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Hello TL,
I have once again decided to tackle a new language, and so far I find many Asian languages fascinating. The thing is, I want to pick 1 language and stick with it instead of trying to be a jack in multiple languages. I have chosen Mandarin and Korean as my main candidates, but I have really hard time deciding between the two.
The reason why I'd like to learn Korean is that I have already been there 2 years ago when I was 16, and I already know the basics of the language. I really, really loved my time in Korea. Everything, the nightlife, the food, the city, the people, culture and even the nature and landscape. I still see dreams where I am back in Korea every now and then, and I'm a bit disappointed when I wake up. (That doesn't mean I am not happy in my own country, but Korea is such a fascinating place)
However, I'm afraid that even if I knew Korean, I couldn't possibly get any benefit from it when it comes to job finding, since SK is not a huge market like China is.
The thing with Mandarin is that the writing system is extremely intriguing - Whenever I see a wall of Chinese text, I get this huge urge to be able to read and understand it. I'm sure it's also 10x easier to find a job when you know Chinese, which is a tempting way to invest in your future career.
However, I'm not as fascinated with the Chinese culture as much as Korean, and the language doesn't sound nearly as nice as Korean to my ears at least.
So to say, Korea would be the romantic option to be in for me to live in for maybe 1-2 years, and I already know the basics and can read 한글. I still doubt if the language is enough to provide you with a living. Note that I am not from an English-speaking country, so I doubt teaching English is an option because AFAIK, the schools require a proof that you are a native.
On the other hand, Mandarin would be the realistic choice, since many companies from even my own country operate in there, allowing for numerous possibilities in finding a job, making it a very good investment for the future.
I'm writing this blog to hear your opinions about it. I'm not asking you to choose for me, but I would like to think this issue through before I make a commitment to a language.
Cheers
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CA10829 Posts
i guess you just need to decide why you want to learn a new language. is it something to do simply because you enjoy it (korean), or are you more interested in actually gaining a more tangible benefit out of it (mandarin)?
i will just tell you that if you decide to pick up mandarin be prepared for a very long, arduous haul lol. i took some hanja courses in my upper div korean classes (chinese characters in korean writing) and learning 200+ characters a week was such a terrible experience for me, personally lol.
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I guess it depends on the person, but for me something as tedious as spending some time each day learning a new language requires a certain amount of constant motivation. For example, I can be in love with the idea of, say, learning German, but I'm not going to follow through with it unless I have people around me to speak it with or some kind of concrete reason to be learning it.
For example, I've been spending a decent amount of time getting proficient in Cantonese. There are about 500 million things I'd rather be doing, but the Ms' family is from Hong Kong and it's the only way I can really engage in conversation with them. So the desire to have some kind of relationship with her extended family is my motivation, even if it's boring as shit. If I were originally asked what new language I'd want to learn, I'm sure Cantonese would fall pretty low on the list - but because of the motivation factor, it's also probably the most likely new language that I'll end up speaking well.
But that's just me. If you plan on going back to Korea one day and want to have the full(er) experience that can come from knowing the local language then, hell, that's a great kick-in-the-ass to learn Korean. So that's what I'd pick. Anyways, best of luck.
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Korean is easier to learn, and useful if you enjoy Starcraft.
You could be writing, reading, and speaking fairly well in as little as 2 years.
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Are you sure you have a strong will to learn mandarin? Afaik its a very hard language to learn and unless you are really motivated you will have a hard time completing the task.
We from no english native countries learn english since the early school days, thats why we are all here from all over the world chatting and understand each other. Notice that it took us like 10 years to reach this "fluent" stage, and english is much much easier to learn :/
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내 opinion 가 헌글말 시워 근데 일거 하는게 더 어려워
Being half korean I had to learn it as a kid, and I picked up speaking it quickly which I attribute to copying others. But reading I never got. I'm 17 now and I haven't been proactively learning it but I still can only read it slow, and have to read it once then play the sound of what I said quickly to understand what I read xD
I can only give my opinion on korean though...goodluck picking a language!
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Zurich15358 Posts
On June 08 2011 00:42 DNB wrote:
However, I'm afraid that even if I knew Korean, I couldn't possibly get any benefit from it when it comes to job finding, since SK is not a huge market like China is.
