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Tarko’s Log (TAC 2014 Team Gumiho)

  Tags: Korean | French
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Tarko
Senior Member
Korea, South
Joined 4683 days ago

119 posts - 148 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Korean, French

 
 Message 105 of 119
15 September 2014 at 3:10pm | IP Logged 
9월 9일부터 9월 15일까지

Korean

- translated 17 pages of 열두 띠 동물 동화
- reviewed TTMIK 5-17, 5-18, 5-19, 5-26, 5-27, 5-29
- learned the grammar 려나 보다 (5-23), -에 비해서 (5-25), 수 밖에 없다 (5-28)
- talked with friends in Korean


I'm going to take a break from French for a week or two while my schedule settles down.

First of all, my translation has been going pretty well. I actually had to translate puns yesterday, which really don't translate well, as I've discovered. I wonder what a real translator would do in a situation like this: 소 중에서 제일 예쁜 소는? 미소.

Today we finally took our placement exams. I was placed in level 3. It kind of hurts my pride a bit, seeing as how I've been studying with level 4 text books for roughly a year now, and I've also already received a 3급 TOPIK level. However, I also realize my limitations: my reading skills may be quite high (I had no problems on the reading sections on the exam) but my speaking skills are... lackluster. I think I belong in this level.

We'll be using the 연세 한국어 textbooks. I went through the first unit of the books and there are not many words that I don't know - which makes sense; I have a pretty good vocabulary. Grammar, however, is not my strong point. The first two grammatical points are -던데요 and -네(요). I've learned both before. I can and do use -네 on occasion, but I flat out have never used -던데요 since I learned it roughly a year ago. This will be a good review. Plus, the best part: I already own 연세 한국어 읽기 3 so I don't have to buy it. Score!

Classes start tomorrow. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm sure I'll learn a lot. Well, I hope so, at any rate!
1 person has voted this message useful



Warp3
Senior Member
United States
forum_posts.asp?TID=
Joined 5527 days ago

1419 posts - 1766 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish, Korean, Japanese

 
 Message 106 of 119
16 September 2014 at 2:42am | IP Logged 
For what it's worth, when KBS World translates puns (whether on variety shows or on
Gag Concert) they tend to just make up a new pun altogether rather than sticking with the
original (unless the original still works in English which is rare). That always annoyed me
in the past when KBS World would just make something up (compared to fan subs where
they tend to translate it literally and insert a translator note explaining the pun), but I
understand why they do it (as you have to pause to have time to read the translator note
on the fan subs and that won't work with broadcast TV).

For your example above, I would guess that KBS World translators would likely keep the
"cow" aspect (especially if it was already hinted at in context), but would just make up a
new cow pun and ignore the "smile" part altogether (unless they could somehow make it
fit the joke).

I do sympathize, though. The few times I threw together some soft subs of a section of a
variety show for a family member, the puns were definitely the hardest part to translate.
I went the "fan sub" route of translating it as is and explaining the pun, but that leads to
a lot of text onscreen at times.
2 persons have voted this message useful



Tarko
Senior Member
Korea, South
Joined 4683 days ago

119 posts - 148 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Korean, French

 
 Message 107 of 119
22 September 2014 at 10:03am | IP Logged 
Warp3 - yes, that's what I thought would happen. Puns rarely work in other languages... which makes me curious if there are any language for which puns somehow DO make the transition intact.

9월 16일부터 9월 2일까지

Korean

- Yonsei 3-1: 2-45
- Yonsei Reading 3: 12-26
- Vocabulary: 172 words
- Grammar: -던데요, -네요, -는 편이다, -고요, -는데도, -기만 하다, -자마자, -는대요, -려던 참이다, -을 텐데 (also: -는 대로, -아/어 주셔서 감사합니다)
- TV: 패션왕코리아 1회
- Lots of speaking practice

French
- Attachement by Rainbow Rowell: 1-90


The first week of classes is over! I have four hours of classes in a row, with 10-20 minute breaks in between. For the first three hours we work on vocabulary, grammar, and speaking/listening/writing, in that order. The last hour we have a different teacher for reading class.

The pace is quite rapid - 2 grammatical points a day as well as 30+ new vocabulary words a day. I am keeping up pretty well, probably because I already have a pretty strong vocabulary and have already learned several of the grammatical concepts already. However, if you were to miss a day or slack off slightly... it could blow up in your face.

Homework includes memorizing a dialogue, writing example sentences for the new grammar/5 of the new vocabulary words, listening to the stories, and occasionally writing an essay.

At first I was a bit surprised by how, well, relaxed I've felt, for lack of a better word. I thought this was supposed to be intensive! But then I realized - I've been studying several hours every day on top of working a full-time job for the last 1.5 years. Of course this isn't too much for me. When I have a free moment I find myself thinking, "I should be studying some more," even though there isn't anything left to study.

