To and from the Immigration Office in Jung-ang Dong, I was asked, "Are you American?" (What's wrong with "Where are you from?"??)
중앙동에 있는 출입국관리사무소로 가는 지하철에서 "Are you American?" ("미국인일까요?")냐고 나에게 물었더군요. ("어디서 왔을까요?"냐고 왜 안 물나요??)
The first time by a young chap who told me he owned a fitness centre in an area of the city I hadn't heard of and chatted away at me enthusiastically for 3 stops.
첫번째 헬스를 소유인 젊은 놈이 물었고 3 정류장동안 열심히 나한테 얘기했다.
The second was an old guy who demanded the same question rather abruptly, then quickly became a humble smiling gent when I told him in polite Korean that I was British and, yes, I knew a fair slice of Korean. "You number one!", he kindly reminded me in English, his thumb in the air. What can I say?^^
두번째 똑같은 질문을 험하게 하신 늙은 놈이 존대말로 그에게 나는 여국인이고, 네, 한국말을 나쁘지 않게 할 줄 있다고 말한 후에는 그 놈이 겸허하게 되셨다. "You number one!" ("너는 최우수다!")다고 상냥하게 일러주셨다. 난 뭘 말해햐 됄까?^^
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Muere lentamente
Muere lentamente quien se transforma en esclavo del hábito, repitiendo todos los días los mismos trayectos, quien no cambia de marca, no arriesga vestir un color nuevo y no le habla a quien no conoce.
Muere lentamente quien evita una pasión, quien prefiere el negro sobre blanco y los puntos sobre las "íes" a un remolino de emociones, justamente las que rescatan el brillo de los ojos, sonrisas de los bostezos, corazones a los tropiezos y sentimientos.
Muere lentamente quien no voltea la mesa cuando está infeliz en el trabajo, quien no arriesga lo cierto por lo incierto para ir detrás de un sueño, quien no se permite por lo menos una vez en la vida, huir de los consejos sensatos.
Muere lentamente quien no viaja, quien no lee, quien no oye música, quien no encuentra gracia en sí mismo.
Muere lentamente quien destruye su amor propio, quien no se deja ayudar.
Muere lentamente, quien pasa los días quejándose de su mala suerte o de la lluvia incesante.
Muere lentamente, quien abandona un proyecto antes de iniciarlo, no preguntando de un asunto que desconoce o no respondiendo cuando le indagan sobre algo que sabe.
Evitemos la muerte en suaves cuotas, recordando siempre que estar vivo exige un esfuerzo mucho mayor que el simple hecho de respirar.
Solamente la ardiente paciencia hará que conquistemos una espléndida felicidad.
-Pablo Neruda-
~~~~~
Those who become the slave of habit, who follow the same routes every day, who never change pace, who do not risk and change the color of their clothes, who do not speak and do not experience, die slowly.
Those who shun passion, who prefer black on white, and dotting their "i's" to a bundle of emotions, the kind that make your eyes glimmer, that turn a yawn into a smile, that make the heart pound in the face of mistakes and feelings, die slowly.
Those who do not turn things on their head, who are unhappy at work, who do not risk certainty for uncertainty, thus to follow a dream, those who do not forego sound advice at least once in their lives, die slowly.
Those who do not travel, who do not read, who do not listen to music, who do not find grace in themselves, die slowly.
Those who slowly destroy their own self-esteem, who do not allow themselves to be helped, who spend days on end complaining about their bad luck, about the rain that never stops, die slowly.
Those who abandon a project before starting it, who fail to ask questions about subjects they don't know, those who don't reply when they are asked something they do know, die slowly.
Let's try and avoid death in small doses, reminding ourselves that being alive requires an effort far greater than the simple fact of breathing. Only with ardent patience we reach a wonderful happiness.
-Pablo Neruda-
Muere lentamente quien evita una pasión, quien prefiere el negro sobre blanco y los puntos sobre las "íes" a un remolino de emociones, justamente las que rescatan el brillo de los ojos, sonrisas de los bostezos, corazones a los tropiezos y sentimientos.
Muere lentamente quien no voltea la mesa cuando está infeliz en el trabajo, quien no arriesga lo cierto por lo incierto para ir detrás de un sueño, quien no se permite por lo menos una vez en la vida, huir de los consejos sensatos.
Muere lentamente quien no viaja, quien no lee, quien no oye música, quien no encuentra gracia en sí mismo.
Muere lentamente quien destruye su amor propio, quien no se deja ayudar.
Muere lentamente, quien pasa los días quejándose de su mala suerte o de la lluvia incesante.
Muere lentamente, quien abandona un proyecto antes de iniciarlo, no preguntando de un asunto que desconoce o no respondiendo cuando le indagan sobre algo que sabe.
Evitemos la muerte en suaves cuotas, recordando siempre que estar vivo exige un esfuerzo mucho mayor que el simple hecho de respirar.
Solamente la ardiente paciencia hará que conquistemos una espléndida felicidad.
-Pablo Neruda-
~~~~~
Those who become the slave of habit, who follow the same routes every day, who never change pace, who do not risk and change the color of their clothes, who do not speak and do not experience, die slowly.
Those who shun passion, who prefer black on white, and dotting their "i's" to a bundle of emotions, the kind that make your eyes glimmer, that turn a yawn into a smile, that make the heart pound in the face of mistakes and feelings, die slowly.
Those who do not turn things on their head, who are unhappy at work, who do not risk certainty for uncertainty, thus to follow a dream, those who do not forego sound advice at least once in their lives, die slowly.
Those who do not travel, who do not read, who do not listen to music, who do not find grace in themselves, die slowly.
Those who slowly destroy their own self-esteem, who do not allow themselves to be helped, who spend days on end complaining about their bad luck, about the rain that never stops, die slowly.
Those who abandon a project before starting it, who fail to ask questions about subjects they don't know, those who don't reply when they are asked something they do know, die slowly.
Let's try and avoid death in small doses, reminding ourselves that being alive requires an effort far greater than the simple fact of breathing. Only with ardent patience we reach a wonderful happiness.
-Pablo Neruda-
도착 / Arrival
마침네 공항에 도착하고 여기... 지난 해 방콕에서 만났던 은히가 인사했다! 신기하다! 지금 제 boss가 됐네!
So I finally turned up at airport and there to greet me was... Eun-hee, who I met in Bangkok last year! Priceless! She's my boss now.
암튼 둘 비행이 좋았고 (이 전에도 아시아나 좋아했다) 세상의 가장 비참한 남성과 얘기 나눴고 한국의 가장 평판이 좋고 혁신적인 학원에서 일할 거 같다. (그걸 공평하게 판단할 정보가 지금 없지만 첫인상에는 학생들이 대단하고 티처들이 유쾌하고 절충적이다.)
Anyway, two great flights (I was already a big fan of Asiana), one international and one domestic. An enthusiastic chat with the world's most miserable man. And a new job with ostensibly Korea's most reputable and innovative language school. (I don't have the information to be able to judge that yet, but my first impression of the students is that they're fantastic and the teachers all seem pleasant if eclectic.)
Absolutely marvellous mood. 엄청나게 좋은 기분이 됐다.
Not enough sleep though. 잠 충분히 못 잤지만.
So I finally turned up at airport and there to greet me was... Eun-hee, who I met in Bangkok last year! Priceless! She's my boss now.
암튼 둘 비행이 좋았고 (이 전에도 아시아나 좋아했다) 세상의 가장 비참한 남성과 얘기 나눴고 한국의 가장 평판이 좋고 혁신적인 학원에서 일할 거 같다. (그걸 공평하게 판단할 정보가 지금 없지만 첫인상에는 학생들이 대단하고 티처들이 유쾌하고 절충적이다.)
Anyway, two great flights (I was already a big fan of Asiana), one international and one domestic. An enthusiastic chat with the world's most miserable man. And a new job with ostensibly Korea's most reputable and innovative language school. (I don't have the information to be able to judge that yet, but my first impression of the students is that they're fantastic and the teachers all seem pleasant if eclectic.)
Absolutely marvellous mood. 엄청나게 좋은 기분이 됐다.
Not enough sleep though. 잠 충분히 못 잤지만.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Please... and thank you
It's interesting to note the ways different cultures approach manners.
Here in Thailand, I've heard a number of people say, "That's 50 baht, kha." Because 'kha' (fem.) / 'khrap' (masc.) is the polite sentence ending, they feel that leaving it out, even when speaking another language, would be bad manners.
I suppose in this example 'kha/khrap' is similar to the English word 'please'. Courtesy - simple but effective.
~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I'm heading out of Thailand this evening. Though I do feel at home here, amidst the warmth of the Thais and a scattering of interesting travellers, it's a good feeling to be heading back. I have lots to do for the first few days what with finding a place to live, doing lesson observations and, most importantly, cathing up with a couple of very esteemed people...^^
Here in Thailand, I've heard a number of people say, "That's 50 baht, kha." Because 'kha' (fem.) / 'khrap' (masc.) is the polite sentence ending, they feel that leaving it out, even when speaking another language, would be bad manners.
I suppose in this example 'kha/khrap' is similar to the English word 'please'. Courtesy - simple but effective.
~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I'm heading out of Thailand this evening. Though I do feel at home here, amidst the warmth of the Thais and a scattering of interesting travellers, it's a good feeling to be heading back. I have lots to do for the first few days what with finding a place to live, doing lesson observations and, most importantly, cathing up with a couple of very esteemed people...^^
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Benedict XVI
Oh, God!
Many liberal-minded people may have disagreed profoundly with the late Pope, but at least he came across as fairly human. Hearing that the new one doesn't even have the endearing personality of John Paul II is worrying in the current (polarising) state of world affairs. What the world doesn't need is another militant authoritarian. It seems the Catholic Church is becoming more and more blinkered to the social and scientific realities of the world around it. (Wouldn't teaching values with a firm reason behind them be far more useful than warning people against thewrath of God?) An inflexibly intolerant religion in a world that needs conciliation, a bastion of male supremacy when the world needs to do far more to include women.
Given the late Pope's wide media exposure, the Church could so easily be a shining role model for the world's leaders and peoples. Instead, it's become just one more fundamentalist faith adding to the troubles of the world. Fantastic. Thank you very much.
And that's my two cents' worth.
Many liberal-minded people may have disagreed profoundly with the late Pope, but at least he came across as fairly human. Hearing that the new one doesn't even have the endearing personality of John Paul II is worrying in the current (polarising) state of world affairs. What the world doesn't need is another militant authoritarian. It seems the Catholic Church is becoming more and more blinkered to the social and scientific realities of the world around it. (Wouldn't teaching values with a firm reason behind them be far more useful than warning people against thewrath of God?) An inflexibly intolerant religion in a world that needs conciliation, a bastion of male supremacy when the world needs to do far more to include women.
Given the late Pope's wide media exposure, the Church could so easily be a shining role model for the world's leaders and peoples. Instead, it's become just one more fundamentalist faith adding to the troubles of the world. Fantastic. Thank you very much.
And that's my two cents' worth.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Rethinking Confucius
As I'm heading out of Buddhist South-East Asia and back to Confucian East Asia soon, I thought I'd try this.
~~~~~~~~~~
As most Koreans readily admit, many of the most unstomachable elements of Korean society can be put down to the influence of enforced Neo-Confucianism in Korea's past. Take away the Confucian elements and Korea has a culture rich in colour and emotion, people say. I used to tend to agree...
Confucius lived in China during a time of social turmoil (the Warring States period). As I see it, his ideas were right for his time but his successors have done little to keep his teachings relevent for the changing times. (Similarly to the way the Bible or the Qu'ran - books of great wisdom and accumulated knowledge, whether or not you believe they're the word of God - are steeped in the culture, history, geography, political climate and social structures of the eras when they were written.)
My suggestion here is to bring the mainstay of Neo-Confucianism up to date. (To my mind, it's sensible, but it's not 100% serious, so I hope no-one takes offense.)
The foundations of his philosophy, as followed in Korea, are the o-ryun (五倫 오륜), the "5 rules of human relationships".
These are:
"Between (close) friends there should be trust."
(朋友有信 붕우유신)
No-one could argue with that. Moreover, there's nothing in these five ideals that says close friendships can't be formed between any two people.
(In Korea there seems to be a view that a 'close friend' has to be someone your own age, and it can't be someone you work with or a foreigner. The origins of this oppressive thinking are unknown to me.)
"Between parents and children there should be closeness."
(父子有親 부자유친)
Again, there's not much I need to add. I could say that a lot of Korean parents come across as very pushy, ordering their children about and later demanding their children sacrifice a lot of time and money for their ageing parents. There's a lot of 'filial piety' in The Analects, but surely pushiness just makes people resentful.
"Between husband and wife there should be differentiation."
(夫婦有別 부부유별)
Note that this says 'differentiation' (or 'distinction') and not 'discrimination'. This is also taken, by extension to mean between men and women - a position even most feminists wouldn't take issue with: women and men are different in important ways, but ultimately both equally important (even complimentary - like yin and yang); let's celebrate our differences and learn to get along together properly.