This thinking is so ridiculous. As if there is this dream job in your future where they'll say "Sorry, you are only proficient in Korean? Can't use that, should have learned Chinese!" Get real. Also why would you want to work in China anyway if you love Korea so much?
This point should be at the very lowest part of your decision list, or anyone's looking into languages for that matter.
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Korean is crazy difficult. If you can read in one you can basically read in the other(with some work of course). I would go with Korean because Mandarin is actually not that difficult of a language and if you think you can pick up Korean, Mandarin will come pretty quickly too. Like you said, you know the basics of Korean, but I think you'll be surprised how challenging it is for an English speaker. Also, I think because of the challenge that Korean poses, you'll actually be more likely to find work as a Korean speaker, because Mandarin speakers are more common.
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On June 08 2011 00:54 fabiano wrote:
Are you sure you have a strong will to learn mandarin? Afaik its a very hard language to learn and unless you are really motivated you will have a hard time completing the task.
This is really an issue, since the only reasons why I would be motivated to learn Mandarin is the writing system and the market. The culture is still fascinating, but not as much as Korean.
On June 08 2011 01:00 zatic wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2011 00:42 DNB wrote:
However, I'm afraid that even if I knew Korean, I couldn't possibly get any benefit from it when it comes to job finding, since SK is not a huge market like China is. This thinking is so ridiculous. As if there is this dream job in your future where they'll say "Sorry, you are only proficient in Korean? Can't use that, should have learned Chinese!" Get real. Also why would you want to work in China anyway if you love Korea so much? This point should be at the very lowest part of your decision list, or anyone's looking into languages for that matter.
If you saw it that way I didn't mean to put it like that... I have just hard time to choose between two priorities: Whether I should learn Korean because I love the country, or Chinese because it could possibly be more beneficial. Note that I still find both countries fascinating, but Korea just a bit more.
On June 08 2011 00:50 Flaccid wrote:
But that's just me. If you plan on going back to Korea one day and want to have the full(er) experience that can come from knowing the local language then, hell, that's a great kick-in-the-ass to learn Korean. So that's what I'd pick. Anyways, best of luck.
Oh yeah, this is definitely what has kept me leaning towards Korean for so long, because even knowing the basics really surprised the locals there and they were eager to correct my Korean and teach me more, which was extremely fun. As you said it'd be a super cool experience to be able to fully understand Korean and spend time there.. That's really the motivating factor for me when it comes to Korean.
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On June 08 2011 01:21 IamBach wrote:
Korean is crazy difficult. If you can read in one you can basically read in the other(with some work of course). I would go with Korean because Mandarin is actually not that difficult of a language and if you think you can pick up Korean, Mandarin will come pretty quickly too. Like you said, you know the basics of Korean, but I think you'll be surprised how challenging it is for an English speaker. Also, I think because of the challenge that Korean poses, you'll actually be more likely to find work as a Korean speaker, because Mandarin speakers are more common.
What do you mean? I think Mandarin and Korean are both equally difficult but in different aspects. Korean is crazy hard because of the grammar and all forms of politeness, but is easy in the alphabet. Mandarin on the other hand has a relatively simple grammar, but the writing system and pronouncing make it also super difficult.
It's actually funny when you said that Korean is hard for English-speakers, but I find pronouncing it very easy and slightly similar to Finnish, some Koreans have even said my accent sounds like a native. But again, the grammar is super complicated, if that is what you mean.
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On June 08 2011 01:28 DNB wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2011 01:21 IamBach wrote:
Korean is crazy difficult. If you can read in one you can basically read in the other(with some work of course). I would go with Korean because Mandarin is actually not that difficult of a language and if you think you can pick up Korean, Mandarin will come pretty quickly too. Like you said, you know the basics of Korean, but I think you'll be surprised how challenging it is for an English speaker. Also, I think because of the challenge that Korean poses, you'll actually be more likely to find work as a Korean speaker, because Mandarin speakers are more common. What do you mean? I think Mandarin and Korean are both equally difficult but in different aspects. Korean is crazy hard because of the grammar and all forms of politeness, but is easy in the alphabet. Mandarin on the other hand has a relatively simple grammar, but the writing system and pronouncing make it also super difficult. It's actually funny when you said that Korean is hard for English-speakers, but I find pronouncing it very easy and slightly similar to Finnish, some Koreans have even said my accent sounds like a native. But again, the grammar is super complicated, if that is what you mean.
