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Koreans freely admit this fact. In a 2003 survey by the Seoul metropolitan government, 74.2% of
people polled said that had difficulty communicating in English.
This is a troubling trend. In the current era of globalization, English is indisputably a major tool
for promoting international competitiveness. The English language opens access to quality
information and ensures participation in the global knowledge network. To remain globally
competitive, Koreans must be able to use their English skills. Their communication skills in
English should be used to build an economic infrastructure on which they can upgrade their
competitiveness - individually as well as nationally.
work with Korean companies overseas, the program will effectively integrate educational and
commercial needs.
Third, Korea should make English a "common language." The concept of a "common language"
is different from that of an "official language." A common language serves as an official
language in some geographical areas, but an official language is mandated for use nationwide.
This would allow English speakers to communicate without difficulties in certain areas and
allow Koreans to find English friendly environments. Setting up Special "English Zones" where
English is the official language can be an effective solution.
If Korea successfully creates an English-friendly business environment, it can qualify as a hub
for global business. Also, the "Special English Zone" can provide Korean people with
opportunities to communicate with foreigners. A business environment where English is more
frequently used can give more opportunities to Korea's next generation. Korea's elementary
schools have provided English courses for pupils since 1997. According to a study by the MOE,
Korean students who take English during elementary schools are better in communicating in
English than those who do not.
What should come together with efficiency is cost reduction. Korea can start with what is known
as Globish - a combination of "global" and "English" - a simplified version of English words
using words and phrases in English. For example, "nephew" is described as "child of my brother"
in Globish. Globish can be an effective tool to reduce the monetary and psychological burden of
English learners. Korea needs to develop its own version of Globish designed to help Korean
speakers. At the same time, it needs to set up more English villages and provide free English
education courses.
Finally, Korea needs to invest more in automatic translation machines. Many countries have
raised their investment in automatic translation machine to deal with growing demand for instant
translation and the Internet. The European Union, comprising of 25 nations, provides a good
example in this area. For the German and French languages, automatic translation machines have
an accurate translation rate of 80 to 90%. The US has shown much interest in the automatic
translation system and related machines since 65% of global Internet users use languages other
than English. In order to help the military, the US Department of Defense is currently striving to
develop automatic translation system to translate English into local languages where various
armed forces are based.
If Korea successfully develops a high-quality automatic translation system, it could reduce
overall translation and interpretation costs. Given that Korean word order is different from
English, the Korean government should make a large investment in developing efficient
translation system which can help Korea's digital content and knowledge reach global audiences.
The writer is a research fellow at the Money and Finance Department, Samsung Economic
Research Institute. Inquiries on this article should be addressed to hc.jeon@samsung.com.