People are helpful even without the language. When lost, just find one and they will give you a map of the area and your prob is solved! We've detected that you are using AdBlock Plus or some other adblocking software which is preventing the page from fully loading. 45 percent of Koreans have limited English proficiency May 29, 2014 According to the Census Bureau, limited English proficiency is defined as those who speak English “less than very well” and applies to those older than 5 years of age. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. You can walk to most tourist sites in nice weather (up to 20-30 minute walk to even places like Insadong and about 5 minutes for Myeongdong). When is the best time to go in terms of weather? Shopping at the markets was pretty simple, most vendors knew the phrase "how much". In Shanghai TA forum, you said you will stay in Pudong, let me caution you, your Pudong hotel is in a very boring far away area with nothing nearby, you will waste a lot of time and energy traveling to and from downtown. We only picked restaurants that had pictures, but even that was difficult as some of the picture are not a clear indication of what the food is. I think the fun part for me about Korean restaurants is that you speak English to the waiter, and they speak to you in Korean and the food you want still gets served on your table!!! I jumped into a taxi one night and lo and behold I ended up with a driver who spoke fluent English. It works. Try your best with your phrase book first. I went into loads of stores, especially to buy snacks and never felt a need to get into an intellectual conversation over a mars bar. Say I go into a local convinience store for a Mars Bar? The Korean language has ten vowel phonemes that can be altered depending on their position in the word, along with 21 consonants phonemes. CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011; Wikipedia: Linguistic diversity index (Rankings by country) (UNESCO World Report – Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue); British Broadcasting Corporation 2014. Your experience will vary. Its major import partners are China, Japan, and the United States. Learn to pronounce words correctly at the minimum, and you'd be surprised how far you can get even if you don't speak in sentences. a few key phrases may make life much easier especially in rural areas or when dealing I noticed on the last trip, many shops and companies have Chinese speaking employees, I was told most of them are Koreans returned from schools in China. Subway 5-10 minutes walk is too far, should be under the hotel. Macbcmini, I don't think I ever recall recommending the (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? but there is an automatic announcement made on board at every stop, however if you're sitting pass the middle of the bus it's hard to hear. For visitors, despite common use of English knowing I ate elsewhere, it worked out. Past interactions of Korea with invading countries and colonists played a significant role in shaping the linguistic landscape of Korea. In the Republic of Korea (South Korea), the national and official language is Korean. I ordered all. FWIW, I will also be in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Glad to see a visitor keep coming back to the forum to help out other visitors. One of the most prominent minority languages in South Korea is Chinese, which is spoken by over 1.2 million residents. However, the farther away from (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Will save Plaza for next time, maybe. There is a very popular noodle shop in Myeong, 3 stories, jam packed, only has 3 items on the menu. Some restaurants have english menu, espc those in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-35359880', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Tokyo. No problem with taxi's, as we always had the hotel write out where we wanted to go, and brought a hotel brochure with us, for our return trip. As for our bus driver on the Limo Bus, not a word of English. Thus one can experience the neighborhood to the fullest in the shortest possible time, you cannot do that in Westin or Hyatt. I managed to order something so spicy I was only able to eat 2-3 bites. I did really enjoy eating from all the street food off the carts, so make sure you leave some room for this! What should I do? Although still debatable, it is thought that Korean language belongs to the Altaic family a macro-family that also includes the Tungusic, Mongolian, and the Turkic families. The Shilla Hotel is a very nice hotel, but it is on a hill and you need to walk about 15 minutes to get down to the subway station. Its major imports include crude oil, natural gas, coal, and steel. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-35434480', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Seoul for a week, stayed at the Ibis Hotel in Myeongdong. The most challenging part for us was dining. Twenty-one years later, 50 percent of Koreans under the age of forty said they could understand basic English according to a poll, and 10 percent said they were fluent. Full Day- Essential Seoul City Tour & Gourmet Tour(including Lunch and Dinner), Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Half-Day Tour from Seoul, Liberia passport holder visa free to South Korea, South Korea Family Trip of a Life Time 2021. Gangwon province found in South Korea uses The Yeongseo dialects. The Jeolla dialects are common in Jeolla and Gwangju city areas, and the southern-east Gyeongsang regions including Ulsan, Busan and Daegu cities the Gyeongsang dialects are prevalent. We don't have any banner, Flash, animation, obnoxious sound, or popup ad. In fact, I have repeatedly advised against the Hamilton Hotel. The Jeju dialects are spoken in Jeju Island, while the Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon regions use the Seoul dialects. Shopping in the major department stores was fine. Compare countries and regions on key features such as English proficiency, GNI and Education Spending. SOURCES: Another option is to use the voice memo feature and have the concierge at your hotel say where you need to go. Also a Tonkatsu restaurant there is very good, it has pictures. Nice Ski and Hot Spring Resort near Seoul. There are about 80 million people around the world who can speak Korean. And what about buses and taxis? . On our first (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? They are more likely to try to help. Copy code below and paste it into your website. more. It is newer and nicer and only a 5 minute walk up from the Hamilton Hotel. I think everyone's experience is different. What are the MUST-see's and do's? ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-35465360', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Hamilton Hotel! I smile, I bow a little (bow more in Japan), I point at dishes, talking is way over-rated. So I think there should not be any probs if you are staying n eating in Myeongdong. I only have a couple of days in Seoul. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-35381082', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Myeongdong! Marriott Autograph Collection Hotels in Seoul. And the ppl inside speaks English and can help with whatever you need to know. It is ideally situated and the service is top-class. I don't speak nor read a word of Korean, I had no problem in Seoul. Most store employees, hotel employees, and taxi drivers will know some english and you'll likely be able to communicate, maybe with some difficulty. You once suggested Itaewon, I sent our Korean manager to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? How to get from Seoul to Everland Theme Park? Standard Korean is the language used by almost all 50 million citizens of South Korea. Usage implies agreement with terms. But you really don't need to do too much talking, especially if you are buying a Mars Bar or drink, do you chat away in your local super market or 7/11? This gives 97.8% English-speaking, 2.2% non-English-speaking (3,673,679 and 81,936 divided by 3,755,565) Crystal (2003), p. 109, gives figures of 3,700,000 native speakers and 150,000 second language speakers. What other things can I do in Seoul or should know about? On our first Seoul visit few years ago, first day, first taxi ride, I told driver to go to Namdaemon, he didn't get it, so I said it 7 more times, even with Korean accent, he got it on my 8th try. It's easier than writing it down as the concierge can speak whole sentences and elaborate on your destination a bit better. In addition to the native language, most people below 40 years of age use English which means over 58% of Koreans speak English frequently. Major tourists spots (like Insadong, Myeongdong, Hongdae..) have Tourists Information Centre around the area. The Plaza Hotel is newly renovated and it has a great location in downtown Seoul. He could be kidnappping me for all I know lol. One of the most prominent minority languages in South Korea is Chinese, which is spoken by over 1.2 million residents. Add NationMaster content to your website. It is only one night, day time is for business elsewhere, time is a luxury we do not have. Strange, because the 8th try sounded same as 3rd, 4th and 6th tries, or somewhat close. One night I had to get off the metro before my stop due to some unforseen problem and some lovely lady without a word of english took me under her wing to get me to my destination. Wikipedia: Linguistic diversity index (Rankings by country), UNESCO World Report – Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue, Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school. Get answers to your questions about Seoul. The only good thing I have said about it is that's absolutely centrally located in the heart of Itaewon. Not much English is spoken, same as in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? I was in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? It is a bit rundown and the price is too high considering its quality. Incidentally all the restaurants we ate at were in the Myeongdong area, so we were a bit surprised that not more English was spoken. I didn't have a problem with staff at the hotel. The irony is that we only ordered 2 (or at least tried to order 2). Especially Myeongdong, where I am staying? Linguistic diversity … But once I left a popular Myeongdong restaurant after 5 minutes, because it had no picture, I could not figure it out and I could tell what they are on the next tables. Many Koreans speak English or have taken English lessons in school. To say hello one has to say “Annyeonhhaseyo”, pleased to meet you in Korean will be “Mannaseo bangawoyo.” My name is… in Standard Korean is the language used by almost all 50 million citizens of South Korea. Its major export partners are China, the United States, and Hong Kong. Anyhow, most people speak some English, but most are afraid to try and often run away when asked questions by foreigners. One tip, in addition to written words for your destinations, is a great iphone app, googletranslate. A Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese speaking community are found all over Korea. Not every sales clerk knew English but at least they were able to find us someone who did speak some. If I am lost, I pretend I am not lost until my wife finds out we are lost. Ten million foreign tourists visit (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Its main exports are semiconductors, petrochemicals, automobile/auto parts, ships, and wireless communication equipment. I stayed at a great hostel and all the people that worked ther spoke excellent English.