What I've discovered in the last week is that my lowest skill by far is speaking. My classes have a bit of speaking included, but not a lot. Here's the conundrum: the only way to improve at a skill is to do it more often . But I am a fairly reserved person so approaching people I don't know is very, very difficult for me, and I don't think I'll be able to join any clubs at my university (due to being here for only a year). I might need to start having conversations with myself. Alternatively, make friends with the Chinese students in my class - who are the vast majority - since they can't speak English.

I picked up a book in French last week and I've managed to find the time to keep reading it. I recently read the same book in English as well and enjoyed it quite a bit, so I understand a lot. I should work on fitting in more time for listening practice, but Korean's the priority at the moment, unfortunately.
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druckfehler
Triglot
Senior Member
Germany
Joined 4860 days ago

1181 posts - 1912 votes 
Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean
Studies: Persian

 
 Message 108 of 119
22 September 2014 at 12:52pm | IP Logged 
It's very interesting to read about your language classes. Looks like they differ quite a bit from the Sogang format - speaking was really emphasised a lot. I wonder if it's not better to get most of your speaking practice outside of class, though. If you practice with Koreans, you get correct, more complex input and don't start to mimic the mistakes of fellow students. It may not make much of a difference over a shorter time span, but it does probably add up. Have you thought about doing language exchange? I'm sure lots of people would be interested and it's easier than just getting to know random people.

There's something to be said for making sure that you've got the basics down, so placing in level three might be a good thing. Because I skipped structured classes for most of the (lower) intermediate stage, I still don't use some of the patterns I should be familiar with, like 던데요. I envy you for having a whole year for improving your language skills :) A month only really is very short and add to that doing cultural classes in the afternoons, doing sightseeing in my own and meeting friends, I didn't get as much out of the classes as I could have. Well, I'll just have to review the material.

It would've been great if meeting up had worked out. I thought about driving down to Gwangju the weekend before you left, but then my cold got worse and a lot of plans fell through. I hope it works out next time I'm in Korea (whenever that is :)).
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Tarko
Senior Member
Korea, South
Joined 4683 days ago

119 posts - 148 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Korean, French

 
 Message 109 of 119
22 September 2014 at 1:14pm | IP Logged 
Yes, I think it's just the Yonsei format. The book is arranged quite well as far as daily lessons are concerned (each chapter is broken into 4 lessons, one of which is done per day, with a short additional "cultural" lesson which I did on my own). There just isn't a lot of time for speaking. If there were one extra hour a day dedicated to speaking I'd say the Yonsei method would be perfect. By the end of my time studying with the Sogang books I grew to dislike the slow pace at which they introduced grammar and vocabulary.

I've thought about doing a language exchange but I'm not actually sure how to go about arranging it. I'll have to look into it. My university is arranging "buddies" for us, so hopefully I'll end up partners with someone who doesn't speak English. I can dream, right?

Yes, I'm actually quite glad I'm in level three. I do not belong in level four, at least not with this textbook series. It's a good thing to have a strong base in a language; I've tried skipping the building blocks before in other languages in the past and it just doesn't work - or rather, it just isn't very efficient. Technically, due to the requirements of this scholarship, I'll only have 6 months of language courses if I receive a 5급 on the TOPIK before February. That's not something I intend to do. I want to start my master's degree with a very strong base in Korean, and a year of studying 8+ hours a day is the way to do it.

Yes, I wish we had been able to meet up! I'll be in Korea for at least 3 more years so if you (or anyone else reading this) comes to Korea, 밥을 사 줄게요~ Next year I'll live in Seoul instead of the 지방 so that will make it easier to meet up, too. :)
3 persons have voted this message useful



Tarko
Senior Member
Korea, South
Joined 4683 days ago

119 posts - 148 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Korean, French

 
 Message 110 of 119
29 September 2014 at 10:13am | IP Logged 
9월 23일부터 9월 29일까지

Korean

- Yonsei 3-1: 46-71
- Yonsei Reading 3: 27-40
- Vocabulary: 153 words
- Grammar: -거든요, -고말고요, -었었-, -던데, 피동사, -어 놓다
- TV: 패션왕코리아 (4)
- Speaking/writing practice

French
- Attachement by Rainbow Rowell: 91-180


I reached a bit of an overload about halfway through last week. Memorizing 150+ words a week plus a dialogue every single day is not easy at all. The weekend gave me a bit of time to recover, fortunately.

We had a test over chapters 1 and 2 today. I did quite well, and managed to (be tied for) the best score in my class. Of the three questions I got wrong, two were due to stupid mistakes. The other question I genuinely just didn't know the correct answer. They were all from different parts of the test, too (1 from reading, 1 from grammar, 1 from vocabulary) so I'd say I'm doing pretty well.

That test really perked me up. I wasn't sure what to study, or how to study for it, but I think I've been studying "correctly" (for lack of a better word), which is fantastic. Now I have to keep it up!

