YANGON, June 27 (Xinhua) — A Korean language proficiency test for Myanmar citizens studying the language will be launched in two Myanmar cities — Yangon and Mandalay in late September, according to education circle here on Sunday.
Sponsored by the South Korean Embassy here, the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) will take place on Sept. 12 at the Myanmar Info Tech in Yangon and Swan Hotel in Mandalay simultaneously.
The test will be divided into three levels — basic, intermediate and advance, said sources from the education circle, adding that the test includes vocabulary, grammar, writing, listening and reading.
The application will close on July 14, the sources quoted the embassy as saying.
Such kind of Korean language test was also held in September last year, earlier report said.
According to an agreement between labor ministries of Myanmar and South Korea signed in November 2007 on employment of Myanmar workers in the East Asian country, Myanmar workers seeking jobs there with employment permit system are required to pass the Korean language test carried out by the two ministries.
Myanmar and South Korea have been stepping up cooperation in education sector with the Department of Education of Chonnam National University of Korea offering to conduct Korean language course, testing of the language, compilation and distribution of Myanmar-Korean language dictionary among others.
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By Teke Wiggin — Special to GlobalPost. Published: May 18, 2010 07:20 ET
SEOUL, South Korea — Language exchanges here are a tried and true way to learn Korean. But some young male expats are saying that’s not all they use them for.
“I’d say most people use it for dating, the Koreans and the foreigners definitely,” said Andrew Kim, a Korean-American English teacher in Seoul. “Most of the friends I know have all dated a girl from [a language exchange website]. I’d say pretty much 100 percent. I never met a guy who said I want to meet this girl just to learn Korean.”
For those with a predilection for the local women, Kim says language exchanges are the perfect way to play the field and meet “open-minded” females.
“I’m no Casanova, but I’ve had several one-night-stands from [language exchanges],” he said.
An American English-teacher recruiter here who asked to go by just “Lee” due to the sensitivity of the subject (many Korean men begrudge cross-national romance) described a similar experience.
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APRIL 08, 2010 07:00. Editorial Writer Kwon Sun-hwal
Since 2005, the Doosan Group has tested entry-level job applicants on their comprehension and writing ability in Chinese characters. This is based on the conglomerate’s belief that such ability is necessary to better understand growingly important Asian markets. University graduates seeking jobs at Korea’s five major business lobbying organizations, including the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Korean Industries, or major companies such as Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and the Kumho Asiana Group, must also take such a test. The Samsung Group gives extra points to job applicants who possess a superior knowledge of Chinese script.
The ability to read and write Chinese characters helps in doing business with Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese companies or traveling in or conducting human exchanges with those countries. Even if one does not speak Chinese or Japanese, he or she can enjoy a minimum level of communication with people from the three countries by writing Chinese characters. The simplified characters used in China can be learned more easily than the traditional Chinese script that Korea uses. Certain entrepreneurs say young people with a better understanding of ideographic Chinese characters have a superior ability to express their ideas in a more compressed way and boast moderation and depth in their language usage.
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Tags: Chinese, Korean
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10-08-2009 20:45
A civic group based in Seoul said Thursday it will operate a Korean language school in cooperation with the government of Sri Lanka.
The Global Sharing of Love, an NGO which has been initiating a movement to build schools in underdeveloped countries, will meet with Sri Lankan officials in November to further discuss the “Korea Wish School Project.”
The initiative includes the construction of a primary school, a Korean language school, a computer training institute and a hospital. There are many people in Sri Lanka who wish to work in Korea and they are eager to learn Korean, according to the NGO.
The organization has been actively involved with promoting the rights of migrant workers from Southeast Asian countries.
“For the last 26 years, Sri Lanka has suffered a civil war and foreign NGOs have been unwelcome. However, the central government of Sri Lanka is fully behind our project,” an official with the organization said. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised various administrative incentives such as free land lease to the NGO.
Asia is increasingly showing an interest in learning Korean. Recently, a small Indonesian tribe decided to adopt Korean letters as their official means of written communication.
Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/10/117_53166.html
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07-19-2009 20:26. By Jon Huer, Korea Times Columnist
One of the constant elements in the pride of Korean heritage is the reference to the Korean Language being the most-scientifically-superior among world languages. They point out the logical manner in which the system is constructed and the variety of ways Korean can be called upon to perform. Indeed, the simple way its written system is developed, which can be mastered by anyone within a short time, is a marvel of ingenuity.
However, when a foreigner actually tries to learn the Korean language in its fullest utility, as a written and spoken system of communication, a nightmare quality begins to haunt the learner. In his nightmare, the foreigner soon learns the most awful truth about the Korean language: That there are actually two Korean languages, one formal-written and the other colloquial-spoken!
It is common to observe that virtually all advanced cultures have formal communication that is different from the daily street variety. Legalese English is quite different from conversational English and that much is commonly understood. But it is a matter of degree: English used in court is not that much different from conversational English, and the overlap is extensive enough to prevent any type of unbridgeable gap between the two.
Much of the court language is archaic and professionally restricted, to be sure, but the difference is nothing like the gap between Korea’s Chinese-based language and its street variety.
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