Again, I'm not sure who's responsible for starting the downhill spiral of (shockingly unabashed) "male superiority / female inferiority" (남존여비) in Korea - the preference for sons (and hence abortion of many female fetuses), the idea that only eldest sons can make ancestral offerings,... no idea.
(I take issue to some extent with the polarised exclusivity of these 'rules'. It's clear they should be applied with a certain amount of common sense flexibility, taking into account that everyone's different - effeminate men, masculine women, we're all human, we're all different.
Some of the more conservative societies are stricter about having males act "like men" and women be "ladylike", thus enforcing these stereotypes... It's my personal belief that this dilutes people's true personalities.)
"Between ruler and subject there should be obligations."
(君臣有義 군신유의)
And by extension, this is applied to employers and employees. Sure, if a job's worth doing, you try to do it well. Most intelligent companies nowadays have realised the need to "buy in" to the company's mission (to feel a part of it, sympathise with that mission and want to strive for it) so they'll do their best towards that goal. That, too, is a two-way process, whatever the management style. Your employer has certain obligations towards you - working conditions, commensurate pay, empowerment (to do one's job), job satisfaction, and so on.
The idea that someone with a better-paying job must demand more respect is nowhere to be found.
"Between young and old, there should be order."
(長幼有序 장유유서)
With young people having such ready access to information and opportunities nowadays (far more than their parents or grandparents) chronological age has become far less significant than maturity and aptitude. Yet one of the most bizarre aspects of Korean culture for most westerners is the reverse ageism.
In English, 'to respect someone' has 2 meanings:
1) to admire someone, to hold someone in esteem;
2) to show consideration towards someone.
In (most?) western socieites, the elderly were once respected in the first sense, for their knowledge and experience. Nowadays however, for better or worse, we're seeing the phenomenon of many young people 'up-ageing' - that is, acting and thinking older than their chronological age. With changing methods of communication, now when parents tell their children to respect their elders, they mean in the second sense. The idea of respecting someone just because they're old seems silly. There's a saying that "Growing old is compulsary; growing wise, sadly, is not."
People earn respect (admiration) for their actions, wisdom, experience, knowledge, attitude, aptitude,... The 'young' and 'old' duality could perhaps be replaced by a continuum of these.
Or perhaps truer to Confucius, the sense of 'elder' could be redefined as someone who does something better than you do: that is, respect those who are good at their job, someone who knows more about a given subject than you, and so on. This is very similar to its original meaning, I would argue.
Furthering Confucius
A cursory glance at the 5 'rules' shows a few things are missing. Or, more precisely, a few people are missing. Whereas Christianity and similar moral traditions ask people to 'be a good neighbour', be considerate to the poor, be kind to strangers, these people (strangers, basically) don't feature in the list at all. Where to put them?
Imagine this: the world's one big family. Everyone's your auntie, uncle, great aunt, nephew, niece, sister, brother, cousin, second cousin, or whatever. Every person you pass in the street, queue behind at the supermarket, see out the window is a relative and potentially a close friend. (Maybe even an employee or employer if you have the right skills.) Towards everyone you should have the closeness of family relations, and the willingness to trust others enough to build friendships. It seems Korea was moving in this direction before consumerism arrived and made people money-mad...
I would argue that, if Confucius was half as wise as he is credited with being, the '5 rules' are purposefully vague for the simple but essential purpose that they CAN (and SHOULD) be re-interpreted to better reflect changing times and keep the ideas fresh and relevant.
~~~~~~~~~~
Do a quick search for 'respect' in the British National Corpus and draw your own conclusions.
Read The Analects of Confucius (the Master's conversations with his students) - to my mind this is the best version on-line. There's also a multi-lingual version in 21 languages.
~~~~~~~~~~
As most Koreans readily admit, many of the most unstomachable elements of Korean society can be put down to the influence of enforced Neo-Confucianism in Korea's past. Take away the Confucian elements and Korea has a culture rich in colour and emotion, people say. I used to tend to agree...
Confucius lived in China during a time of social turmoil (the Warring States period). As I see it, his ideas were right for his time but his successors have done little to keep his teachings relevent for the changing times. (Similarly to the way the Bible or the Qu'ran - books of great wisdom and accumulated knowledge, whether or not you believe they're the word of God - are steeped in the culture, history, geography, political climate and social structures of the eras when they were written.)
My suggestion here is to bring the mainstay of Neo-Confucianism up to date. (To my mind, it's sensible, but it's not 100% serious, so I hope no-one takes offense.)
The foundations of his philosophy, as followed in Korea, are the o-ryun (五倫 오륜), the "5 rules of human relationships".
These are:
"Between (close) friends there should be trust."
(朋友有信 붕우유신)
No-one could argue with that. Moreover, there's nothing in these five ideals that says close friendships can't be formed between any two people.
(In Korea there seems to be a view that a 'close friend' has to be someone your own age, and it can't be someone you work with or a foreigner. The origins of this oppressive thinking are unknown to me.)
"Between parents and children there should be closeness."
(父子有親 부자유친)
Again, there's not much I need to add. I could say that a lot of Korean parents come across as very pushy, ordering their children about and later demanding their children sacrifice a lot of time and money for their ageing parents. There's a lot of 'filial piety' in The Analects, but surely pushiness just makes people resentful.
"Between husband and wife there should be differentiation."
(夫婦有別 부부유별)
Note that this says 'differentiation' (or 'distinction') and not 'discrimination'. This is also taken, by extension to mean between men and women - a position even most feminists wouldn't take issue with: women and men are different in important ways, but ultimately both equally important (even complimentary - like yin and yang); let's celebrate our differences and learn to get along together properly.
Again, I'm not sure who's responsible for starting the downhill spiral of (shockingly unabashed) "male superiority / female inferiority" (남존여비) in Korea - the preference for sons (and hence abortion of many female fetuses), the idea that only eldest sons can make ancestral offerings,... no idea.
(I take issue to some extent with the polarised exclusivity of these 'rules'. It's clear they should be applied with a certain amount of common sense flexibility, taking into account that everyone's different - effeminate men, masculine women, we're all human, we're all different.
Some of the more conservative societies are stricter about having males act "like men" and women be "ladylike", thus enforcing these stereotypes... It's my personal belief that this dilutes people's true personalities.)
"Between ruler and subject there should be obligations."
(君臣有義 군신유의)
And by extension, this is applied to employers and employees. Sure, if a job's worth doing, you try to do it well. Most intelligent companies nowadays have realised the need to "buy in" to the company's mission (to feel a part of it, sympathise with that mission and want to strive for it) so they'll do their best towards that goal. That, too, is a two-way process, whatever the management style. Your employer has certain obligations towards you - working conditions, commensurate pay, empowerment (to do one's job), job satisfaction, and so on.
The idea that someone with a better-paying job must demand more respect is nowhere to be found.
"Between young and old, there should be order."
(長幼有序 장유유서)
With young people having such ready access to information and opportunities nowadays (far more than their parents or grandparents) chronological age has become far less significant than maturity and aptitude. Yet one of the most bizarre aspects of Korean culture for most westerners is the reverse ageism.
In English, 'to respect someone' has 2 meanings:
1) to admire someone, to hold someone in esteem;
2) to show consideration towards someone.
In (most?) western socieites, the elderly were once respected in the first sense, for their knowledge and experience. Nowadays however, for better or worse, we're seeing the phenomenon of many young people 'up-ageing' - that is, acting and thinking older than their chronological age. With changing methods of communication, now when parents tell their children to respect their elders, they mean in the second sense. The idea of respecting someone just because they're old seems silly. There's a saying that "Growing old is compulsary; growing wise, sadly, is not."
People earn respect (admiration) for their actions, wisdom, experience, knowledge, attitude, aptitude,... The 'young' and 'old' duality could perhaps be replaced by a continuum of these.
Or perhaps truer to Confucius, the sense of 'elder' could be redefined as someone who does something better than you do: that is, respect those who are good at their job, someone who knows more about a given subject than you, and so on. This is very similar to its original meaning, I would argue.
Furthering Confucius
A cursory glance at the 5 'rules' shows a few things are missing. Or, more precisely, a few people are missing. Whereas Christianity and similar moral traditions ask people to 'be a good neighbour', be considerate to the poor, be kind to strangers, these people (strangers, basically) don't feature in the list at all. Where to put them?
Imagine this: the world's one big family. Everyone's your auntie, uncle, great aunt, nephew, niece, sister, brother, cousin, second cousin, or whatever. Every person you pass in the street, queue behind at the supermarket, see out the window is a relative and potentially a close friend. (Maybe even an employee or employer if you have the right skills.) Towards everyone you should have the closeness of family relations, and the willingness to trust others enough to build friendships. It seems Korea was moving in this direction before consumerism arrived and made people money-mad...
I would argue that, if Confucius was half as wise as he is credited with being, the '5 rules' are purposefully vague for the simple but essential purpose that they CAN (and SHOULD) be re-interpreted to better reflect changing times and keep the ideas fresh and relevant.
~~~~~~~~~~
Do a quick search for 'respect' in the British National Corpus and draw your own conclusions.
Read The Analects of Confucius (the Master's conversations with his students) - to my mind this is the best version on-line. There's also a multi-lingual version in 21 languages.
The French.
Possibly I'm over-generalising, but it always amazes me how much more knowledgeable, intelligent and apt at independent thinking the average French person is compared to most North Americans, Australians or Brits. Does it have anything to do with the country's philosophical traditions?
The film I'd been planning to see ('Old Boy') wasn't showing, but a fascinating conversation with a French gent over lunch more than made up for it.^^
Monday, April 18, 2005
Are you being served?
What a strange phenomenon! The more you have a good time, the less likely you are to use the computer, and so all the blogs become miserable! This deserves scientific investigation! What impact must the unhappy nature of Internet content be having on society?? ...
~~~~~~~~~~
Over the past few weeks I've witnessed a lot of heated arguments between Thai service staff and westerner backpackers. Here are a few common scenarios.
지난 몇 주 동안 서비스주는 타이 사람과 백팩하는 서양 사람과 사이 많은 열띤 논쟁을 눈앞에 보았다. 여기 몇 흔한 세나리오가 있다.
Firstly, the westerner asks a long, fast question and gets an answer to the question the Thai person thought was being asked, and the westerner gets annoyed that they have to ask again and the Thai person gets annoyed that they have to repeat themselves...
첫번째, 서양사람은 길고 빠른 질문하고서 타이 사람이 (다르게) 들은 질문에 대답하고 서양사람이 다시 한번 질문해야 할것이니까 짜증 내고서 타이사람이 반복해야 할것이니까 짜증 내고서...
Secondly, the westerner asks a question, the Thai understands and gives an answer in a strong and difficult-to-understand Thai accent which, although my ears can understand now I've been here a while, the other westerner can't, and so the westerner repeats what she or he thought was said and the Thai gets annoyed that they have to repeat themselves...
두번째, 서양사람은 질문하고서 타이 사람이 이해해서 강하고 이해하기 어려운 타이 말투로 대답하니까, 제 귀는 익혔지만 다른 서양사람이 이해 못 해서 (다르게) 들은 대답을 반복하고는 타이사람이 반복해야 할것이니까 짜증 내고서...
Thirdly, the westerner asks a question and gets an answer they didn't want/expect in the fairly abrupt-sounding Thai intonation and takes it badly...
세번째, 서양사람은 질문하고 원하지 않거나 기대하지 못 하는 대답을 받고 타이 말투 꽤 퉁명스럽게 들려서 나쁘게 받아들이고서...
~~~~~~~~~~
In language classes we're taught the importance of 'negotiating meaning', that is talking your way round language difficulties or differences...
Also, 'service mentality' isn't strong in Asia. Visitors should be aware of that and be more patient and more ready with their smiles.^^
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Over the past few weeks I've witnessed a lot of heated arguments between Thai service staff and westerner backpackers. Here are a few common scenarios.
지난 몇 주 동안 서비스주는 타이 사람과 백팩하는 서양 사람과 사이 많은 열띤 논쟁을 눈앞에 보았다. 여기 몇 흔한 세나리오가 있다.
Firstly, the westerner asks a long, fast question and gets an answer to the question the Thai person thought was being asked, and the westerner gets annoyed that they have to ask again and the Thai person gets annoyed that they have to repeat themselves...
첫번째, 서양사람은 길고 빠른 질문하고서 타이 사람이 (다르게) 들은 질문에 대답하고 서양사람이 다시 한번 질문해야 할것이니까 짜증 내고서 타이사람이 반복해야 할것이니까 짜증 내고서...
Secondly, the westerner asks a question, the Thai understands and gives an answer in a strong and difficult-to-understand Thai accent which, although my ears can understand now I've been here a while, the other westerner can't, and so the westerner repeats what she or he thought was said and the Thai gets annoyed that they have to repeat themselves...
두번째, 서양사람은 질문하고서 타이 사람이 이해해서 강하고 이해하기 어려운 타이 말투로 대답하니까, 제 귀는 익혔지만 다른 서양사람이 이해 못 해서 (다르게) 들은 대답을 반복하고는 타이사람이 반복해야 할것이니까 짜증 내고서...