I joined the university "mentor/mentee" club. My mentor is a 23 year old English/Trade major. She seems pretty nice, although we have nothing in common. We've been speaking in English and texting in Korean, but I'm going to try to switch over to only speaking Korean.

On that note, I'm thinking about seeking out a Korean tutor here. I don't actually need any help with the content of my classes - yet - but I need to work on my speaking skills. Frankly, having taught English for the last 4.5 years, I don't really want to do a language exchange/some sort of teaching-trade thing. I need a break from it. Ideally I'll have a tutor who will force me to verbally review my grammar/vocabulary and provide topics about which to speak/discuss without forcing me to learn hundreds of new words in the process. Ideally this would help me work on my fluency/circumlocution skills. I'm going to ask my Korean teacher tomorrow if she knows where I can seek out a tutor.

Edited by Tarko on 06 October 2014 at 1:30am

1 person has voted this message useful



Tarko
Senior Member
Korea, South
Joined 4683 days ago

119 posts - 148 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Korean, French

 
 Message 111 of 119
06 October 2014 at 8:42am | IP Logged 
9월 30일부터 10월 6일까지

Korean

- Yonsei 3-1: 72-107
- Yonsei Reading 3: 41-57
- Yonsei Workbook: 56-69
- Vocabulary: 168 words
- Grammar: -어야, -는다면, -어야지, 사동사, -라든가, -는다고 하던데, -는다고 보다, -는답니다
- TV: 패션왕코리아 (1), 도전 수퍼모들 코리아 (3)
- Speaking/writing practice

French
- Attachement by Rainbow Rowell: 181-270


Another busy week. Fortunately Friday was a holiday so I had a long weekend to help my brain recover. 한글날 is this Thursday as well, so that will give my brain another chance to relax.

One thing we have to do every night is memorize a dialogue. Apparently in levels 1 and 2 they're tested on their spelling/the grammar they learned from the dialogue, but in level 3 we just stand up and recite one part without looking at our textbooks. Memorization is very much a Korean (if not Asian) study method. Being from America, I only remember 1 time in my entire educational career where we had to memorize something of any length (besides dates or words). I don't think memorizing a dialogue is the best way to study, but I don't think it's the worst way, either- it can help you internalize the grammar and vocabulary. Of course, it's horribly time-consuming and a general pain in the ass to do.

Every week we have to write an essay about whatever topic we've been discussing. This week we wrote about 건강을 위한 음식. I write my essay, upload it to Lang-8, review any corrections that are made, make changes based on what I should actually be capable of doing/fixing stupid mistakes I made (ignoring any corrections that are clearly above my level/which I don't understand), write it on my 원고지, and then submit it.


미국에 건강을 위해 음식이 많은데 아플 때에는 미국사람치고 치킨 누들 수프를 먹어보지 않은 사람이 없다. 치킨 누들 수프는 아주 유명한 음식인데 아픈 사람들이 자주 먹는다. 치킨 누들 수프는 칼국수와 비슷한 편인데 칼국수에 비해서 치킨 누들 수프 안에 많은 치킨도 들어 있으며 다양한 야채들도 있는데 보통 면은 손으로 만드는 것이 아니다.

미국 어머니들과 할머니들이 자주 아픈 아이들에게 치킨 누들 수프를 먹어보라고 한다. 나도 어렸을 때 아프면 치킨 누들 수프를 잘 먹었다. 의사들이 싱거운 음식은 건강에 좋다고 한다. 치킨 누들 수프 안에 후추가루 같은 향신료밖에 넣지 않는다. 나는 직접 만든 수프 안에 후추가루도 넣지 않는다. 또한 치킨 누들 수프 안에 국물이 많은데 아픈 사람들에게 물을 마시는 것이 아주 중요해서 이런 수프가 건강에 좋다.

미국에서는 이런 수프를 언제든지 먹을 수 있다. 마트에 가면 여러가지 상표의 수프를 살 수 있는데 나에게 그런 수프가 짠 편이라서 재료를 사고서 직접 만든다. 수프를 만드는 방법이 쉬워서 아픈 사람도 쉽게 만들 수 있다. 아프면 건강에 좋은 음식을 잘 먹어야 낫는다. 치킨 누들 수프를 먹어면 건강이 좋아질 수 있다.
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Stassri
Newbie
Korea, South
Joined 4090 days ago

23 posts - 29 votes
Speaks: Korean*

 
 Message 112 of 119
06 October 2014 at 6:01pm | IP Logged 
Tarko wrote:
또한 치킨 누들 수프 안에 국물이 많은데


It could very well go unnoticed by some, but the above phrase doesn't make sense to me.
'There is a lot of soup in the soup'. Hmm... I don't know if it would make sense in English.

Otherwise, your text looks perfect except '먹어면' near the end.


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