What are the uses of learning the Korean language in India?
Korean is both North Korea’s and South Korea’s official and national language, with different formal official forms used in each region. It is an East Asian language spoken by approximately 77 million people, of which 5.6 million, regard it as their heritage language. Korean is the 13th most widely spoken language of the 3000 languages currently in use. Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and Changbai Korean Autonomous County in Jilin Province, China, recognise it as a minority language. In addition to Sakhalin, Russia, and Central Asia, it is spoken in other regions of the world. Modern Korean is thought to have derived from Middle Korean, which in turn descended from Old Korean, which in turn descended from the Proto-Koreanic language, which is thought to have originated in Manchuria. Goryeo is considered to be the first Korean dynasty known to Western nations, and the English word “Korean” is derived from it. In the former Soviet Union, Koreans are known as Koryo-saram and/or Koryo-in, and the language is known as Koryo-mal.
The sixteenth most spoken tongue and the official language of North Korea and South Korea, Korean has a sizable population in places like China, Japan, Vietnam, Russia, Canada, Uzbekistan, Australia, Kazakhstan, the USA, etc.
Let's now see what use learning Korean Language is for a language learner attracted to Korean!
While most people preferred studying German, French, or Spanish language as a foreign language for ages, there were hardly any takers for the East Asian Languages. In the 1970s, after Korea earned the status of being an economic powerhouse with its huge corporations expanding business footprints in India, a major shift in language learning preferences were witnessed in India. With India’s new economic liberalization business policy rolled out by the Government of India, these companies took advantage to establish themselves as successful and enriching enough for people to pursue interests with them. And thus began an era to Korean language learning in India!
South Korea is known to be one of the strongest growing economies globally, and it’s also the 7th largest economy in terms of export. The economy is widely integrated with the rest of the global economy, and India is increasingly becoming a focal point of that integration. As a result, we see a sharp rise and tremendous demand for Korean language experts in many international companies in India and elsewhere globally.
The career scope of Learning Korean is phenomenal and quite lucrative. All thanks to the increasing presence of many Korean companies such as LG, Samsung, Posco, Hyundai, Lotte, Kia, and many more, Korean language and culture is gaining recognition and popularity. Most of these companies look for people that will act as intermediaries between their business and clients; someone who can easily translate their business intentions, clinch deals, negotiate trade terks, contracts with India’s local community on their behalf. Such companies prefer to hire someone who knows to speak Korean ahead of any other candidate during recruitment. Thus, learning Korean in India can not only enhance your resume but also help you acquire significant career & job opportunities.
Uses of Learning the Korean Language in India. There are multiple reasons to learn Korean such as:
A Korean language learner can easily secure a job in Korean Companies in India coupled with the other requisite qualifications.
Other than several Indian companies, multiple MNCs from US, and Europe, hundreds of Korean companies and groups located in India are operating in almost every sector, i.e. Information Technology, business research, consumer electronics, R&D, life sciences, media, automobiles, tourism, construction industry, trading, finance, services, etc. who hire Korean language professionals for their office in India. So it’s but natural that they prefer fluent candidates to head their Indian offices and communicate with Korean counterparts frequently. In most cases, companies who look for specific field specialists with the ability to communicate in Korean usually given a language premium on top of the basic salary to the successful candidate. And, if the company plans to expand, your knowledge of the Korean language will put you ahead of others considering any post in the company, with high earning potential such as.
Interpreter
Interpretation is a job that requires you to be proficient in two spoken languages at a minimum and with appropriate knowledge and certification, one can apply for a job at the foreign embassy officials, or work as a freelancer. It is interesting to note that simultaneous interpretation is the most lucrative of the lot. While the demand for Korean interpreters is high, the supply and thus, the competition is relatively low due to the lack of Korean proficient people available.
Translator
Language translation is another one of the lucrative jobs on the internet, that requires proficiency in two written languages. Several private translation agencies employ people having good knowledge of written Korean. A person can work free-lance after gaining a few years experiences. One can opt for translation from a language into Korean or vice-versa. It is a well-paying career option if you are good at your work and possess enough experience to deliver results. While Korean learners can seek proofreading, editorial, content writing, research, media & advertising kind of jobs in different domains, interpretation and translation remain the mist sought-after career choices in India and abroad.
