Unlearn speaking English the Korean way
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By Lee Hyon-soo
Being a Korean, I may be a bit biased in my opinion. Be that as it may, I think that Korean is a very beautiful, advanced and sophisticated language. It sure is a pity that despite its merits, no other people than Koreans speak Korean. Such being the case, Koreans have no option but to learn a foreign language to communicate with the outside world. But which foreign language? Obviously the safest choice is English, it being the most widely used international language.
But English is a very difficult language for Koreans to learn because there is absolutely nothing in common between the Korean language and the English language. Indeed, these two languages are a world apart.
For Koreans, learning English is a long, rough journey. All Korean students spend many years studying English in school. They start with the Alphabet, build up vocabulary from scratch and learn how to put together words to make sense. They all exert every effort to learn English.
Unfortunately, however, many of them fail to become proficient in English due mainly to an ineffective method of study they use. If you study English merely as an academic subject rather than learn English as a living language, you will never become proficient in English.
For those lucky ones who manage to achieve a comfortable level of proficiency, there is one final hurdle to clear; that is, they need to unlearn speaking English the Korean way. Let me elaborate.
As I see it, many Koreans speak English using the same thought process as they do when they speak Korean. Suppose a Korean meets an American and wants to know where the latter is from. He would say, “where is your hometown?” This is a literal translation of what he would say in Korean.
More of such examples follow (common expressions used by native speakers of English are presented in parentheses).
I lost my way. (I am lost.)
Where is this? (Where am I?)
Have a good time. (Have a good day.)
I don’t understand you. (You lost me.)
Why did you do that? (What did you do that for?)
Why are you here? (What are you here for?)
Why did you come here? (What brings you here?)
Why do you think so? (What makes you think so?)
He has the right to speak.(He has the right to be heard.)
What do I get from it? (What is in it for me?)
Who do you think I am? (What do you take me for?)
Your son looks like you. (Your son takes after you.)
He cannot answer the phone right now. (He cannot come to the phone right now.)
From the foregoing illustration, you will note that English diction is quite distinct from that of Korean. You will also note that Koreans tend to speak English less subtly than do native speakers. They do so because that is more or less the way they speak Korean.
Granted, even if one speaks English the Korean way as shown above, one may get by. But instead of contenting oneself with merely getting by, one should aim at becoming a fluent and refined speaker. To that end, one needs to learn to speak English as native speakers do.
The writer is a retired international banker who lives in Toronto, Canada. His other writings are posted on https://blog.daum.net/tom_hslee.