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Interview
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- The “Best Friend” Language & Culture Exchange Center is a community-based language school through which foreig people can learn Korean, and Koreans can learn foreign languages, including Chinese, English, and Japanese. It is distinct from other language schools in that it not only offers classes in foreign languages but also hosts a number of opportunities and events for students to create friendships with many people from all over the world. For example, the “Friday Party”, which as the name suggests, is hosted every Friday, provides Korean and foreign students with an opportunity to meet one another and make use of the language skills they learned in class. It was opened in 2005 as the first educational institution to provide information to foreigners who wanted to study or find work in Korea.
- Korean language classes are small in size, with a maximum of 3~6 students per teacher. All students practice using conversational Korean in various settings. One-on-one sessions with a native Korean teacher are available to address problems related with grammar, pronunciation, and word choice.
- The Language & Culture Exchange Center has pushed forward with a number of culture programs, including a Korean class for Chinese exchange students, short-term Korean language and culture classes for foreign tourist visitors, establishment of the Korea Working Holiday Association, and classes for foreign managers working for Korean companies. The various programs at the Language & Culture Exchange Center provide an all-in-one opportunity to learn about Korean language and culture and make Korean friends in a relatively short time, compared to university-based ones, and they are highly popular among foreigners residing in Korea for a limited period of time.
Contact 82-2-365-9875 [http://bestculture.cafe24.com]
- > Miho Matsuoka
- Miho Matsuoka from Japan was a Japanese language teacher back at home. She taught Japanese to many Korean students in Japan and became friends with them. She also learned about Korean culture from them, arousing her curiosity about Korea and its language. This is how she decided to learn Korean. First, for 6 months she studied Korean at the Korean Language Education Center of Sogang University, which was recommended to her by a Korean friend. She then joined the Language & Culture Exchange Center. Miho diligently attends, prepares for, and reviews all that she learns in her Korean classes.
- “Most Japanese words end with vowels, but there are so many words in Korean that end with consonants, and it’s very hard to pronounce them correctly. I am going to study as hard as I can because I think I will be able to teach and get closer to my Korean students back in Japan when I improve.”
- > Nestor Nled
- Nestor Nled from Cameroon has always been interested in cross-boarder exchanges and relationships between Asian countries. For instance, he is curious as to whether Asian countries will be able to form an EU-like community. He wanted to learn either Japanese or Korean, and he ended up coming to Korea as prices were too expensive in Japan and his friends pushed for Korea.
“I believe that studying another country’s language and culture needs to begin with becoming one with that society. That’s why I came, and it was not difficult to find a place where they taught Korean here. However, it was difficult to learn Korean. I didn’t know even the very basics of the Korean language in the beginning, but I know quite a few Korean words.”
Nled emphasized that Korean is “a very interesting and extremely important” language. He predicted that Korea would become a world leader if Korea’s economy and society continued to develop in the same direction. He is looking forward to the day his education in Korean becomes a very valuable asset.