Thirdly, the westerner asks a question and gets an answer they didn't want/expect in the fairly abrupt-sounding Thai intonation and takes it badly...
세번째, 서양사람은 질문하고 원하지 않거나 기대하지 못 하는 대답을 받고 타이 말투 꽤 퉁명스럽게 들려서 나쁘게 받아들이고서...
~~~~~~~~~~
In language classes we're taught the importance of 'negotiating meaning', that is talking your way round language difficulties or differences...
Also, 'service mentality' isn't strong in Asia. Visitors should be aware of that and be more patient and more ready with their smiles.^^
Friday, April 15, 2005
Encounters of the Korean kind.
Met a really charming and jolly Korean chap earlier. (Oops, I forgot to ask his name.) "Can you understand my language?" he asked with incredulity as I typed away in the Korean alphabet.
오늘 유쾌하고 명랑한 한국 녀석을 만났다. (아이구, 이름을 안 물었군.) 저는 한글로 타면서 그는 믿기 어렵게 "Can you understand my language?"(내 언어를 알 수 있나요?)내요.
It turns out he'd been studying English in India, 2 hours outside Bombay, for the last 2 years. His fluent English was tinted from time to time with fantastic little flashes of lilting Indian accent.
2년간 인도 (봄베이 외에 2시간)엔 영어를 공부해 오는 게 밝혀진다. 그의 유창한 영어가 때때로 경쾌한 인도영어의 말투를 보였군.
Now he's off back to Korea for a month during the Indian holidays and he wanted to keep practising his spoken Engilsh while back home, something he said could be quite hard as language education there was so grammar-based. He seemed such a motivated and friendly individual though that I'm sure he'll find a way.
인도 방학동안 그는 일개월 한국에 돌아가서 고향에도 구어영어를 계속 연습하고 싶대. 하지만 한국의 문법중심 언어교육 때문에 이건 어렵겠대. 제 의견에는 그는 많은 욕구가 있고 친절한 사람이라서 도달할 건 저는 확신한다.
His first day outside India and I suggested an Indian restaurant...^^
인도 외에 그의 첫번 날이고 저는 인도식당으로 가재...^^
The Korean guesthouse he was staying in was showing Korean DVDs, so I went along and watched for a while. I've heard the Korean film "Old Boy" is showing in one cinema here, so I'll see if I can't find it on Monday.
그는 머무르는 게스트하우스엔 한국 DVD를 보여서 잠시 보러 같이 갔다.
유명란 한국영화인 "올드 보이" 이제 방콕에 상영하는대, 월요일 영화관을 찾아볼게.
오늘 유쾌하고 명랑한 한국 녀석을 만났다. (아이구, 이름을 안 물었군.) 저는 한글로 타면서 그는 믿기 어렵게 "Can you understand my language?"(내 언어를 알 수 있나요?)내요.
It turns out he'd been studying English in India, 2 hours outside Bombay, for the last 2 years. His fluent English was tinted from time to time with fantastic little flashes of lilting Indian accent.
2년간 인도 (봄베이 외에 2시간)엔 영어를 공부해 오는 게 밝혀진다. 그의 유창한 영어가 때때로 경쾌한 인도영어의 말투를 보였군.
Now he's off back to Korea for a month during the Indian holidays and he wanted to keep practising his spoken Engilsh while back home, something he said could be quite hard as language education there was so grammar-based. He seemed such a motivated and friendly individual though that I'm sure he'll find a way.
인도 방학동안 그는 일개월 한국에 돌아가서 고향에도 구어영어를 계속 연습하고 싶대. 하지만 한국의 문법중심 언어교육 때문에 이건 어렵겠대. 제 의견에는 그는 많은 욕구가 있고 친절한 사람이라서 도달할 건 저는 확신한다.
His first day outside India and I suggested an Indian restaurant...^^
인도 외에 그의 첫번 날이고 저는 인도식당으로 가재...^^
The Korean guesthouse he was staying in was showing Korean DVDs, so I went along and watched for a while. I've heard the Korean film "Old Boy" is showing in one cinema here, so I'll see if I can't find it on Monday.
그는 머무르는 게스트하우스엔 한국 DVD를 보여서 잠시 보러 같이 갔다.
유명란 한국영화인 "올드 보이" 이제 방콕에 상영하는대, 월요일 영화관을 찾아볼게.
TOEIC / 토익
The Test of English in International Communication, the TOEIC - it's practical, it's consistent, it's in results, but is it valid? An intelligent article (by Timothy M. Nall) I read recently suggests not. Here's a summary.
"영어에 의한 국제 전달 (통신?) 능력을 측정하기 위한 시험"(토익)은 실용적이고 일관하지만 근거가 확실한가? 티머씨 엠 놀로 쓰인 똑똑한 글은 근거가 확실하지 않음을 암시한다. 다음은 요점이다.
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The TOEIC is used to assess overall English proficiency in a business context. Especially by corporate employers of employees who are being considered for promotion or overseas assignments. Some corporate employers use the TOEIC incorrectly, by requiring their domestic employees (who do not use English on a regular basis) to obtain a certain score for promotion or raises.
토익은 업무배경에 따라 영어 능숙을 평가하기 위해 사용해진다, 특히 기업에 고용인에게는 승진이나 해외 할당을 줄지 생각볼 때. 어느 기업이 부정확하게 토익을 사용한다, (영어를 규칙적으로 쓰지 않는 ) 국내 고용인에게는 승진을 줄지 생각볼 때 요건으로 만든다.
~~
The register of the TOEIC is real-life, business-type English. The listening section is in a formal business register containing "a high frequency of idioms and relatively few polysyllabic words". The reading comprehension section assesses the examinee's knowledge of relatively formal English grammar.
토익의 언어 형태는 현실 업무형 영어다. 듣기 시험은 업무 언어형태이 있고 "성구가 많고 다음절어 상대적으로 근소하다." 독해 시험은 수험자들의 상대적으로 형식적인.형식뿐인 영어문법의 지식을 평가한다.
~~
The ELT which produces the test tries to validate the TOEIC by providing "its own rather extensive evidence" of how TOEIC scores match the scores given by other tests measuring "the same thing". Yet this method of validating a test assumes the other tests are valid and thus is of dubious validity itself.
이 시험을 만드는 ELT는 토익 점수가 다른 시험과 어떻게 비교하는지 보이는 "자신의 좀 광대한 증명"을 주기 의해서 토익이 옳다는 것을 증명해 보고 있다. 하지만 시험이 옳다는 것을 증명하는 이 반법은 ELT로 선택한 다른 시험도 옳다는 것이라고 가정한다. 그래서 의심스럽게 생각한다.
~~
It is important to note that the content of the test is valid only for the receptive skills of reading and listening. "We cannot blithely assume that validity is so commutative."
시험의 내용이 읽기와 듣기인 수용적 기능에만 과해선 근거가 확실하다."이 근거는 전달에 적용할 수 있을 거라고 부주의하게 생각할 수가 없다."
A fundamental assertion of the TOEIC test is that its scoring of the receptive skills of listening and reading has a high degree of validity with respect to examinees' proficiency in the productive skills of speaking and writing (ie. to predict productive communication in the workplace).
토익의 기본적인 주장 하나 이 시험의 점수가 (읽기와 듣기인 수용적 기능엔) 말하기와 쓰기인 생산적 기능에 밀접한 관련이 있다. 즉, 직장에서의 생산적인 통신을 예언하기 위한다.
The author "could not find any satisfactory and unbiased statistical examinations" to support this suggestion. On the contrary, evidence he quotes seems to support the "widely-held perception that the TOEIC score is not representative of productive skills".
필자가 이 주장을 뒷받침하는 "만족스럽고 편견이 없는 증명을 찾을 수가 없다." 그렇기는 커녕 그는 인용한 증명은 "토익 점수가 생산적인 기능을 보이지 못한다고 많은 사람이 생각하는 걸" 뒷받침하는 것 같은데.
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Washback (or Backwash) is the degree to which an instructional or assessment instrument affects the learning process - students' motivation and study habits, educators' curriculum and materials decisions, etc. It can be either negative or positive.
"워쉬배크"(이나 "배크워쉬")는 시험이나 교육방법이 학습 과정에 영향을 미치는 정도이다. 어마나 학생의 동기 부여와 공부습관, 교육자의 커리큘럼 선택와 교재 선택, 등등. 도움이 되 수도 있거나 파괴적일 수도 있다.
The most commonly observable effect of standardized tests such as TOEIC is the practice of "teaching to the test." This means that educators let the contents of the test shape their curriculum choices in order to secure higher test averages for their students.
토익 같은 표준화된 시험의 가장 흔히 관찰할 수 있는 결과는 "시험에 가르치기"라는 거다. 즉, 교육자는 시험의 내용이 커리큘럼 선택을 결정하는 것을 허가하는 말이다.
"Rather than learning the broad range of content and skills that the test is intended to assess, students simply learn the far smaller set of various test-taking strategies and specialized content that are expected to bolster their test scores." This may reduce emphasis on skills that require complex thinking or problem-solving and can mean gains in test scores without a parallel improvement in actual language ability. Students who want to do well rationally invest their time and money in test-oriented study materials or programs rather than a more holistic language-learning approach.
"넓은 내용과 능력들을 익히는 대신 학생들이 점수를 높이 들어 보기 위해 훨더 좁은 시험 전략과 전문의 내용만 공부한다." 이것은 복잡한 생각이나 문제해결이 필요하는 능력들의 중요를 줄이고 시험 점수를 늘리면서 현실의 언어 능력이 똑같게 늘리지 않을 수도 있다. 전체론적 언어교육보다는 시험을 잘 치고 싶을 학생들이 그들의 시간과 돈을 오히려 시험중심 공부책.언어과정에 들인다.
On balance, it seems the negative washback effects of "teaching to the test" outweigh any positive washback from motivation to do well on the test.
모든 것을 고려하여 보면 "시험에 가르치기"의 파괴적인 결과가 시험을 잘 칠 동기 부여보다 더 중요하다.
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Predictive validity is how well the test can accurately and consistently predict the testees' future performance. The TOEIC is "a good example of a well-constructed, norm-referenced, traditional multiple-choice test task, with no doubt high reliability, but extremely limited in the inferences it will allow about language knowledge". There is a telling absence of any mention of predictive validity in the TOEIC's technical documentation. Since the TOEIC's raison d'être is to predict employees' success at using English on the job, this omission raises some concerns.
예언적인 유효는 어느 정도로 시험이 정확하고 시종여일하게 수험자의 미래의 성과를 예언할 수 있는 것이다. 토익은 "잘 만들어지고 표준화하고 전통 선다형 시험이고 신뢰성 많지만 언어지식에 관해서 추론하기는 정말 어렵다. 그러한 시험의 좋은 예이다". 토익의 기술적인 서류에 보여주는 예언적인 유효의 없음이 있다. 토익의 존재이유가 직장에서의 영어 사용을 예언할 것이니까 이 없음이 걱정스럽다.
So, where Susan Giffert gives comments on the TOEIC scores:
수전 기펏이 토익 점수 설명하고:
990-860 Ability to communicate on a variety of topics,...
(990-860 다양한 화제에 통신할수 있고,...)
860-730 Ability to communicate in various situations...
(860-730 다얗한 상황에 통신할수 있고,...)
etc. / 등등
These are invalid as the test gives no provable indication of communicative ability.
토익이 통신적이 능력을 보이지 못해서 이 설명들은 타당성이 없다.
~~
The test has a lot of influence on business, education and government in several countries across the world. As such, its validity must be scrutinized closely.
The TOEIC's claims of reliability are sound. But "the overall implication is that reliability is less of a concern than validity. ... A test which reliably measures invalid results cannot be considered useful."
토익의 신뢰성 주장이 이론적으로 옳다. 하지만 "전체 함축은 신뢰성과 비해서 이론적으로 옳음이 더 중요한 문제다. ... 이론적으로 옳지 않는 결과를 신뢰적으로 주는 시험이 쓸모 있는 것으로 여겨질 수 없다."
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Giffert moves from the theoretical to the empirical, for this conclusion:
기펏이 이론에서 경험으로 가서 이 결론을 준다:
Both TOEFL and TOEIC test receptive skills (listening and reading) rather than productive skills (speaking and writing). It is possible for students to score very highly but not be able to use oral or written English in context. Many examinees become expert in taking language tests, but do not learn how to use the language. Therefore, the authors maintain that TOEFL and TOEIC tests operate in an "artificial reality."
토익도 토플도 (말하기와 쓰기인) 생산적 기능는 커녕 (읽기와 듣기인) 수용적 기능을 시험한다. 학생이 구두의 영어나 쓴 영어를 문맥에서 사용할 수 없이 아주 높은 점수를 받을 수는 있다. 많은 수험자가 언어시험을 치는 베테랑이 되지만 그 언어를 사용하는 방법은 익히지 않는다. 따라서 필자는 토익과 토플이 "인조 현실성"에선 작용하는 것이라고 주장한다.