I would think that Mandarin pronunciation is actually easier, since the sounds are very standard, whereas Korean syllables require a lot of practice to be articulated correctly. But like you said, reading and writing Mandarin is going to be a lot tougher than Korean. With thousands of characters in use, Mandarin characters take years to remember (and lots of patience with a dictionary...)
Learning a language is a challenging process which requires huge commitment. Thus you should choose whichever culture you prefer, as constant exposure to the language is the only way you'll ever master the language.
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Korean and mandarim is hard as hell.I don't know about korean but mandarim, the pronounce is the hardest part, seriously it's really hard.
If you want a common asian language, I suggest you Japanese, it took me 6 months to learn it(But i was in Jpan when i learned), it's quite easy, and people will understand you, even if your pronounce is a bit bad =p
If you don't want to give Japanese a shot, i'd go with Hangul.
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On June 08 2011 01:28 DNB wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2011 01:21 IamBach wrote:
Korean is crazy difficult. If you can read in one you can basically read in the other(with some work of course). I would go with Korean because Mandarin is actually not that difficult of a language and if you think you can pick up Korean, Mandarin will come pretty quickly too. Like you said, you know the basics of Korean, but I think you'll be surprised how challenging it is for an English speaker. Also, I think because of the challenge that Korean poses, you'll actually be more likely to find work as a Korean speaker, because Mandarin speakers are more common. What do you mean? I think Mandarin and Korean are both equally difficult but in different aspects. Korean is crazy hard because of the grammar and all forms of politeness, but is easy in the alphabet. Mandarin on the other hand has a relatively simple grammar, but the writing system and pronouncing make it also super difficult. It's actually funny when you said that Korean is hard for English-speakers, but I find pronouncing it very easy and slightly similar to Finnish, some Koreans have even said my accent sounds like a native. But again, the grammar is super complicated, if that is what you mean.
I don't mean the pronunciation I mean the grammar and the verbs are much more complex than mandarin (for an English speaker!). The writing in both languages would be a very challenging task for anyone who is used to a phonetic alphabet but both languages share a lot of characters and bridging Korean to Mandarin in writing is so much an easier task than lets say English writing to Mandarin writing. The pronunciation of Mandarin is admittedly challenging because of the tones but if you are not tone deaf, its very possible. Korean on the other hand has just such a different grammar system from English that English to Korean is considered one of the most challenging modern language transitions.
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I studied Mandarin for a year in college and I actually found it much easier than it was made to seem, of course I didn't retain much as I didn't keep with it, but a thorough understanding of how the language works and a lot of the vocab has stayed with me.
Truth of it is in practice I didn't bother trying to sound Chinese, I made a solid attempt at getting the pinyin tones correct, but our professor (English teacher on exchange from Beijing University) loved my apparently "classic" American accent speaking it, and a lot can come from context for native speakers so they're likely not to sweat you saying you're going to phone your Horse instead of your Mother. Though it did seem apparent they greatly respect or admire correct pronunciation from the work you've put in.
Chinese language isn't going to be taking over the world... chose whichever is more personally rewarding so that you can enjoy it and maintain interest.
