Korean for Dummies (42 page)

You can also visit www.tour2korea.com for more information on travel. You can find organized group tours to and guided tours to various sites you care to visit.

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If you’re having a real difficult time, you can also contact BBB (Before Babel Brigade), which has 2,400 volunteers fluent in 17
oegugeo
(
wae-goo-guh;
foreign languages) who will help you with translation problems whenever and wherever via mobile phone. They can be reached by dialing 1588-5644 and pressing the number assigned for the language you need. Press 1 for English, 2 for Japanese, 3 for Chinese, 4 for French, 5 for Spanish, 6 for Italian, 7 for Russian, 8 for German, 9 for Portuguese, 10 for Arabic, 11 for Polish, 12 for Turkish, 13 for Swedish, 14 for Thai, 15 for Vietnamese, 16 for Malay, and 17

for Indonesian.

Korea Tourist Organization also offers Goodwill Guide Services, which provides
tongyeok
(
tong-yuhk;
interpretation) assistance as a part of its
gongjja
(
gongjja;
free) tour guide service. Reservations are usually required, so it’s best to check ahead first. You can go to www.goodwillguide.com for more information.

Having a tour guide is also a good way to practice and brush up on your Korean if you’re a novice speaker. Listening to them, practicing words and phrases with them may be a bit less intimidating than trying to speak to a Korean who doesn’t know a word of English. Finding a Korean who speaks English shouldn’t be very difficult. Surprise your tour guide and others around you by saying some of the phrases and sentences you learned in this book. You will raise a few eyebrows and get a few
miso
(
mee-so;
smiles) when you do.

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Fun & Games

Please write the equivalent Korean sentences/words below. See Appendix C for answers.

1. I’m going to Korea next month. ______________________________________

2. When are you leaving? _____________________________________________

3. Where is the bus stop? _____________________________________________

4. Glad to see you ___________________________________________________

5. Train station ______________________________________________________

6. Museum _________________________________________________________

7. Department store__________________________________________________

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In This Chapter

Shouting for help

Calling the police

Getting medical help

Getting legal help

Even though the chances of something happening on your trip to Korea is rather slim, you always run the chance of needing to call the
gyeongchal
(
gyung-chal;
police) or end up in a
byeongwon
(
byoung-won;
hospital) because something you ate didn’t agree with you. One just never knows what may happen. This is why it is important to plan for the unforeseen. By teaching you a few phrases, this chapter gives you the info you need to handle
eunggeupsanghwang
(
eunggeup-sanghwang;
emergencies) like calling for help, calling the authorities, medical attention, and
beopjeok doum
(
buhp-juhk do-woom;
legal help). Even if you remember just a few of these phrases you can get in contact with the appropriate people who can help you no matter the situation.

Shouting for Help

There are many ways to get someone’s attention. Screaming at the top of your lungs is one way, though you’ll more likely scare people away with a yell. Knowing what to yell depending on the situation comes in handy. The most important one you might want to remember is, “
saram sallyeo!
” (
sa-ram
sal-lyuh!
).
saram
(
sa-ram
) means “person,” and
sallyeo
(
sal-lyuh
) means “to save,” or “rescue.” Put the words together and “
saram sallyeo!
” is literally translated, “save this person!” or “rescue this person!” If you’re stuck at a location and cannot move, you can say, “
yeogiyo!
” (
yuh-gee-yo!
), which means, “Over here!”

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jeo jom dowajuseyo
(
juh jom do-wa-joo-sae-yo
) is translated, “Please help me.”
jeo jom dowajusillaeyo?
(
juh-jom do-wa-joo-shil-lae-yo?
) is translated,

“Can you please help me?” When you request help from someone, you will most likely be asked, “
eotteoke dowadeurilkkayo?
(
uh-ttuh-kae do-wa-deurilkka-yo
)” which is translated, “How can I help you?” or, “How do you need help?” You can probably start with the sentence,
keunil nasseoyo
(
keu-neel
na-ssuh-yo
). This phrase means, “There is an emergency.” Literal translation is “a big thing happened.”

Calling the Police

What do you do if you realize only too late that you had encountered a
somaechigi
(
so-mae-chi-gee;
pickpocket)? What if you meet a
kkangpae
(
kkangpae;
thug) or
doduk
(
do-dook;
thief)? You’ll have to call the
pachulso
(
pa-chool-so;
police station) and talk to a
gyeongchalgwan
(
gyoung-chal-gwan;
police officer). You’ll have to fill out a
bogoseo
(
bo-go-suh;
report) as well.

You will notice the police in Korea to be very helpful. If you flag a police officer down on the street, the chances of him speaking at least a limited amount of English is pretty good. At the police station, you will find that there are police officers who speak English very well, and can be very accommodating.

gwangwang munhwa
(
gwangwang moon-hwa;
tourism) is a very big industry in Korea, so the law enforcement is very
chinjeul
(
chin-juhl;
kind) in helping wayward tourists. Don’t expect to retrieve the items you lose, though. Once something is stolen, it’s probably gone for good. Crime is generally low in Korea, but it does happen. The best way to avoid getting taken is to be aware of your surroundings. Mind your belongings and they will stay yours.

Reporting an accident to the police

If you’re involved in an
sago
(
sa-go;
accident), you’ll have to report it to the police. The emergency number in Korea is 119. Most of the time, the

gyohwansu
(
gyohwan-soo;
operator) handling the emergency situation will speak English. In case the operator doesn’t, you’ll have to be able to give the operator
banghyang
(
banghyang;
directions) to your
witch
(
wee-chee;
location) in Korean. You’ll also have to give some other details in Korean, such as, if anyone is injured, how many people or vehicles are involved, and possibly describe the accident in detail. The best
joeon
(
jo-uhn;
advice) I have for such difficult circumstance is to have
innaesim
(
in-nae-shim;
patience). The 22_037188-ch16.qxp 6/24/08 11:15 PM Page 265

language barrier is something that can easily be overcome in Korea. The thing to remember is not to get too excited and not get too frustrated. You will be able to fill out your report on the accident.