The tests, when used alone, are valid and reliable in themselves, but not in a larger sense. Examinees who score well on these tests may have self-confidence in the language classroom, but using their language skills in the real world may be quite a different thing.
이 시험들만 사용하면 그 자체를 믿을만하고 옳다는 것이지만 더 넓은 세계에서 그렇지 않다. 이 시험에 좋은 점수를 받는 수험자들에게 언어교실에서 자신감이 있을지 모르지만 실제 세상에서는 그들이 언어 기능을 사용하는 것이 아주 다른 것일지도 모른다.
In theory, an examinee with a score of 650 would be expected to operate in a English-speaking business context better than a examinee with a score of 600. In the real world, examinees will be reading and generating faxes and reports, listening to and making presentations, and using the telephone. Examinees who excel in taking paper tests, yet are unable to use their language productively, will be at a loss in the real world.
이론상 600점수 있는 수험자보다 650점수 있는 수험자가 영어권 업무 문맥에서 더 잘 일할 기대한다. 실제 세상에서는 수험자들이 팩스와 보고서를 읽고 생기고는 구두 발표를 하고 듣고는 전화를 쓸 것이다. 종이 시험을 아주 잘 치지만 언어를 생산적으로는 못 하는 수험자들이 실제 세상에서는 어찌할 바를 모를 것이다.
"영어에 의한 국제 전달 (통신?) 능력을 측정하기 위한 시험"(토익)은 실용적이고 일관하지만 근거가 확실한가? 티머씨 엠 놀로 쓰인 똑똑한 글은 근거가 확실하지 않음을 암시한다. 다음은 요점이다.
~~
The TOEIC is used to assess overall English proficiency in a business context. Especially by corporate employers of employees who are being considered for promotion or overseas assignments. Some corporate employers use the TOEIC incorrectly, by requiring their domestic employees (who do not use English on a regular basis) to obtain a certain score for promotion or raises.
토익은 업무배경에 따라 영어 능숙을 평가하기 위해 사용해진다, 특히 기업에 고용인에게는 승진이나 해외 할당을 줄지 생각볼 때. 어느 기업이 부정확하게 토익을 사용한다, (영어를 규칙적으로 쓰지 않는 ) 국내 고용인에게는 승진을 줄지 생각볼 때 요건으로 만든다.
~~
The register of the TOEIC is real-life, business-type English. The listening section is in a formal business register containing "a high frequency of idioms and relatively few polysyllabic words". The reading comprehension section assesses the examinee's knowledge of relatively formal English grammar.
토익의 언어 형태는 현실 업무형 영어다. 듣기 시험은 업무 언어형태이 있고 "성구가 많고 다음절어 상대적으로 근소하다." 독해 시험은 수험자들의 상대적으로 형식적인.형식뿐인 영어문법의 지식을 평가한다.
~~
The ELT which produces the test tries to validate the TOEIC by providing "its own rather extensive evidence" of how TOEIC scores match the scores given by other tests measuring "the same thing". Yet this method of validating a test assumes the other tests are valid and thus is of dubious validity itself.
이 시험을 만드는 ELT는 토익 점수가 다른 시험과 어떻게 비교하는지 보이는 "자신의 좀 광대한 증명"을 주기 의해서 토익이 옳다는 것을 증명해 보고 있다. 하지만 시험이 옳다는 것을 증명하는 이 반법은 ELT로 선택한 다른 시험도 옳다는 것이라고 가정한다. 그래서 의심스럽게 생각한다.
~~
It is important to note that the content of the test is valid only for the receptive skills of reading and listening. "We cannot blithely assume that validity is so commutative."
시험의 내용이 읽기와 듣기인 수용적 기능에만 과해선 근거가 확실하다."이 근거는 전달에 적용할 수 있을 거라고 부주의하게 생각할 수가 없다."
A fundamental assertion of the TOEIC test is that its scoring of the receptive skills of listening and reading has a high degree of validity with respect to examinees' proficiency in the productive skills of speaking and writing (ie. to predict productive communication in the workplace).
토익의 기본적인 주장 하나 이 시험의 점수가 (읽기와 듣기인 수용적 기능엔) 말하기와 쓰기인 생산적 기능에 밀접한 관련이 있다. 즉, 직장에서의 생산적인 통신을 예언하기 위한다.
The author "could not find any satisfactory and unbiased statistical examinations" to support this suggestion. On the contrary, evidence he quotes seems to support the "widely-held perception that the TOEIC score is not representative of productive skills".
필자가 이 주장을 뒷받침하는 "만족스럽고 편견이 없는 증명을 찾을 수가 없다." 그렇기는 커녕 그는 인용한 증명은 "토익 점수가 생산적인 기능을 보이지 못한다고 많은 사람이 생각하는 걸" 뒷받침하는 것 같은데.
~~
Washback (or Backwash) is the degree to which an instructional or assessment instrument affects the learning process - students' motivation and study habits, educators' curriculum and materials decisions, etc. It can be either negative or positive.
"워쉬배크"(이나 "배크워쉬")는 시험이나 교육방법이 학습 과정에 영향을 미치는 정도이다. 어마나 학생의 동기 부여와 공부습관, 교육자의 커리큘럼 선택와 교재 선택, 등등. 도움이 되 수도 있거나 파괴적일 수도 있다.
The most commonly observable effect of standardized tests such as TOEIC is the practice of "teaching to the test." This means that educators let the contents of the test shape their curriculum choices in order to secure higher test averages for their students.
토익 같은 표준화된 시험의 가장 흔히 관찰할 수 있는 결과는 "시험에 가르치기"라는 거다. 즉, 교육자는 시험의 내용이 커리큘럼 선택을 결정하는 것을 허가하는 말이다.
"Rather than learning the broad range of content and skills that the test is intended to assess, students simply learn the far smaller set of various test-taking strategies and specialized content that are expected to bolster their test scores." This may reduce emphasis on skills that require complex thinking or problem-solving and can mean gains in test scores without a parallel improvement in actual language ability. Students who want to do well rationally invest their time and money in test-oriented study materials or programs rather than a more holistic language-learning approach.
"넓은 내용과 능력들을 익히는 대신 학생들이 점수를 높이 들어 보기 위해 훨더 좁은 시험 전략과 전문의 내용만 공부한다." 이것은 복잡한 생각이나 문제해결이 필요하는 능력들의 중요를 줄이고 시험 점수를 늘리면서 현실의 언어 능력이 똑같게 늘리지 않을 수도 있다. 전체론적 언어교육보다는 시험을 잘 치고 싶을 학생들이 그들의 시간과 돈을 오히려 시험중심 공부책.언어과정에 들인다.
On balance, it seems the negative washback effects of "teaching to the test" outweigh any positive washback from motivation to do well on the test.
모든 것을 고려하여 보면 "시험에 가르치기"의 파괴적인 결과가 시험을 잘 칠 동기 부여보다 더 중요하다.
~~
Predictive validity is how well the test can accurately and consistently predict the testees' future performance. The TOEIC is "a good example of a well-constructed, norm-referenced, traditional multiple-choice test task, with no doubt high reliability, but extremely limited in the inferences it will allow about language knowledge". There is a telling absence of any mention of predictive validity in the TOEIC's technical documentation. Since the TOEIC's raison d'être is to predict employees' success at using English on the job, this omission raises some concerns.
예언적인 유효는 어느 정도로 시험이 정확하고 시종여일하게 수험자의 미래의 성과를 예언할 수 있는 것이다. 토익은 "잘 만들어지고 표준화하고 전통 선다형 시험이고 신뢰성 많지만 언어지식에 관해서 추론하기는 정말 어렵다. 그러한 시험의 좋은 예이다". 토익의 기술적인 서류에 보여주는 예언적인 유효의 없음이 있다. 토익의 존재이유가 직장에서의 영어 사용을 예언할 것이니까 이 없음이 걱정스럽다.
So, where Susan Giffert gives comments on the TOEIC scores:
수전 기펏이 토익 점수 설명하고:
990-860 Ability to communicate on a variety of topics,...
(990-860 다양한 화제에 통신할수 있고,...)
860-730 Ability to communicate in various situations...
(860-730 다얗한 상황에 통신할수 있고,...)
etc. / 등등
These are invalid as the test gives no provable indication of communicative ability.
토익이 통신적이 능력을 보이지 못해서 이 설명들은 타당성이 없다.
~~
The test has a lot of influence on business, education and government in several countries across the world. As such, its validity must be scrutinized closely.
The TOEIC's claims of reliability are sound. But "the overall implication is that reliability is less of a concern than validity. ... A test which reliably measures invalid results cannot be considered useful."
토익의 신뢰성 주장이 이론적으로 옳다. 하지만 "전체 함축은 신뢰성과 비해서 이론적으로 옳음이 더 중요한 문제다. ... 이론적으로 옳지 않는 결과를 신뢰적으로 주는 시험이 쓸모 있는 것으로 여겨질 수 없다."
~~
Giffert moves from the theoretical to the empirical, for this conclusion:
기펏이 이론에서 경험으로 가서 이 결론을 준다:
Both TOEFL and TOEIC test receptive skills (listening and reading) rather than productive skills (speaking and writing). It is possible for students to score very highly but not be able to use oral or written English in context. Many examinees become expert in taking language tests, but do not learn how to use the language. Therefore, the authors maintain that TOEFL and TOEIC tests operate in an "artificial reality."
토익도 토플도 (말하기와 쓰기인) 생산적 기능는 커녕 (읽기와 듣기인) 수용적 기능을 시험한다. 학생이 구두의 영어나 쓴 영어를 문맥에서 사용할 수 없이 아주 높은 점수를 받을 수는 있다. 많은 수험자가 언어시험을 치는 베테랑이 되지만 그 언어를 사용하는 방법은 익히지 않는다. 따라서 필자는 토익과 토플이 "인조 현실성"에선 작용하는 것이라고 주장한다.
The tests, when used alone, are valid and reliable in themselves, but not in a larger sense. Examinees who score well on these tests may have self-confidence in the language classroom, but using their language skills in the real world may be quite a different thing.
이 시험들만 사용하면 그 자체를 믿을만하고 옳다는 것이지만 더 넓은 세계에서 그렇지 않다. 이 시험에 좋은 점수를 받는 수험자들에게 언어교실에서 자신감이 있을지 모르지만 실제 세상에서는 그들이 언어 기능을 사용하는 것이 아주 다른 것일지도 모른다.
In theory, an examinee with a score of 650 would be expected to operate in a English-speaking business context better than a examinee with a score of 600. In the real world, examinees will be reading and generating faxes and reports, listening to and making presentations, and using the telephone. Examinees who excel in taking paper tests, yet are unable to use their language productively, will be at a loss in the real world.
이론상 600점수 있는 수험자보다 650점수 있는 수험자가 영어권 업무 문맥에서 더 잘 일할 기대한다. 실제 세상에서는 수험자들이 팩스와 보고서를 읽고 생기고는 구두 발표를 하고 듣고는 전화를 쓸 것이다. 종이 시험을 아주 잘 치지만 언어를 생산적으로는 못 하는 수험자들이 실제 세상에서는 어찌할 바를 모를 것이다.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Songkran / 송끄란
The Thai New Year water festival, Songkran, is upon us again. Happy New Year (for the third time for many of you out there)!
The streets are full of people, young to middle-aged, all hell-bent on drenching every passer-by in cold water. In theory it's meant as a blessing for the year to come. That may have been the original concept, but that's not how things work now.
I know, it's quite hot outside so I should be grateful. But some of us want to do things, and walking almost any street will get you wet. What's the use of soaking someone who doesn't want to be soaked? Which idiot decided that huge tanks of water by the roadsides would be a good idea? *hmm*
Last year I had a lovely experience (hear the sarcasm?) when I took a tuk-tuk for central Siam, instead of risking a dousing on the pavements, only to have a full bucket of water thrown into my lap while stopped at traffic lights. And it's impossible to dry out fully before someone else pours a bowlful of water down your back with a vacantly malicious look in their eyes. Being so wet gets surprisingly cold when you visit an air-conditioned shop or Internet cafe or coffee shop.
I've noticed that, with the above-mentioned water tanks, even bus passengers aren't safe.
This is also the worst time of year for fatal traffic accidents in Thailand. Most of these involve motorcycles and not wearing the obligatory helmets. If the police would only do their job and enforce the law (or make the fines so high that no-one would risk not wearing one), ...
This was on the front page of the Bangkok Post this morning:
On the up-side, the streets are even more colourful with bright, flowery shirts, street stalls showcasing local crafts, dancers and musicians performing on three stages around the park,... and neon water guns of all sizes.
The streets are full of people, young to middle-aged, all hell-bent on drenching every passer-by in cold water. In theory it's meant as a blessing for the year to come. That may have been the original concept, but that's not how things work now.
