Konglish vs Korean Translations

Here is a short article describing the ease (for some) and difficulties that one might come across in English to Korean translations. It is recommended for people who have little to no knowledge of English to Korean translations and its relations. This article addresses the basic Korean language standards without hitting heavily on grammar and syntax. Some background information is given on Konglish and the differences between the English and Korean languages. Konglish (the Korean inclusion of English merged into its language) is explained and also a few of the more popular Konglish phrases are given.

The Korean language, spoken by nearly 78 million people, is the official language of both North and South Korea. The language is considered to be a language isolate, meaning it is a natural language and doesn’t follow a specific descent. Due to this, English to Korean translation might be a challenge for English speakers because in Korean, words are spoken in an agglutinative tense. In the English language, sentence structure relies on conjunctions instead of the Korean, linear structure. Since the United States of America has had a long time presence in South Korea, Koreans have been able to pick up English, and have even been able to incorporate English words into their everyday life. This English/Korean Translation is called Konglish. Use of Konglish has seemed to create a divide between North and South Korea. Konglish is much like Spanglish, which is “spoken” in southern counties of Texas near Mexico. It is also like Singlish, which is “spoken” in Singapore.

Unfortunately, Konglish is often used in grammatical and context errors unrelated to English/Korean translation and its usage, and because of this there is a need for Koreans to either be taught proper English by native English speakers, or someone who has been taught correctly. A poll was conducted in 2010 and it was found that 44% of local government agencies in South Korea used English words in their marketing slogans, thus skipping the English to Korean translation completely! The use of Konglish in this way has been seen as damaging to the native Korean language because improper usage will benefit no one. A few of the more popular English to Korean “translation” of words found in Konglish are (note the pronunciation is similar): BIDEO = VIDEO APART = APARTMENT KEOP = CUP AIRKON = AIRCONDITIONER SEYOPING = SHOPING PI-JA = PIZZA KAE-NA-DA = CANADA

Now, back to the original Korean language. It has been said that an English speaker in the West will have a hard time learning Korean. English to Korean translations can be difficult to learn due to the vast amounts of conjugated verbs in the Korean language, for example  depending on tense, mood, age and seniority. The Korean alphabet is a logical system made up of 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels. Learning a new language brings an enrichment and cultural inclusiveness. Whether one learns Konglish to “just get around” in Korea or actually takes the time to master the foundation of the language, it will definitely enrich the mind. “Good luck” in your quest to learn a new language, or as they would say in Korea, “Hang-u-nŭl bim-ni-da!”