Talkin’ the Talk

James calls the emergency number to report an accident.

Operator:

irilgu imnida. eotteoke dowadeurilkkayo?

il-il-goo im-ni-da. uh-ttuh-kae do-wa-deu-ril-kka-yo?

This is 119. How may I help you?

James:

keunil naseoyo! cha sagoga naseoyo!

keu-neel na-ssuh-yo! cha sa-go-ga na-ssuh-yo!

There is an emergency! There has been a car

accident!

Operator:

jinjeong haseyo. jigeum wichiga eodiingayo?

jeen-jung ha-sae-yo. jee-geum wee-chee-ga uh-dee-

in-ga-yo?

Please remain clam. Where is your location?

James:

sicheong baro ape iseoyo. gugeupcha handae bonae

juseyo. dachin sarami inneungeot gateyo.

shi-chung ba-ro a-pae ee-ssuh-yo. goo-geup-cha han-

dae bo-nae joo-sae-yo. da-chin sa-ram-ee in-neun-guh

ga-tae-yo.

I’m right in front of the city hall. Please send an

ambulance. I think someone’s hurt.

Operator:

jamsiman gidariseyo. gugeupchawa gyeongchal-

gwani geumbang sicheong apeuro galgeosimnida.

jam-shi-man gee-da-ree-sae-yo. goo-geup-cha-wa

gyoung-chal-gwan-ee geumbang shi-chung a-peu-ro

gal-guh-shim-ni-da.

Please wait a moment. An ambulance and a police

officer will be arriving in front of the city hall

momentarily.

James:

ye. ssaireni deullineyo. gomawoyo.

ye. ssa-ee-rae-ni deul-lee-nae-yo. go-ma-wo-yo.

Yes. I can hear the siren now. Thank you very much.

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Words to Know

chasago

cha-sa-go

Car accident

eunggeupsanghwang

eunggeup-sang-

Emergency

hwang

geumbang

geumbang

Soon, right away

gugeupcha

goo-geup-cha

Ambulance

gyeongchalgwan

gyoung-chal-gwan

Police officer

jamsiman gidariseyo

jam-shi-man gee-da-

Please wait a

ree-sae-yo

moment.

jinjeonghaseyo

jeen-jung-ha-sae-yo

Please calm down.

sago

sa-go

Accident

sobangcha

so-bang-cha

Fire truck

sobanggwan

so-bang-gwan

Fire fighter

witch

wee-chee

Location

Finding the lost and found

There is a chance that you might have misplaced your
gabang
(
ga-bang;
bag).

It may not have been a thief after all. If you retrace your steps carefully, you may even think of where you might have left your bag. Many large
gonggong
jangso
(
gonggong jang-so;
public places), such as
yuwonji
(
yoo-won-jee;
amusement parks),
bakmulgwan
(
bak-mool-gwan;
museums), hotels, and
keun baekhwajeom
(
keun baekhwa-jum;
large shopping malls, department store) have a lost and found that you can check for your lost items. Simply flag down an attendant and ask, “
yeogi bunsilmul bogwansiri iseyo?
” (
yuh-gee boon-shil-mool bo-gwan-shil-ee ee-ssuh-yo?;
Is there a lost and found here?).

A lot of these major public locations will have a lost and found and the attendant will be more than happy to take you there, so don’t completely give up hope on that lost item.

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Getting Medical Help

Getting sick in a
oeguk
(
wae-gook;
foreign country) is never a good thing. In fact, an ill timed
gamgi
(
gam-gee;
cold) or
dokgam
(
dok-gam;
flu) can posi-tively ruin a
yeohaeng
(
yuh-haeng;
vacation) that you’ve saved and planned for months. One can never know when one’s going to come down with something, so it’s generally a good idea to travel prepared. If you have prescription medication you’re taking, bring it with you on the trip along with a copy of the
cheobangjeon
(
chuh-bang-juhn;
prescription). Also, keeping your
yang-mul
(
yang-mool;
medication) with your carry-on luggage is a good idea in case your checked luggage gets misplaced. If you do encounter a medical emergency, the best thing to do is to remain calm.
danghwangham
(
danghwangham;
panic) will not help the situation any. Most major hospitals will have English-speaking staff ready to help, and the following sections will help you navigate in finding your doctor and describing some of your symptoms.

Finding a doctor

If you’re lucky, you’ll never have to use any of the words or phrases I present to you here on this chapter. Most likely, your trip to Korea will be filled with life changing experiences and awe inspiring scenery. Should your luck run out, or encounter a string of bad ones, you’ll have to go to a
byeongwon
(
byoung-won;
hospital) and see the
uisa
(
eui-sa;
doctor).

Talkin’ the Talk

Jane has a stomach ache and Paul convinces her to go to the

hospital.

Paul:

janessi, gwenchanayo? pyojeongi anjoeungeo

gatayo.

jane-sshi, gwencha-na-yo? pyo-jung-ee an-jo-eun-

guh ga-ta-yo.

Jane, are you alright? You don’t look so well.

Jane:

yosae sogi anjoayo. myeochil dongan baega apaseo

gosaeng mani haeseoyo.

yo-sae so-gee an-jo-a-yo. myuh-chil dong-an bae-ga

a-pa-suh gosaeng ma-nee hae-ssuh-yo.