I know, it's quite hot outside so I should be grateful. But some of us want to do things, and walking almost any street will get you wet. What's the use of soaking someone who doesn't want to be soaked? Which idiot decided that huge tanks of water by the roadsides would be a good idea? *hmm*
Last year I had a lovely experience (hear the sarcasm?) when I took a tuk-tuk for central Siam, instead of risking a dousing on the pavements, only to have a full bucket of water thrown into my lap while stopped at traffic lights. And it's impossible to dry out fully before someone else pours a bowlful of water down your back with a vacantly malicious look in their eyes. Being so wet gets surprisingly cold when you visit an air-conditioned shop or Internet cafe or coffee shop.
I've noticed that, with the above-mentioned water tanks, even bus passengers aren't safe.
This is also the worst time of year for fatal traffic accidents in Thailand. Most of these involve motorcycles and not wearing the obligatory helmets. If the police would only do their job and enforce the law (or make the fines so high that no-one would risk not wearing one), ...
This was on the front page of the Bangkok Post this morning:
Male gropers top list of women's worriesSounds like Japanese subways.
For many women, terrorists pose less of a fright than opportunistic males who grope and grab in the guise of celebrating Songkran festival, according to a public opinion poll.
A recent Assumption University poll showed 42.8% of respondents were most worried about physical sexual harassment during Songkran festivities. Another 34.6% cited possible terrorist attacks as their main concern and the remaining 22.6% said they had no worries at all.
The survey was conducted among more than 2,800 women aged 15-24 in 23 provinces between March 15 and April 11. Of the respondents, 11.53% had suffered physical sexual harassment during previous Songkran fun fests. However, 82.6% of them said they did not complain to the police.
Of the 17.4% who filed complaints, only 8.9% said police could arrest their assailants. Almost 30% said police rejected their complaints, claiming such harassment was "normal" during Songkran. Fourteen percent of the women surveyed said police not only rejected their complaints but added to the hurt by passing sarcastic comments.
On the up-side, the streets are even more colourful with bright, flowery shirts, street stalls showcasing local crafts, dancers and musicians performing on three stages around the park,... and neon water guns of all sizes.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
"Unqualified" teachers / "무자격" 강사
The Korean media these days often laments the large number of "unqualifed" foreign English teachers in Korea. Those of us who consider ourselves "qualified" (whether by formal qualification, experience, being a natural teacher or a combination of these) couldn't agree more.
이제는 한국 언론이 한국에서 일하는 많은 "무자격" 영어강사를 비탄하곤 한다. (정식의 자격이 있는지, 경험이 많이 있는지, 자연의 강사인지, 이것의 조합인지 함으로) "자격" 강사로 여기는 저희들이 대찬성이다.
I should point out that the only "qualifications" needed to get an E-2 visa to teach English in Korea are to be a "Native Speaker" (as fluent and qualified non-native speakers aren't good enough) and have a Bachelor's Degree certificate. 한국에서 E-2 직업 비자를 받고서 영어를 가르치기 위해 영어 "원어민"이라고 (원어민이 아니지만 영어를 유창하게 말할 수 있고 언어교육 자격이 있는 사람들은 안 되듯이) 학사 학위 증명서만 있어야 된다.
Moreover, as more than one commentator on the topic has asked, why does the question of "qualifications" invariably come up only in discussions of the behaviour of foreigners outside the classroom? What connections there are between teachers' "qualifications" and their private lives?
게다가 하나뿐 아니라 몇명의 해설자는 외국인의 사무실 밖에서의 행동에만 관해 이 "자격" 문제가 왜 생기는 것 같은냐? 강사의 "자격"과 이들의 사생화 사이의 관계가 무엇이냐?
명백하게도 (그리고 슬프게도) 언론은 "자격"에 대한 말을 하지 않고 (자격 문제가 중요한 문제이지만) 오히려 도덕에 대한 말이다. 이건 아주 다른 문제다.
~~~~~~~~~~
But back to the far more important issue - qualifications:
자격에 관해새는:
There are so many students in Korea who've studied English for many years, through middle school, high school, private language schools (hagwons), maybe even a year at university, and yet can't use the most simple English.
한국에서 영어를 긴 세월 동안 (중등학교에도, 고등학교에도, 언어학원에도, 아마 대학 젓년에도) 공부했었지만 아직도 가장 기초적인 영어를 못하는 핵생이 그렇게 많다.
There are (besides the unqualified foreign teachers) local English teachers who openly admit they can't speak or understand English. (My own experience too has turned up a number of such teachers.) What are such people doing teaching English?
또는 (무자격 외국인 강사 외에는) 영어를 못 말하고 못 이해한다고 내놓고 자인다는 지방(?)의 강사도 있다. (제 경험에도 이러한 강사를 만났더군.) 이러한 사람이 왜 영어를 가르친가?
The need to raise the required "qualifications" across the board, for both foreign teachers and local teachers, seems undeniable.
(외국강사도 지방의 강사도) 자격을 올릴 필요는 부인할 수 없는 것 같는다.
Can I recommend Cambridge's new "Teaching Knowledge Test" (TKT) to the Korean educational authorities? (It's a test of the fundamental knowledge that any language teacher anywhere in the world should at least be aware of.)
한국의교육 당국에게 University of Cambridge (Cambridge ESOL)의 TKT(언어 교육지식 시험)는 저는 추천해도 될까? (어디에서나 아무 언어강사나 있거나 적어도 알 필요한 기본적인 지식의 시험이다.)
~~~~~~~~~~
A recent article doing the rounds of the Korean media talks about the job site, monster.com, and how a search of Korean teaching jobs on the site brings up many that say, "No teaching experience necessary" and one that says "No matter how good your English is, if you're not white(-skinned) you won't be able to find work teaching in Korea". (Sadly, I've heard similar rumours about dark-skinned people being turned down because they don't look like "native speakers". Do I have to mention the amazing mix of nationalities, cultures and accents you find everywhere from London to New York to Sydney to Montreal?)
이제는 한국 언론이 한국에서 일하는 많은 "무자격" 영어강사를 비탄하곤 한다. (정식의 자격이 있는지, 경험이 많이 있는지, 자연의 강사인지, 이것의 조합인지 함으로) "자격" 강사로 여기는 저희들이 대찬성이다.
I should point out that the only "qualifications" needed to get an E-2 visa to teach English in Korea are to be a "Native Speaker" (as fluent and qualified non-native speakers aren't good enough) and have a Bachelor's Degree certificate. 한국에서 E-2 직업 비자를 받고서 영어를 가르치기 위해 영어 "원어민"이라고 (원어민이 아니지만 영어를 유창하게 말할 수 있고 언어교육 자격이 있는 사람들은 안 되듯이) 학사 학위 증명서만 있어야 된다.
Moreover, as more than one commentator on the topic has asked, why does the question of "qualifications" invariably come up only in discussions of the behaviour of foreigners outside the classroom? What connections there are between teachers' "qualifications" and their private lives?
게다가 하나뿐 아니라 몇명의 해설자는 외국인의 사무실 밖에서의 행동에만 관해 이 "자격" 문제가 왜 생기는 것 같은냐? 강사의 "자격"과 이들의 사생화 사이의 관계가 무엇이냐?
Clearly (and sadly), the media isn't talking about "qualifications" at all (an important issue which deserves attention sooner rather than later) but, rather, about morals. A very different kettle of fish."Yes, yes, professionalism would dictate one doesn't sleep with one's students,and one is not drunk during work hours; however, the kinds of exposés we've seen online seem to suggest one's qualifications determine the nature of one's after-hours private life. ... This, of course, is patently ridiculous, but also unrealistic." gordsellar.com
"네, 전문성이 우리는 학생과 동침하는 걸 안 하고 근무 시간 동안 취해 있지 않는데 그렇지만 우리가 온라인에 봤던 폭로기사는 자격이 사람의 사생활의 특질을 결정하는 걸 암시하는 것 같은데. ... 이건 우스꽝스럽기 그지없는 것이지만 비현실적이도 한다."
명백하게도 (그리고 슬프게도) 언론은 "자격"에 대한 말을 하지 않고 (자격 문제가 중요한 문제이지만) 오히려 도덕에 대한 말이다. 이건 아주 다른 문제다.
~~~~~~~~~~
But back to the far more important issue - qualifications:
자격에 관해새는:
There are so many students in Korea who've studied English for many years, through middle school, high school, private language schools (hagwons), maybe even a year at university, and yet can't use the most simple English.
한국에서 영어를 긴 세월 동안 (중등학교에도, 고등학교에도, 언어학원에도, 아마 대학 젓년에도) 공부했었지만 아직도 가장 기초적인 영어를 못하는 핵생이 그렇게 많다.
There are (besides the unqualified foreign teachers) local English teachers who openly admit they can't speak or understand English. (My own experience too has turned up a number of such teachers.) What are such people doing teaching English?
또는 (무자격 외국인 강사 외에는) 영어를 못 말하고 못 이해한다고 내놓고 자인다는 지방(?)의 강사도 있다. (제 경험에도 이러한 강사를 만났더군.) 이러한 사람이 왜 영어를 가르친가?
The need to raise the required "qualifications" across the board, for both foreign teachers and local teachers, seems undeniable.
(외국강사도 지방의 강사도) 자격을 올릴 필요는 부인할 수 없는 것 같는다.
Can I recommend Cambridge's new "Teaching Knowledge Test" (TKT) to the Korean educational authorities? (It's a test of the fundamental knowledge that any language teacher anywhere in the world should at least be aware of.)
한국의교육 당국에게 University of Cambridge (Cambridge ESOL)의 TKT(언어 교육지식 시험)는 저는 추천해도 될까? (어디에서나 아무 언어강사나 있거나 적어도 알 필요한 기본적인 지식의 시험이다.)
~~~~~~~~~~
A recent article doing the rounds of the Korean media talks about the job site, monster.com, and how a search of Korean teaching jobs on the site brings up many that say, "No teaching experience necessary" and one that says "No matter how good your English is, if you're not white(-skinned) you won't be able to find work teaching in Korea". (Sadly, I've heard similar rumours about dark-skinned people being turned down because they don't look like "native speakers". Do I have to mention the amazing mix of nationalities, cultures and accents you find everywhere from London to New York to Sydney to Montreal?)
슬프게도 "영어 원어민"처럼 보이지 않아서 피부가 검은 사람을 거절해진 이러한 소문을 저도 들었는데. (런던이나 뉴욕, 시드니, 몬트리올, 등등에 있는 국적들과 문화들와 말투들이 훌륭하고 아주 다양한 사실을 꺼내어야 한가?)하지만 영어강사의 요건에 아예 처음부터 ‘교육 경험 필요 없음’이라고 명시하고 있는 것이 많고, ...
나아가 “영어를 아무리 잘해도 백인이 아니면 한국에서 영어강사를 할 수 없다”는 내용까지 들어있다. Media Daum
Monday, April 11, 2005
독도 - / Dokdo - part 2
I've just received an e-mail from a Japanese friend, after I asked him, among other things, about the Dokdo / Takeshima problem (see earlier post on 독도 / Dokdo).
지금 일본 친구에세 이메일을 받았어요. 다른 것들 사이에 독도/타케시마 문제에 대해 질문을 핬었다 (독도/Dokdo에 관해 이전 글을 보라).
지금 일본 친구에세 이메일을 받았어요. 다른 것들 사이에 독도/타케시마 문제에 대해 질문을 핬었다 (독도/Dokdo에 관해 이전 글을 보라).
Hi, Adam! I've seen cherry blossoms yesterday. This is very beautiful. I'm study about Takesima now. I don't know this problem. I'm arrangement for open my shop. I'm took photos too.
안녕, 아담! 어제 벚꽃을 봐 왔어. 이건 아주 아릉다워. 지금 나는 타케시마에 관해 공부하 있다. 이 문제를 몰라. 나는 내 상점을 열여 채비. 나는 사진도 찍었 있다.
OK, he speaks better than he writes, but it says a lot about the issue that a normal Japanese doesn't know about it. (And he lives in Fukuoka, the nearest Japanese city to Korea.)
알았어, 그는 쓰기보다 잘 말하지만 그것은 이 문제에 관해 중요하게도 보통의 일본 사람이 모르는 사실을 잘 나타내고 있다. (그리고 그는 한국에서 가장 가까운 일본 도시인 후쿠오카에서 살고 있다.)
As a follow-up to my earlier post, I'd like to ask to hear more about (or from) the normal Koreans. The ones who aren't belligerent nationalists and hence don't make it into the sensationalist press.
이전 글에 따라서 부탁할 게 있다. 보통의 한국인에 관해서 (그러나 보통의 한국인에서) 들고 싶다. 호전적이지 않으므로 선정적인 언론에다 안 들어가는 한국인, 말이다.
~~~~~~~~~~
Hearing today that there have also been anti-Japanese demonstrations in Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou lends weight to the argument, I think, that demonstrators should be careful to draw the distinction between the Japanese government whose actions they are protesting and innocent Japanese nationals.
오늘 북경과 심천, 광저우에서 시위가 있었는 걸 들어서 더욱 더 시위하는 사람이 신중히 관계 일본 당국과 죄없는 일본인 사이를 구별해야 한다고 저는 생각한다.
I do have to agree though that, what with the Japanese government and its local assemblies continuing to twist the details of Japan's wartime atrocities, now is probably not a good time to bring Japan onto the UN Security Council.