Teacher and Trainer
Skilled Korean language teachers are high in demand. Korean speakers can seek jibs as a corporate trainer, freelance instructor, trainer in language institutes, a teacher in a private school or an ESL teacher in Korea or abroad! Even though you might not find the pay very attractive, it is an excellent place to start your career as an instructor. And from there, you can move to higher opportunities after harnessing your language skills.
Travel and Tourism
With thousands of Koreans visiting India now and then, the requirement for Korean speakers remains at a record high. Korean tourists hire bilingual guides who are proficient in Korean to have a secure, and enjoyable experience. Thus, one could choose to be a tour guide at historical museums, monuments, art galleries, be a tour operator or start their own travel agency.
Hospitality industry
Apart from this, multiple options are available in the hospitality sector.
The Hospitality industry is known to be an evergreen industry world over, which looks for multilingual people to work for them in a variety of roles from the receptionist to manager, depending on their qualifications and prior work experience. Korean language learners can secure a well-paying job at Casinos, resorts or at star hotels!
Aviation
Korean may add a feather to your cap, should you fly on a flight to or out of Korea as a flight attendant or a pilot.
Call Center, IT, BPO and KPO
Korean language speakers can utilize their Korean Language skills to act as a call centre to handle call centre business for overseas clients. Jobs could involve speaking skills, email writing, customer support, or data processing.
Import Export
Korean language speakers can also add value by increasing the potential of export & import business when employed with companies trading with South Korean companies. Thanks to Indo-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IK-CEPA), there are significant export opportunities for several Indian products in the Korean market including, mineral fuels / mineral oils, iron and steel, organic chemicals, aluminium and articles thereof, residues and waste from food industries, cotton products, and more. Knowledge of Korean could land you a plum job in a plethora of Indian export companies.
Other available jobs include accounting payables, translations, sales, purchase, technical writings, proofreadings, interpretation, to name a few.
Learning Korean will enable you to secure jobs in Indian Companies and other MNCs
Apart from Korean companies in India, many Indian companies that have invested in S.Korea, such as Tata Motors have bought Daewoo Commercial Vehicles, M&M has bought Ssangyong Motors. In addition to these acquisitions, many companies like Infosys, TCS, L&T Infotech, Wipro, etc., have branches offices in S.Korea. Knowing Korean language will make you a more valuable asset to the company and you would be able to see yourself working in Korea through these companies. But of course, your salary would be dependent on the language proficiency, the nature of the job, the technicality involved, your relevant qualifications and experience.
Improving relationships
Korean language learning can enable you to break the ice with professional colleagues with Korean-speaking friends or family members.
English speaking Students can secure scholarships to study in Korea after IELTS
Korean Government offers a lot of scholarships for higher studies in the country to English students, however, to be able to live there Korean becomes mandatory to interact with people.
Learning a new language improves your brain functionality, and increases the size of the brain
One of the major benefits of learning a second language is that it stimulates intellectual growth and enhances mental capabilities, keeping you healthy and at bay from mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s
Korean learning will help you enjoy, KPop music and KDramas without subtitles
Many of those who study Korean mostly do so because of their interest in Korean movies, music, and TV shows. So learning Korean will help you watch these without interruption, wait or delay. The language can also equip you better with a deep understanding of their culture and way of life. You will also be able to listen to interviews of your favourite Korean stars, including their songs and news while having the opportunity to contribute to comments and constructive criticism.
Learning Korean can help you know about their historical background, architecture, cuisine, socio-economic, and political life.
Finally,
Although Korean is classified as a language isolate by both historical and contemporary linguists, it is commonly included by proponents of the Altaic family and it does have a few extinct relatives, which together with Korean itself and the Jeju language form the Koreanic language family. Korean presence or influence is strongly found in the Khitan language. In fact, a lesser-known Dravido-Korean languages theory, suggests a Korean relationship with Dravidian languages in India. Korean has also been disputed to be related to Japanese due to some overlap in vocabulary and similar grammatical features that have been elaborated upon by few researchers. Korean definitely has similarity to Chinese restricted to the script only. Korean vocabulary comprises 35% of native words, 60% of Sino-Korean words and 5% loanwords mostly from the English language as well.
Korean is undoubtedly a complicated language to learn but it is possible to learn it with a little help from YouTube, resources from the web, podcasts, face-to-face interactive sessions with a private tutor or an institute for Korean.
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