No.203-8

UNESCO Cultural Lecture “Cultural exchange, starting from learning language”

Date: November 11^th 2003 (Fri.) 18:30~20:30 Venue: Moriya Kyoiku Kaikan
Lecturer: Ms. Kim Taehee, Actress and Korean language lecturer

Written by Tadashi Nakamura, Training Program Committee

Ms. Kim Taehee is from Seoul, South Korea, and has lived in Japan for 11 years. She has a BA and MA in Art from Nihon University and is currently on stage and television, as both an actress and a Korean language lecturer. She has taught on the Korean course of Meguro UNESCO Association for two years, achieving good results and a reputation for providing her students with enthusiastic and unique lessons. She came up with the idea of a study tour to South Korea, planned this and then led a group there (cf. Short News 202-p.3). The following is a summary of her speech for the UNESCO Cultural Lecture.

“Because I lacked confidence in my Japanese, I changed my speciality from the drama course to the movie course at Nihon University. But after completing that course, I still had a strong wish to learn drama. So, after passing an audition, I began acting with the Tsuka Kohei’s Drama Group. I soon realised that emotion could be communicated without necessarily understanding the meaning of the spoken word. When the director said something in Japanese, I repeated it in Korean on the stage. Although my stage partner had neither knowledge of Korean nor any idea when my line might end, he managed to act smoothly. This experience raised my consciousness regarding language.

“One of enjoyments gained from learning foreign languages is finding different expressions for the same concept. The Japanese word ‘komorebi’ (sunbeams streaming through the leaves of trees), is ‘heassal’ (sun’s skin) in Korean. And ‘mool’ in Korean is ‘mizu’ (water), or ‘ohiya’ (cold water) in Japanese. If you try to learn a bit of Korean, you will be pleased to find you understand one or two Korean words when you watch Korean dramas.

“It is probably true that keeping an interest in learning language is difficult, unless the student needs it for their business. So, I have adopted some games in my lessons to make the lessons more enjoyable. My interpretation of effecting ‘cultural exchange’ really means ‘becoming friends’. Many South Koreans are interested in Japanese culture, whereas Japanese do not seem to know much about South Korean culture. Please speak to South Korean friends in Korean, even if you only know a few words. You are bound to make them happy and you will see this in their faces. They will appreciate you and it will nurture a more favourable impression of Japan. Language understanding links people emotionally.

“South Korean people are said to be hesitant in smiling, so much so that for the 2002 FIFA World Cup they used a Smiley mark to encourage people to smile. But it is not true they avoid smiling; rather, they just get nervous when talking with foreigners. They are affectionate to their familiar friends, and speaking some Korean words will make them feel familiar with you.

“‘What’s mine is yours’ (for instance, food) is an expression suggesting the character of South Korean people. Japanese people say that courtesy is important even between friends, while Korean people say that no courtesy is needed between friends. Dependence is mutually accepted in some sense. The Korean language has a sophisticated system of using honorific expressions, but using them too much may convey a distant feeling and be counterproductive. South Korean people often think having quarrels is a good opportunity to clear the air and strengthen relationships, so they express themselves frankly and avoid harbouring past disagreements.”

In the lecture, she introduced many interesting topics on language and South Korean culture. In answering questions from the audience, she explained how learners must pay attention to mouth shape, tongue position and throat function, and this gave us further valuable hints on language learning.