그렇지만 일본 정부과 현회의가 일본의 전시의 잔학을 계속 왜곡하니까 이제는 일본을 유엔 안전 보장 이사회의 영구 임원국으로 만들 적기가 아닌 거 같다.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
If - Rudyard Kipling / 만약 - 루댜드 키플링
Years ago, I translated this great poem into French for an Italian friend, trying to keep to the meter and style of the original, not sacrificing the meaning. I was thinking about attempting a Korean version, but then it struck me that because of the word order of Korean, almost every line would end with 'myeon', if!
Anyway, this version's a mix of two translations available on the web, slightly modified for accuracy. (Yes, I'm a pedant sometimes, I know.)
만약 (If) - 루댜드 키플링
만약 뭇사람이 이성을 잃고 너를 탓할 때
냉정을 유지할 수 있다면,
만약 모두가 너를 의심할 때
자신을 믿고 그들의 의심을 감싸안을 수 있다면,
만약 기다릴 수 있고 기다림에 지치지 않으며,
자신에 관한 거짓이 들리더라도 거짓를 장사하지 말으며,
미움을 받고도 미워하지 말으며,
그러면서도 너무 선한 체, 너무 현명한 체하지 않는다면.
만약 꿈을 꾸면서도 꿈의 노예가 되지 않을 수 있다면,
만약 생각하면서도 생각을 목표로 삼지 않을 수 있다면,
만약 '승리'와 '재앙'을 만나고도
이 두 협잡꾼을 똑같이 대할 수 있다면,
만약 네가 말한 진실이 악인들에 의해 왜곡되어
어리석은 자들을 옭어매는 덫이 되는 것을 참을 수 있다면,
네 일생을 바친 것들이 무너지는 것을 보고도
낡은 연장을 집어들고 다시 세울 수 있다면.
만약 힘써 얻은 모든 것을 무더기로 쌓아올려
단 한 번의 도박에 걸고도
그것들을 다 잃고도 다시 시작하면서도
한마디 불평도 하지 않을 수 있다면,
만약 심장과 신경과 힘줄이 다 닳아버리면서도
그것들은 너에게 도움이 될 것을 강요하며
남은 것이라곤 "벼텨라"고 말하는 의지뿐인 때도
여전히 버틸 수 있다면.
만약 군중과 이야기하면서도 덕성을 지킬 수 있고,
왕들과 같이 거닐면서도 서민성을 잃지 않을 수 있다면,
만약 적도 사랑하는 친구도 너를 해칠 수 없게 된다면,
만약 모두를 중히 여기되 그 누구도 지나치게 중히 여기지 않는다면,
만약 용서할 수 없는 1분간을
60초 동안의 달리기로 채울 수 있다면,
그러면 이 세상과 그 안의 모든 것이 네 것이 되리라.
그리고 - 보다 중요한 것은 - 너는 어른이 되리라, 내 아들아!
(Original Version / 원어로)
If - Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting;
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating;
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings- nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Anyway, this version's a mix of two translations available on the web, slightly modified for accuracy. (Yes, I'm a pedant sometimes, I know.)
만약 (If) - 루댜드 키플링
만약 뭇사람이 이성을 잃고 너를 탓할 때
냉정을 유지할 수 있다면,
만약 모두가 너를 의심할 때
자신을 믿고 그들의 의심을 감싸안을 수 있다면,
만약 기다릴 수 있고 기다림에 지치지 않으며,
자신에 관한 거짓이 들리더라도 거짓를 장사하지 말으며,
미움을 받고도 미워하지 말으며,
그러면서도 너무 선한 체, 너무 현명한 체하지 않는다면.
만약 꿈을 꾸면서도 꿈의 노예가 되지 않을 수 있다면,
만약 생각하면서도 생각을 목표로 삼지 않을 수 있다면,
만약 '승리'와 '재앙'을 만나고도
이 두 협잡꾼을 똑같이 대할 수 있다면,
만약 네가 말한 진실이 악인들에 의해 왜곡되어
어리석은 자들을 옭어매는 덫이 되는 것을 참을 수 있다면,
네 일생을 바친 것들이 무너지는 것을 보고도
낡은 연장을 집어들고 다시 세울 수 있다면.
만약 힘써 얻은 모든 것을 무더기로 쌓아올려
단 한 번의 도박에 걸고도
그것들을 다 잃고도 다시 시작하면서도
한마디 불평도 하지 않을 수 있다면,
만약 심장과 신경과 힘줄이 다 닳아버리면서도
그것들은 너에게 도움이 될 것을 강요하며
남은 것이라곤 "벼텨라"고 말하는 의지뿐인 때도
여전히 버틸 수 있다면.
만약 군중과 이야기하면서도 덕성을 지킬 수 있고,
왕들과 같이 거닐면서도 서민성을 잃지 않을 수 있다면,
만약 적도 사랑하는 친구도 너를 해칠 수 없게 된다면,
만약 모두를 중히 여기되 그 누구도 지나치게 중히 여기지 않는다면,
만약 용서할 수 없는 1분간을
60초 동안의 달리기로 채울 수 있다면,
그러면 이 세상과 그 안의 모든 것이 네 것이 되리라.
그리고 - 보다 중요한 것은 - 너는 어른이 되리라, 내 아들아!
(Original Version / 원어로)
If - Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting;
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating;
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings- nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Saturday, April 09, 2005
EFL "Long Day's Journey into Night 밤으로의 긴 여로"
Here's a question for you:
질문이 있는데요!
Eugene O'Neill won the Nobel Prize for Literature (1936) and "Long Day's Journey into Night" is considered his finest work. But quite honestly, the script is nothing special.
So, what makes an otherwise mediocre script and story jump off the page and try to throttle you?
(And I assure you it's a captivating read.)
유진 오닐은 1936년에 노벨 문학상을 받았고 < 밤으로의 긴 여로>을 그의 가장 훌륭한 작품으로 새각한대요. 그런데 솔직히 말하면 스크립트가 특별한 게 아니다.
그러므로 이 스크립트와 이야기가 종이에서 뛰어오르고 독자를 졸라 죽여 보는 건 어떻게 설명해요?
(저는 매혹적인 연기인 걸 보증하고요.)
Here's my answer:
제 대답은:
It seems he won the Nobel for his stage directions!
연기 지시 때문에 오닐이 노벨 문학상을 받은 거 같네.
Many language teachers rush through or simply ignore the important issue of non-verbal communication. But here it is, all spelled out in black and white, every gesture and glance and emotion.
많은 언어교수가 중요한 점인 비언어적 의사소통을 서두르게 가르치나 때때로 묵살해요. 여기야 있는데 단순 명쾌하게 단 한감정도 단 한몸짓도 없는 곳이 없네요.
Some lines are delivered "shocked and amused", "moved" or "stung".
Some are said "giggling" or "scowling", or perhaps "shrugging his shoulders".
Some "with rising rage", "with gravity" or "with indignant appeal".
Some require that the actor "grins" or "laughs and turns away".
이따금씩 "충격을 받고 즐거운"이나 "마음의 동요를 받은", "몹시 기분이 상한" 대사를 말한다.
이따금씩 "킬킬 웃는"이나 "얼굴을 찡그리는", 때때로 "어깨를 움츠리는" 동안 말한다.
이따금씩 "증가하는 화가 나고"나 "진지한 태도로", "분개한 요청하고".
이따금씩 배우가 "방긋 웃는다"나 "웃고 돌린다".
But most effective (and affective!) and common is his use of adverbs. The words spoken "jokingly" or "mechanically"; sometimes "affectionately", sometimes "sharply"; at times "too vehemently", at others "almost gently".
가장 효과적이고 (감동적이고) 퍼져 있는 방법은 부사를 쓰는 것이다. 대사가 "농담조로"나 "아무런 감정도 담지 않고"; 이따금 "애정(愛情)적으로", 이따금 "강렬하게"; 때때로 "너무나 맹렬하게", 때때로 "거의 부드럽게" 말한다.
Here are few, mainly from a quick flick through the first Act:
야기 대개 제1막에서 골란 부사들이 있어:
jokingly (농담조로), contentedly (만족스럽게), dreamily (꿈꾸듯), girlishly (소녀답게), affectionately (애정(愛情)적으로), teasingly (못살게 굴고), heartily (마음으로부터), coaxingly (감언으로 유혹하며), admiringly (탄복하게), wryly (심술궂게), casually (무심코), kiddingly (농담하며), eagerly (열심히), approvingly (찬성하듯),
tactfully (재치 있게), carefully (조심스럽게), shyly (수줍게), vaguely (애매하게), soothingly (달래듯), strangely (here: 기묘하게), mollifyingly (누그러지게 하는듯), grudgingly (마지못해), reluctantly (마지못해), "almost gently" (거의 부드럽게), tenderly (연민으로),
quickly (빠르게), mechanically (아무런 감정도 담지 않고), frightenedly (무서워하게), suddenly (갑자기), worriedly (걱정스럽게), nervously (신경질적으로), hastily (서둘러서), tensely (긴장하게), self-consciously (자의식적으로), flurriedly (당황해서), drunkenly (취해서),
scathingly (혹평하게), dryly (here: 냉담하게), "a trifle acidly" (다소 쌀쌀하게), ironically (비꼬아서), sardonically (냉소적으로), provocatively (약올리게), derisively (조롱하게), sourly (시큰둥하게), accusingly (비난하듯이), bitterly (비통하게), bitingly (신랄하게), maliciously (악의 있게), gruffly (쉰 목소리로), jeeringly (조소로),
defensively (방어적으로), grumpily (무뚝뚝하게), guiltily (뭐가 켕기는 듯), "slightly sadly" (약간 슬프게), hesitantly (머뭇거리게), stubbornly (집요하게),
aggressively (공격적으로), violently (난폭하게), contemptuously (경멸적으로), irritably (짜증나서), indignantly (분개하게), resentfully (분개하게), tormentedly (고통을 받는 듯), disgustedly (넌더리게), arrogantly (거만하게), angrily (화가 나서), sharply (강렬하게), furiously (노발대발해서), warningly (경고하게), "too vehemently" (너무나 맹렬하게).
~~~~~~~~~~
First, for language teachers, I hope this insight will be useful to some of you in whatever way you may wish to use it, be it for pronunciation and intonation, for socio-linguistics, as part of an adverb focus, for vocabulary-building, as a drama lesson (giving out a plain script and getting learners to fill in adverbs), whatever. All of the above. (Maybe less serious play would be more appealing - "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead", for example.)
첫번째 언어 교수를 위해서 이 식견이 여러분에게 유익할 것이길 바라는데 발음 연습으로, 억양 연습으로, 사회언어학으로, 부사 초점으로, 어휘 확장으로, 희곡 수업으로, 등등. 상술의 전부로. (아마 덜 진지한 연극이 더 매력적일 거다 - 예를 들어 톰 스토파드(Tom Stoppard)의 "로젠크란츠와 길테스턴은 죽었다")
Secondly, for language learners, I hope the translations above are useful for some of you. Perhaps pick 5 or so with which to spice up your conversation or writing for the next few days. (Start with ones you know but you're not yet confident with. Then choose a handful more.) Best of luck to you!
둘번째 언어 학생을 위해서 상술한 번역이 유익할 것이길 바란다. 아마 5마디나 고르고 다음 며칠 동안 대화나 글에다 양념으로 넣어라. (알지만 잘 쓸 수 없는 마디부터 시작해라. 그리고 또 한 움큼...) 성공을 빕니다!
~~~~~~~~~~
Five of O'Neill's plays are available on the Project Gutenburg website:
The Long Voyage Home (a play in one act)
Anna Christie
The Emporer Jones (no relation)
The First Man (no relation)
The Hairy Ape (no relation)
질문이 있는데요!
Eugene O'Neill won the Nobel Prize for Literature (1936) and "Long Day's Journey into Night" is considered his finest work. But quite honestly, the script is nothing special.
So, what makes an otherwise mediocre script and story jump off the page and try to throttle you?
(And I assure you it's a captivating read.)
유진 오닐은 1936년에 노벨 문학상을 받았고 < 밤으로의 긴 여로>을 그의 가장 훌륭한 작품으로 새각한대요. 그런데 솔직히 말하면 스크립트가 특별한 게 아니다.
그러므로 이 스크립트와 이야기가 종이에서 뛰어오르고 독자를 졸라 죽여 보는 건 어떻게 설명해요?
(저는 매혹적인 연기인 걸 보증하고요.)
Here's my answer:
제 대답은:
It seems he won the Nobel for his stage directions!
연기 지시 때문에 오닐이 노벨 문학상을 받은 거 같네.
Many language teachers rush through or simply ignore the important issue of non-verbal communication. But here it is, all spelled out in black and white, every gesture and glance and emotion.
많은 언어교수가 중요한 점인 비언어적 의사소통을 서두르게 가르치나 때때로 묵살해요. 여기야 있는데 단순 명쾌하게 단 한감정도 단 한몸짓도 없는 곳이 없네요.
