Learning Korean Through Donga Cartoons

Here's another source of Korean cartoons with translations - useuful for learning Korean in small doses.

1 ) 버티던 평가원 - The persistently denying Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation


2) 복수정답 인정하고 (평가원) -2) Admits its mistake of dual answers


3) 전 사퇴하겠습니다 (원장) - 3) I resign (KICE President)


4) 그 말이 정답이네 - 4) "That is the correct answer!"




source:
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=140000&biid=2007122532998

Learning Korean Through Hankyoreh Cartoons

Here's an idea for cramming a quick language lesson while putting your finger on the pulse of the Korean society. Cartoons are a regular feature of the on-line Korean papers and it's interesting to compare and contrast their perspectives on various issues like politics and the economy.

For instance, it's quite amusing to see the difference in their depictions of MB - that's President Lee Myung-bak for those new to the lingo of Korean cartoons. That's not just his name but the  Hankyoreh cartoonist has cleverly played on the words "muneung" ( incompetence) and "bupae" ( corruption) as well. See the second cartoon below.

In contrast, the partiality of the JoongAng Ilbo towards MB is not hard to miss when it tries to persuade its readers of parallels between the founder of Apple and Mr Bulldozer. I'm not sure how Steve Jobs would feel about MB being compared to him but  at the very least, I can't imagine MB ever wearing a turtle-neck sweater and jeans or matching Jobs' ability to inspire. If you want a crash course on the current controversies surrounding the LMB administration, look no further than the icons on MB's "iPad". For an explanation of what each represents, click here.

As far as I can see, only the Hankyoreh goes the extra mile to offer to some degree translations in its texts that accompany the original cartoons in Korea. Cartoons in the JoongAng Ilbo and the Korean Herald are only given in English, so then Hankyoreh is your best bet for language learning through cartoons. A pity though that it doesn't translate every word or phrase in its cartoons.


sources:
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/464078.html
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/467195.html
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/466787.html
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2932976

What's That Tree Called In Korean?

Gamsa-hamnida, Korea Times for this timely vocabulary lesson. BTW, the spelling for "eun-haeng na-mu" should be either "ginkgo" or "gingko".


Other phrases you may wish to try out on Koreans ( no guarantee there are no problems with the Googled-translations here!)

Update: Many thanks to sogam0, a  reader from Korea who posted corrections to  the mistakes in the Google translations. The amendments are as follows.


1. 몇살이 나무는 무엇입니까? How old is this tree?
    Correction by sogam0 as follows: 이 나무는 몇살입니까?

2. 이것은 붉은 소나무인가요? Is this a red pine? ( national tree of Korea)

3. 어떤 좋아하는 나무입니까? Which is your favourite tree?
     Correction by sogam0 as follows: 당신이 좋아하는 나무는 어느것입니까?

4. 내가이 집에 데려다 줄까? Can I take this home?
    Correction by sogam0 as follows: 내가 이것을 집에 가져가되 될까요?

5. 단지 사진을 찍어;  떠날은 발자국   Take only photos; leave only footprints.
    Correction by sogam0 as follows: 사진촬영과 산책만 허용됩니다.
                                                            (Only photos & walks are allowed.)






sources:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/10/273_75293.html
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/10/273_75370.html

Happy Hangul Day, 2010!

Beauty lies in simplicity. Gamsa-hamnida, King Sejong!

The commercialisation of Hangul in porcelain cups and plates

The elegance of hangul celebrated in corporate gifts

The prettiest lock seen in a while

Wear a hangul tie on the 9th October!

My favourite - a hangul gate

Have fun with hangul!

Check out these creative videos for Hangul Day in the past!

How To Take Part in Hangul Day 2010

Here's your chance to take part in an international celebration of Hangul Day 2010. It's easy, it's fun and it's prizeless. So you'd be making a sincere salute to King Sejong's achievement. Check out the video below.

On Velcro Parents and Garbled Google Translations

Just saw an article from the JoongAng Daily about Velcro parents. Former Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan has had to step down after a nepotism scandal broke out. The article concluded with an extract from a  poem by Jeong Chae-bong:

“The child you send into the wilderness becomes a bean tree,
but the child you keep in the greenhouse becomes a bean sprout.”

광야로
내보낸 자식은
콩나무가 되었고
온실로/들여보낸 자식은
콩나물이 되었고

(정채봉, ‘콩씨네 자녀교육’)

Out of curiosity, I tried out the Google translator on this piece of verse and got this garbled version:

"Into the wilderness / exported child is / was a samurai kongna / conservatory / sent in the child is / has become overcrowded "

I guess this could be paraphrased as:  " The text you translate  with a dictionary and your own common sense/ becomes a bean tree / but the text you send to Google Translator/ becomes a bean sprout."

My apologies to Google Translator, but I can't resist the dig. Human translators, rest easy - your day job is still intact. BTW,  what IS a " samurai kongna"?


sources:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2925640
http://picsicio.us/keyword/bean%20sprouting/