Bilingual Korea can be worth it, warts and all

Joshua Chang

By Joshua Chang

Imagine wandering the streets of Seoul knowing only English. If you're having trouble, maybe think of it like a desperate toddler looking for mom at the mall.

Now you are getting closer to entering the foreigner's nightmare where simple tasks like getting a haircut or exchanging money morph into mortifying language exams driven by anxiety and headed for embarrassment, rendering one to frantic cave-man gesticulations. College can help you become more sophisticated and job-ready, but it doesn't prepare you for the toe-curling cringe of looking like an adult but talking like a preschooler.

So when we come to the debate over whether Korea should adopt English as a second official language, it's difficult to see why foreigners in Korea would ever object to its institution. Essentially, adding English would give newcomers much better odds for a more user-friendly Korean experience. This is obviously true for English-speaking foreigners.

But non-English speaking newcomers might also find Korean life less daunting with English as another language of the land. How so?

First, they might be more motivated to learn English as a way of surviving in Korea since the language is also widely used elsewhere around the world. English is, by far, the most spoken language on the planet. By some estimates the number of either native or non-native adherents is around one-fifth of the global population, dispersed throughout dozens of countries.

This means that the time spent learning English is an investment that could be applied not only in Korea, but elsewhere too. Seen this way, mastering the world's most powerful language doesn't seem like such a bad deal.

Second, there are those newcomers who speak languages similar to English, such as Spanish. For such folks, learning English would most likely be easier than acquiring Korean, allowing for a better chance at a flourishing life in Korea.

In summary, from a foreigner's point of view, English as a second official language is like adding a vegetarian option to the table ― it motivates more people to come and join the party.

I think that the only serious objections to making English an official language come from native Koreans themselves. What might these worries be? Well, I call them the "three Ps": patriotism, practicality and the past.

The patriotism concern is that embedding English in the national mind would be a step forward towards global integration but a leap backward for Korean national pride. Adding English may seem like an admission that the Korean language just isn't good enough anymore.

Furthermore, the practicality worry is how feasible it is getting enough Koreans speaking fluent English. A second official language needs people who speak it if the designation is to be at all meaningful.

And lastly, the worry concerning the past is about Japanese colonialism ― the last attempt to institute another official language in the land was accompanied by cultural wipeout and national disgrace. It is understandable that those who are aware of this tragedy should be wary of getting anywhere near a sequel.

So where does all this leave us? As an American, it is quite easy for me to simply take the foreigner's perspective and eagerly concur that English should be added as a second official language.

After all, I wouldn't have to deal with any of the three P's myself. And the stuttering fool wandering the streets of Seoul like a lost kid who I mentioned at the beginning? That was me one summer in Jangwi-dong, and I will always remember the time I spent three days looking for a bookstore because I couldn't understand the directions to get there. So as an American, I heartily agree that Korea should adopt English as a second official language.

Yet the worries that touch upon patriotism, practicality and the past are just as real as my enthusiasm. I wish I had easy answers. I don't.

Some Koreans have likened formalizing English to the invasion of American bullfrogs on Korean soil, a species which wreaked havoc by disturbing the existing ecological balance. Other Koreans have commented that over time, American bullfrogs are integrating into their new ecosystems and are becoming more natural features of the Korean landscape ― the same would apply to English, so they say. I'm not sure which frog story is true.

But there is a fable I once heard about a princess who meets a frog, and when she kisses him, he transforms into a handsome prince. Although I won't strain to allegorize the story here, I will say that if we're going to be comparing English to frogs anyways, then maybe it's a good story to remember during a nitty-gritty public policy debate like this one.

Joshua Chang is a student at the University of California, Irvine.

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