Some lines are delivered "shocked and amused", "moved" or "stung".
Some are said "giggling" or "scowling", or perhaps "shrugging his shoulders".
Some "with rising rage", "with gravity" or "with indignant appeal".
Some require that the actor "grins" or "laughs and turns away".
이따금씩 "충격을 받고 즐거운"이나 "마음의 동요를 받은", "몹시 기분이 상한" 대사를 말한다.
이따금씩 "킬킬 웃는"이나 "얼굴을 찡그리는", 때때로 "어깨를 움츠리는" 동안 말한다.
이따금씩 "증가하는 화가 나고"나 "진지한 태도로", "분개한 요청하고".
이따금씩 배우가 "방긋 웃는다"나 "웃고 돌린다".
But most effective (and affective!) and common is his use of adverbs. The words spoken "jokingly" or "mechanically"; sometimes "affectionately", sometimes "sharply"; at times "too vehemently", at others "almost gently".
가장 효과적이고 (감동적이고) 퍼져 있는 방법은 부사를 쓰는 것이다. 대사가 "농담조로"나 "아무런 감정도 담지 않고"; 이따금 "애정(愛情)적으로", 이따금 "강렬하게"; 때때로 "너무나 맹렬하게", 때때로 "거의 부드럽게" 말한다.
Here are few, mainly from a quick flick through the first Act:
야기 대개 제1막에서 골란 부사들이 있어:
jokingly (농담조로), contentedly (만족스럽게), dreamily (꿈꾸듯), girlishly (소녀답게), affectionately (애정(愛情)적으로), teasingly (못살게 굴고), heartily (마음으로부터), coaxingly (감언으로 유혹하며), admiringly (탄복하게), wryly (심술궂게), casually (무심코), kiddingly (농담하며), eagerly (열심히), approvingly (찬성하듯),
tactfully (재치 있게), carefully (조심스럽게), shyly (수줍게), vaguely (애매하게), soothingly (달래듯), strangely (here: 기묘하게), mollifyingly (누그러지게 하는듯), grudgingly (마지못해), reluctantly (마지못해), "almost gently" (거의 부드럽게), tenderly (연민으로),
quickly (빠르게), mechanically (아무런 감정도 담지 않고), frightenedly (무서워하게), suddenly (갑자기), worriedly (걱정스럽게), nervously (신경질적으로), hastily (서둘러서), tensely (긴장하게), self-consciously (자의식적으로), flurriedly (당황해서), drunkenly (취해서),
scathingly (혹평하게), dryly (here: 냉담하게), "a trifle acidly" (다소 쌀쌀하게), ironically (비꼬아서), sardonically (냉소적으로), provocatively (약올리게), derisively (조롱하게), sourly (시큰둥하게), accusingly (비난하듯이), bitterly (비통하게), bitingly (신랄하게), maliciously (악의 있게), gruffly (쉰 목소리로), jeeringly (조소로),
defensively (방어적으로), grumpily (무뚝뚝하게), guiltily (뭐가 켕기는 듯), "slightly sadly" (약간 슬프게), hesitantly (머뭇거리게), stubbornly (집요하게),
aggressively (공격적으로), violently (난폭하게), contemptuously (경멸적으로), irritably (짜증나서), indignantly (분개하게), resentfully (분개하게), tormentedly (고통을 받는 듯), disgustedly (넌더리게), arrogantly (거만하게), angrily (화가 나서), sharply (강렬하게), furiously (노발대발해서), warningly (경고하게), "too vehemently" (너무나 맹렬하게).
~~~~~~~~~~
First, for language teachers, I hope this insight will be useful to some of you in whatever way you may wish to use it, be it for pronunciation and intonation, for socio-linguistics, as part of an adverb focus, for vocabulary-building, as a drama lesson (giving out a plain script and getting learners to fill in adverbs), whatever. All of the above. (Maybe less serious play would be more appealing - "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead", for example.)
첫번째 언어 교수를 위해서 이 식견이 여러분에게 유익할 것이길 바라는데 발음 연습으로, 억양 연습으로, 사회언어학으로, 부사 초점으로, 어휘 확장으로, 희곡 수업으로, 등등. 상술의 전부로. (아마 덜 진지한 연극이 더 매력적일 거다 - 예를 들어 톰 스토파드(Tom Stoppard)의 "로젠크란츠와 길테스턴은 죽었다")
Secondly, for language learners, I hope the translations above are useful for some of you. Perhaps pick 5 or so with which to spice up your conversation or writing for the next few days. (Start with ones you know but you're not yet confident with. Then choose a handful more.) Best of luck to you!
둘번째 언어 학생을 위해서 상술한 번역이 유익할 것이길 바란다. 아마 5마디나 고르고 다음 며칠 동안 대화나 글에다 양념으로 넣어라. (알지만 잘 쓸 수 없는 마디부터 시작해라. 그리고 또 한 움큼...) 성공을 빕니다!
~~~~~~~~~~
Five of O'Neill's plays are available on the Project Gutenburg website:
The Long Voyage Home (a play in one act)
Anna Christie
The Emporer Jones (no relation)
The First Man (no relation)
The Hairy Ape (no relation)
Friday, April 08, 2005
Reading / 읽기
For a little over 2 years now, I've been (meticulously, compulsively) keeping a reading diary. Don't ask why, but it's been a useful reminder of what I've enjoyed, what's inspired me and which authors I'd like to read more of. Sometimes I'll have no books at all; often 3 or 4 on the go at once, so I can pick up the one that matches my mood.
I've recently realised that in these last two years I've read a book, on average, every 10 days. (You do the maths.) It's surprised me a bit. So, I got to thinking about why I like reading.
~~~~~~~~~~
I wouldn't paint myself as a bookish person. I do however have a deep respect for quality writing and writers, and a complicit lust for exploring. (Exploring knowledge, places, people - it doesn't matter.)
Opening a book is the start of a journey, a water drop released by the clouds. When this journey finishes, it not only adds to the lake but leaves the inevitable ripple. (And that's only one part the water cycle...^^)
The reading diary also makes the rainy seasons and the (necessary) long dry spells obvious.
There's also something at once powerful and subtle about the quality of the language and emotions there that are so half-hearted in most elements of real life. All the mediocre ideas and writing styles and trivialities of newspapers, TV, even Hollywood can be put aside.
~~~~~~~~~~
I'd also like to give credit here to a former student of mine, Joy, whose leaving gift to me was the lovely and inspiring little picture book "The Meaning of Life" which heads the list. (I don't believe in favouritism, but of all the wonderful characters I've taught so far, I think she was my favourite.) Thank you, Joy.^^
I've recently realised that in these last two years I've read a book, on average, every 10 days. (You do the maths.) It's surprised me a bit. So, I got to thinking about why I like reading.
~~~~~~~~~~
I wouldn't paint myself as a bookish person. I do however have a deep respect for quality writing and writers, and a complicit lust for exploring. (Exploring knowledge, places, people - it doesn't matter.)
Opening a book is the start of a journey, a water drop released by the clouds. When this journey finishes, it not only adds to the lake but leaves the inevitable ripple. (And that's only one part the water cycle...^^)
The reading diary also makes the rainy seasons and the (necessary) long dry spells obvious.
There's also something at once powerful and subtle about the quality of the language and emotions there that are so half-hearted in most elements of real life. All the mediocre ideas and writing styles and trivialities of newspapers, TV, even Hollywood can be put aside.
~~~~~~~~~~
I'd also like to give credit here to a former student of mine, Joy, whose leaving gift to me was the lovely and inspiring little picture book "The Meaning of Life" which heads the list. (I don't believe in favouritism, but of all the wonderful characters I've taught so far, I think she was my favourite.) Thank you, Joy.^^
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Classrooms again... (다시 교실)
Anyone else been having those dreams? 다른 사람도 이 꿈을 꿨다?
After a lot of repeatedly checking my inbox for news, I've just had news from the language school in Korea and it looks like I have the job! 파고다에서 좋은 소식을 마침네 들었네요!
After a lot of repeatedly checking my inbox for news, I've just had news from the language school in Korea and it looks like I have the job! 파고다에서 좋은 소식을 마침네 들었네요!
Monday, April 04, 2005
Bangkok again (다시 방콕)
The train ride up was a dream. The views were so much nicer than the endless roads you're subjected to on a bus trip. It was smoother, more comfortable,... The chairs and table, like the Transformers my imagination loved when I was growing up, folded and twisted and changed almost magically into two bunk beds, complete with bed sheets, pillows and a cosy blanket. And the rocking, bouncing motion of the train was a perfect combination for sleep. Something like enjoying being bounced around as a baby, or like an energetic lover.^^ Haven't slept so well in weeks!
기차 여행이 매우 좋았다. 버스 여행보다 무사하고 편안하고 창문 밖을 내다보면서 풍경이 훨더 좋다. 어릴 때 제 상상력이 아주 좋아했더 '트랜스포머'처럼 자리와 식탁이 침상으로 바꿨고 시트와 베개, 아늑한 담요도 있더구나. 그리고 튀어올러 흔들리고 있는 차의 움직임이 아기 절의 들어올렸다 내렸다 하거나 정력적인 애인 비슷했네.^^ 밤마다 이렇게 잘 잠 잘수 있더라면...
There were two Canadians in my carriage too. The first time I've ever seen a Canadian carrying a Canadian flag, I have to admit. But trying to talk to them promted them to find their earphones... Some people are sooo friendly. However, I'd picked up two John Steinbeck novellas (The Red Pony and The Pearl) for the princely sum of 30 Malaysian Ringgit (about 4 pounds 20), so I devoured them en route. The Pearl's a wonderful retelling of an old folk tale enriched with the empathetic characters, human emotions and deceptively simple writing style that I love Of Mice and Men for. Recommended.
제 침대차에 캐나다 (카너더 안 될?) 남자도 있었다. 인정하건대 캐나다사람은 캐나다의 극기를 입어 뽐내는 걸 처음 봤네! 제가 그들과 얘기를 나눠 봤고 그들이 이어폰을 사용하기 시작... 어떤 사람이 정말 친절하구나! 그렇지만 존 스타인벡(John Steinbeck)의 중편 소설을 사 왔었고 도중에 둘 다 읽어버렸다. 〈빨간 조랑말〉(The Red Pony)과 〈진주〉(The Pearl)이다. 〈진주〉는 멕시코에서 온 민속 이야기의 대단한 개작인데 제가 좋아하는 스타인벡의 〈쥐와 인간에 대하여〉(Of Mice and Men) 같이 공감할 수 있는 인물과 인류의 감정과 현혹시키게 간단한 문체 있다. 추천할 수 있다.
~~~~~~~~~~
Above the door, the train had a placard saying:
기차의 문위에 이 표지 있었구나:
기차 여행이 매우 좋았다. 버스 여행보다 무사하고 편안하고 창문 밖을 내다보면서 풍경이 훨더 좋다. 어릴 때 제 상상력이 아주 좋아했더 '트랜스포머'처럼 자리와 식탁이 침상으로 바꿨고 시트와 베개, 아늑한 담요도 있더구나. 그리고 튀어올러 흔들리고 있는 차의 움직임이 아기 절의 들어올렸다 내렸다 하거나 정력적인 애인 비슷했네.^^ 밤마다 이렇게 잘 잠 잘수 있더라면...
There were two Canadians in my carriage too. The first time I've ever seen a Canadian carrying a Canadian flag, I have to admit. But trying to talk to them promted them to find their earphones... Some people are sooo friendly. However, I'd picked up two John Steinbeck novellas (The Red Pony and The Pearl) for the princely sum of 30 Malaysian Ringgit (about 4 pounds 20), so I devoured them en route. The Pearl's a wonderful retelling of an old folk tale enriched with the empathetic characters, human emotions and deceptively simple writing style that I love Of Mice and Men for. Recommended.
제 침대차에 캐나다 (카너더 안 될?) 남자도 있었다. 인정하건대 캐나다사람은 캐나다의 극기를 입어 뽐내는 걸 처음 봤네! 제가 그들과 얘기를 나눠 봤고 그들이 이어폰을 사용하기 시작... 어떤 사람이 정말 친절하구나! 그렇지만 존 스타인벡(John Steinbeck)의 중편 소설을 사 왔었고 도중에 둘 다 읽어버렸다. 〈빨간 조랑말〉(The Red Pony)과 〈진주〉(The Pearl)이다. 〈진주〉는 멕시코에서 온 민속 이야기의 대단한 개작인데 제가 좋아하는 스타인벡의 〈쥐와 인간에 대하여〉(Of Mice and Men) 같이 공감할 수 있는 인물과 인류의 감정과 현혹시키게 간단한 문체 있다. 추천할 수 있다.
~~~~~~~~~~
Above the door, the train had a placard saying:
기차의 문위에 이 표지 있었구나:
Made by
Daewoo Heavy Industries, Ltd.