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CA10829 Posts
On June 08 2011 02:12 IamBach wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2011 01:28 DNB wrote:On June 08 2011 01:21 IamBach wrote:
Korean is crazy difficult. If you can read in one you can basically read in the other(with some work of course). I would go with Korean because Mandarin is actually not that difficult of a language and if you think you can pick up Korean, Mandarin will come pretty quickly too. Like you said, you know the basics of Korean, but I think you'll be surprised how challenging it is for an English speaker. Also, I think because of the challenge that Korean poses, you'll actually be more likely to find work as a Korean speaker, because Mandarin speakers are more common. What do you mean? I think Mandarin and Korean are both equally difficult but in different aspects. Korean is crazy hard because of the grammar and all forms of politeness, but is easy in the alphabet. Mandarin on the other hand has a relatively simple grammar, but the writing system and pronouncing make it also super difficult. It's actually funny when you said that Korean is hard for English-speakers, but I find pronouncing it very easy and slightly similar to Finnish, some Koreans have even said my accent sounds like a native. But again, the grammar is super complicated, if that is what you mean. I don't mean the pronunciation I mean the grammar and the verbs are much more complex than mandarin (for an English speaker!). The writing in both languages would be a very challenging task for anyone who is used to a phonetic alphabet but both languages share a lot of characters and bridging Korean to Mandarin in writing is so much an easier task than lets say English writing to Mandarin writing. The pronunciation of Mandarin is admittedly challenging because of the tones but if you are not tone deaf, its very possible. Korean on the other hand has just such a different grammar system from English that English to Korean is considered one of the most challenging modern language transitions.
why would writing in korean be difficult for someone who is used to a phonetic alphabet?
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On June 08 2011 00:42 DNB wrote:I'm sure it's also 10x easier to find a job when you know Chinese, which is a tempting way to invest in your future career.
i really feel like knowing a language for a career really isn't as helpful as people make it out to be.
i feel like it only opens up jobs in translation and interpretation and even then, those skills need to be honed and trained... you can't simply learn two languages and be good at translation and interpretation.
mandarin characters sound intimidating but not really.
english only has 26 letters but they're pronounced differently depending on what letters they're next to, what the word is(time, thyme, thousand) , and even what country (or perhaps city) you're in. and there's a ton of vocabulary that you need to learn anyway... being able to read a word but not know what it means is not very helpful.
imo stick with what you're truly interested in. it's the only thing that'll carry you all the way through. if you have something you love to constantly test yourself in, it just powers you through the whole thing. i like japanese TV and even though i'm studying for the proficiency exam, i probably wouldn't be able to continue with my studies if i didn't enjoy and constantly test myself on understanding of japanese through TV shows.
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On June 08 2011 01:00 zatic wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2011 00:42 DNB wrote:
However, I'm afraid that even if I knew Korean, I couldn't possibly get any benefit from it when it comes to job finding, since SK is not a huge market like China is. This thinking is so ridiculous. As if there is this dream job in your future where they'll say "Sorry, you are only proficient in Korean? Can't use that, should have learned Chinese!" Get real. Also why would you want to work in China anyway if you love Korea so much? This point should be at the very lowest part of your decision list, or anyone's looking into languages for that matter.
You sure? I think preferring English over Icelandic is a good choice when it comes to job finding.
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Korean is alot easier to learn how to write and pronounce, i've only recently discovered this fact and after trying to learn mandarin for god knows how many years i just thought, why the fuck is korean so easy to write, pronounce and speak (in a pure vocal sense). Mandarin you literally have to memorise the characters, there is hardly any logical method to write them out, unlike korean. Mandarin grammar for me wasn't too different from english though there are definitely differences. Learning the tonal pronounciation and writing are probably the hardest aspects and the reason why i really suck at speaking mandarin.
From what i've heard (as many other people replying to this thread as well) korean grammar is the hard bit but you know learn the language you have the most passion for, it will be far more rewarding and less of a drag in my opinion.
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On June 08 2011 02:42 butchji wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2011 01:00 zatic wrote:On June 08 2011 00:42 DNB wrote:
However, I'm afraid that even if I knew Korean, I couldn't possibly get any benefit from it when it comes to job finding, since SK is not a huge market like China is. This thinking is so ridiculous. As if there is this dream job in your future where they'll say "Sorry, you are only proficient in Korean? Can't use that, should have learned Chinese!" Get real. Also why would you want to work in China anyway if you love Korea so much? This point should be at the very lowest part of your decision list, or anyone's looking into languages for that matter. You sure? I think preferring English over Icelandic is a good choice when it comes to job finding.
That was not his point. And btw in iceland it would be better to know icelandic:\
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I've had this dilemma shortly myself. I picked to speak Chinese due to the better options for the future plus I like China's history/culture. I just started learning bits, and only in pinyin script for now but eventually I'll learn full fledged mandarin. After that : Korean -> Russian -> Arabic (maybe)
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EPT
