Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
shortage of English speakers in the workplace, especially where expatriates are likely to be
employed.
Of course, Korean is the national language, and regardless of what foreign residents do
or where they choose to live, they'll have to resort to whatever Korean they've picked up
at some point. Korean fluency may not be realistic, but Korean functionality certainly is.
Hangul, the Korean script, is remarkably logical and can be picked up after a few days
of study. There are no tones to contend with, and many articles or grammar points can be
dropped in everyday speech without risking any misunderstanding. A few simple phrases
and words will be enough to engage in small talk and handle common shopping, dining,
and travel situations. For the most part South Koreans are delighted with and supportive of
any attempts to speak their language—indeed the chief danger is that they'll mistake your
fumbling attempts for fluency and start rattling off all kinds of sentences you have no hope
of understanding.
How much Korean you'll need depends on where you work and live—those in smaller
local firms or towns, for example, will find the lack of language ability more of an issue
than someone working for a multinational in Seoul. Those content with “survival” Korean
can usually get by with a bit of self-study, for which there's a wide range of books and
Internet-based classes available, or a couple of hours per week of being tutored or language
exchange sessions.
Those who have set Korean proficiency as a goal—usually long-term residents or those
with serious local business interests—will require more intensive learning, either through
private tutors or institutes or via one of the excellent language courses available at local
universities. These involve a substantial amount of work but produce definite results and
can often be fit around a typical executive's schedule.
Until the 15th century, Korean lacked its own script and was written exclusively using
hanja,
or borrowed Chinese characters. Many of these were incorporated into the Korean
language, and it's currently estimated that over 50 percent of Korean words are of Chinese
origin.