1996
Seoul, Korea
I remember the first time I heard of Daewoo, a few years ago. It was on a TV advert for the kind of small car that's more or less essential in European cities. The catchy hook (tag line) went, "Daewoo - the biggest small car company you've never heard of." I started wondering, not about cars -I'm not a fan- but rather where unknown big-small companies came from. And also, the name stuck because of the strange pronunciation: on the screen was written Daewoo, but the voice clearly said 'deh-oo'. The two obviously didn't match. He'd missed out the 'W', and I took a certain amount of satisfaction in notising this every time the ad came on. Where was this place that had silent 'W's??
처음 '대우'를 들었던 때를 기억났다. 몇 년 전이었다, 유럽의 도시에는 오염과 교통난 때문에 이러한 작은 차밖에 안되는 차에 대한 시에프에서 나왔다. 태그라인은 〈대우 - 너는 못 들었던 작은차 회사 중 가장 큰 것이다.〉 생각해보기 시작했다, 차들이 좋진 않지만 무명(無名) '크-작'은 회사가 어디선... 또는 발음이 이상한데 화면에 〈Daewoo〉를 써 있지만 목소리가 "대-우/deh-oo"를 분명히 말했다. 뚜렷이 틀렸다. 'W'를 무시했네. 그리고 앞으로 그걸 알아차리기를 즐기곤 했다. 침묵의 W 있는 이 나라 어딘지...?? (엄마 지금 "Why write wrongs?" 쓰셨구나...)
Anyway, with all the talk back in January (I hope it was more than just talk! Moreover, I hope it's continuing.) about Korea's "image problem"! That is, for the vast majority of non-Asians, the name Korea brings to mind no image whatsoever. None of them have much of an idea what Korea's actually like. So, I was thinking:
Korea - the biggest small country you've never heard of...
암튼 일월에의 〈한국의 이미지 질문〉에 대한 말을 생각해서 보다 아시아 외에 거의 한 사람도 한국을 잘 몰라서 제 생각은:
대한민국 - 너는 못 들었던 작은 나라 중 가장 큰 것...
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Penang - au revoir
One last stroll around Georgetown. One last smile and a greeting to everyone in town.
I can't believe I passed up the chance to take that 22-hour bus again! But I do like trains.
Thai New Year's coming.
I can't believe I passed up the chance to take that 22-hour bus again! But I do like trains.
Thai New Year's coming.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Penang - part 5
Yesterday, as you can probably guess, the weather forecast came true. I can't believe I spent any amount of that time doing the English teacher thing. It doesn't bode well, does it?!
어제 (추측할 수는 있는데) 날씨정보 맞았다. 이동안 왜 영어선생식 핸지 지~인짜 모른다! 길조가 아니짢아?!
Today started with a long end to last night's long chat with the Chinese-Malay owner of the guesthouse and a British freelance journalist staying there long-term. It's nice to use your mind sometimes...!
오늘은 제 게스트하우스의 중국계 말레이시아인 주인이랑 영국인 무소속 기자과 함께 어젯밤의 긴 담소에 긴 끝에서 시작했다. 이따금씩 마음은 사용하기가 좋은데!
After a long wander around town to find somewhere to buy tomorrow's train ticket, a few more occasions of being cut off mid-sentence with a "You're a tourist and all tourists are trying to get to Langkawi Island. (Well, I would be if I were a tourist.)" nod and pointed in various contradictory directions, I hopped on a bus to the recently-opened Tropical Spice Garden.
오랫동안 내일의 기차표를 사려 도시에 찾아다녔다. 다시 또 몇번 이곳 사람이 제 질문을 가로막아 "너는 관광객이어서 물론 '랑카위 도'에 가고 싶다. (나는 관광객이라면 나는 거기 가고 싶을 텐데)"다는 끄덕이고 저에게 여러 상반된 길을 보여주었다. 이후엔 버스 타고 새로 열은 '열대 양념 정원'으로 갔다.
It was as if a landscape architect had had a daydream in a tropical forest. The green hues, huge leaves, perfect waterfalls, winding gravel paths, the birds and dragonflies, all poised around a small forested hill. I spent a good two hours exploring and enjoying. It was a really welcome workout for the senses.
조경가는 열대 우림에 백일몽을 했었듯 보였다. 녹색상들과 완전한 폭포들, 꾸불꾸불한 자갈 길들, 새들, 잠자리들... 다 작은 삼림있는 산에 균형을 잡고 있다. 저는 두 시간이나 탐험하고 즐거웠다. 환영받는 감각의 워카웃이였다.
My favourite thing (apart from the wonderful spiced coffee of course) was the aroma in the Spice Shop. The room held spices for making mulled wine, ample bundles of cinnamon, containers of cloves, nutmeg, and a number of other locally-produced spices - it smelt like the inside of a freshly-baked cake.^^
(물론 훌륭한 양념을 넣은 커피를 좋아하고) 제일 좋아한 건 양념상점 속의 향기였다. 방에 향료 넣은 와인을 만들기 위한 양념과 많은 풍분한 다발의 계피, 정향.육두구 다른 원산지 양념 여러종류의 그릇도 있었는데 갓 구운 케익의 속처럼의 냄새가 났다.^^
Trekking unhurriedly back to so-called civilisation along the small beaches that dot the island, I stopped to watch a monitor lizard slide languidly off the hot sand and take a slow swim in the shallow jade water. I sympathised.
서두르지 않고 이른바 문명으로 작은 해수욕장들을 따라 여행하다가 모니터가 뜨거운 사막에서 바다에 나른하게 미끄러져 수영해 가버리는 걸 저는 멈추고 봤다. 동감했다.
어제 (추측할 수는 있는데) 날씨정보 맞았다. 이동안 왜 영어선생식 핸지 지~인짜 모른다! 길조가 아니짢아?!
Today started with a long end to last night's long chat with the Chinese-Malay owner of the guesthouse and a British freelance journalist staying there long-term. It's nice to use your mind sometimes...!
오늘은 제 게스트하우스의 중국계 말레이시아인 주인이랑 영국인 무소속 기자과 함께 어젯밤의 긴 담소에 긴 끝에서 시작했다. 이따금씩 마음은 사용하기가 좋은데!
After a long wander around town to find somewhere to buy tomorrow's train ticket, a few more occasions of being cut off mid-sentence with a "You're a tourist and all tourists are trying to get to Langkawi Island. (Well, I would be if I were a tourist.)" nod and pointed in various contradictory directions, I hopped on a bus to the recently-opened Tropical Spice Garden.
오랫동안 내일의 기차표를 사려 도시에 찾아다녔다. 다시 또 몇번 이곳 사람이 제 질문을 가로막아 "너는 관광객이어서 물론 '랑카위 도'에 가고 싶다. (나는 관광객이라면 나는 거기 가고 싶을 텐데)"다는 끄덕이고 저에게 여러 상반된 길을 보여주었다. 이후엔 버스 타고 새로 열은 '열대 양념 정원'으로 갔다.
It was as if a landscape architect had had a daydream in a tropical forest. The green hues, huge leaves, perfect waterfalls, winding gravel paths, the birds and dragonflies, all poised around a small forested hill. I spent a good two hours exploring and enjoying. It was a really welcome workout for the senses.
조경가는 열대 우림에 백일몽을 했었듯 보였다. 녹색상들과 완전한 폭포들, 꾸불꾸불한 자갈 길들, 새들, 잠자리들... 다 작은 삼림있는 산에 균형을 잡고 있다. 저는 두 시간이나 탐험하고 즐거웠다. 환영받는 감각의 워카웃이였다.
My favourite thing (apart from the wonderful spiced coffee of course) was the aroma in the Spice Shop. The room held spices for making mulled wine, ample bundles of cinnamon, containers of cloves, nutmeg, and a number of other locally-produced spices - it smelt like the inside of a freshly-baked cake.^^
(물론 훌륭한 양념을 넣은 커피를 좋아하고) 제일 좋아한 건 양념상점 속의 향기였다. 방에 향료 넣은 와인을 만들기 위한 양념과 많은 풍분한 다발의 계피, 정향.육두구 다른 원산지 양념 여러종류의 그릇도 있었는데 갓 구운 케익의 속처럼의 냄새가 났다.^^
Trekking unhurriedly back to so-called civilisation along the small beaches that dot the island, I stopped to watch a monitor lizard slide languidly off the hot sand and take a slow swim in the shallow jade water. I sympathised.
서두르지 않고 이른바 문명으로 작은 해수욕장들을 따라 여행하다가 모니터가 뜨거운 사막에서 바다에 나른하게 미끄러져 수영해 가버리는 걸 저는 멈추고 봤다. 동감했다.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Chatroom English (영어 채팅)
Looking for chatrooms to practise my Korean, I came across a few websites with Koreans learning (maybe more precisely, interested in improving their) English.
I've reproduced a couple of the messages here.
Being an English teacher, I can't help but question the rationale behind those replies.
한국어를 연습할 채팅들 찾으면서 영어를 배우는 (보다 영어능력을 좋아지기에 관심 있는) 한국인이 있던 웹사이트를 찾았다.
몇 메시지 여기 복제했다.
영어 교수이므로 이 대답의 이론적 설명을 질문할 수밖에 없다.
Question1 /질문1
I've studied English almost 2years and
I reckon I've tried hard,
but my listening isn't improving.
What can I do?
Response /대답
memorize many words every day -
it's good for your listening.
Another response /다른 대답
it takes time and money to acquire workable English speaking and listening skills.
Question2 /질문2
My level of English is very low. How can I improve it?
(문법적으로 맞는지 모르겠지만 그냥써봤어요!!)
[This might be grammatically correct. I just wrote it!]
Response /대답
If you study regularly, you'll improve.
~~~~~~~~~~
And a few select comments. These are very telling, I feel. Herein lie most of the problems of the way languages are taught and studied in Korea. Most of the notices in the chatroom came across as lacking in self-confidence, uncertain how to go about learning a foreign language, envious of those who are more advanced, and obsessed - obsessed, I tell you! - with grammar and tests.
또는 몇 특선 주석. 제 소견엔 이건 아마 명시한다. 한국에서 언어를 가르치고 공부하는 방법의 문제가 이 속에는 보인다. 대부분의 채팅에 있는 게시들이 자신이 약하고 언어를 어떻게 배울지 불확실하고 더 고등의 사람을 부러워하고 문법과 시험에 (신심깊게도!) 사로잡힌다.
Comment1 / 주석1
It is my first time for visiting on english web site.
So I'm verynervous because my english ability is much poorer than other guys
who have written their life story on this board..
I know my writting ablity is poor, too.
But, I want to try writingin english over and over again..
So, I need your help..
If you find some mistakes in my sentences, you can correct and letme know what is wrong.
Comment2 / 주석2
My proposal is that I can achieve 600 points in TOEIC.
It is very useful to upgrade my poor eng. listening skill.
Comment3 / 주석3
I'm very poor at English.
I think everybody in this site is good at English.
So I envy you ㅠ_ㅠ
I want to get along with everyone~
plz correct my sentence's grammer problem.
I've reproduced a couple of the messages here.
Being an English teacher, I can't help but question the rationale behind those replies.
한국어를 연습할 채팅들 찾으면서 영어를 배우는 (보다 영어능력을 좋아지기에 관심 있는) 한국인이 있던 웹사이트를 찾았다.
몇 메시지 여기 복제했다.
영어 교수이므로 이 대답의 이론적 설명을 질문할 수밖에 없다.
Question1 /질문1
I've studied English almost 2years and
I reckon I've tried hard,
but my listening isn't improving.
What can I do?
Response /대답
memorize many words every day -
it's good for your listening.
Another response /다른 대답
it takes time and money to acquire workable English speaking and listening skills.
Question2 /질문2
My level of English is very low. How can I improve it?
(문법적으로 맞는지 모르겠지만 그냥써봤어요!!)
[This might be grammatically correct. I just wrote it!]
Response /대답
If you study regularly, you'll improve.
~~~~~~~~~~
And a few select comments. These are very telling, I feel. Herein lie most of the problems of the way languages are taught and studied in Korea. Most of the notices in the chatroom came across as lacking in self-confidence, uncertain how to go about learning a foreign language, envious of those who are more advanced, and obsessed - obsessed, I tell you! - with grammar and tests.
또는 몇 특선 주석. 제 소견엔 이건 아마 명시한다. 한국에서 언어를 가르치고 공부하는 방법의 문제가 이 속에는 보인다. 대부분의 채팅에 있는 게시들이 자신이 약하고 언어를 어떻게 배울지 불확실하고 더 고등의 사람을 부러워하고 문법과 시험에 (신심깊게도!) 사로잡힌다.
Comment1 / 주석1
It is my first time for visiting on english web site.
So I'm verynervous because my english ability is much poorer than other guys
who have written their life story on this board..
I know my writting ablity is poor, too.
But, I want to try writingin english over and over again..
So, I need your help..
If you find some mistakes in my sentences, you can correct and letme know what is wrong.
Comment2 / 주석2
My proposal is that I can achieve 600 points in TOEIC.
It is very useful to upgrade my poor eng. listening skill.
Comment3 / 주석3
I'm very poor at English.
I think everybody in this site is good at English.
So I envy you ㅠ_ㅠ
I want to get along with everyone~
plz correct my sentence's grammer problem.
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