feel as bad using the English they have.

Either that or every restaurant around the country will get themselves one of those laminated menus they have in Lotteria and simply get the wayguk to point at their desired item.

It's funny though, the people that make more of an effort to speak English always appear to be 40+. I think being uncommunicative is a teenage/confidence thing.

[jdog2050]

[Mashimaro]

Until they actually start using English outside the classroom they will never improve.

[jdog2050]

[tfunk]

[jdog2050]

[Milwaukiedave]

I tend to agree with you Hanson. Jdog and Mashimaro both made good points about their confidence level and using English outside the classroom.

I teach at a public school in Incheon and they have made a big deal about Incheon becoming a "English speaking city." I've told Koreans point blank I don't see it happening. Part of the reason is the way the English education system is set up and how English is taught. The other part is that in middle school and high schools there is too much pressure to study English to pass tests. I don't know how passing a test can improve your speaking skills. It's not very realistic in my opinion.

[ajgeddes]

[tfunk]

What do they need English for?

Seriously, is it purely functional or do they need to hold conversations with it? Obviously there are some businessmen that want to have pal like conversations with other businessmen but what does your average Korean want out of it?

My Korean is pretty robotic, but it's functional.

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

It could happen but first Koreans need to use it outside the classroom, and secondly they need to start seeing foreigners as people and not as oddities that are funny-looking and ok to joke about.

Last night I hung out around the university district in my town. I was only there for a little over an hour and was with a Korean friend. Yet, in that time I encountered over 10 comments, remarks and smirks directed towards me in both Korean and English. But, only one genuine conversation with a Korean guy. The main thing that set this guy apart was that he spent last year in Australia. All the others making silly, mostly harmless comments were in their early 20s and no doubt have had at least some teaching experience with a native teacher yet still see foreigners on the street as little more than a monkey.

Once Koreans get over this bizarre attitude they often have towards foreigners and start treating us as they do regular Koreans it will go a long way to advancing their English, provided they also start speaking English outside their classroom!

Though, I'm optimistic as the most natural conversations with the locals I have here are with my students. They actually see me as a regular person and we freely (depending on their English) talk about things. It gives me hope as I think many kids under 15 have grown up with us and just see us as regular folks not weird, funny-looking foreigners.

[mithridates]

I'm not sure about general English ability (I assume it'll be about the same as now) but in ten years their Chinese ability will probably eclipse that of their English, just because so many are going back and forth to the country next door. The port at Incheon had 500,000 visitors a year going to China in 2003 or so and this year it's expected to top a million. Learning Chinese won't mean they'll forget their English of course, but I suspect in a few years we'll see a study that shows that with almost no effort they've gotten better at Chinese with almost no effort.

[just because]

I can't see any major improvement due to the way it is taught as was said above....

I have been here 6 years soon and english ability is the same as it was when I first came here. can't see how this will change if the methodology doesn't change as well....

[tfunk]

[just because]