We are organizing another Spanish conversation class at Club That on Sunday, Sept. 7 from 1-3pm. Last one had 14 Spanish enthusiasts show up and this one is expected to be at least that many. Lots of people with varying levels, so don’t be shy if you don’t know anything or if you know a lot. Please RSVP on Facebook, if interested.

Eunice: Mom, why are you gett­ing on my case about meeting my friends?
유니스: 엄마, 내 친구들 만나는데 왜 이렇게 간섭하세요?

Mom: I am not getting on your case. I just want to know who you are hanging around.
엄마: 엄마는 간섭하는 게 아니야. 네가 어떤 아이들과 어울리는지 알고 싶을 뿐이야.

Eunice: But mom, you are not asking about my friends.You are actually asking about their family.
유니스: 그렇지만 엄마, 내 친구에 관해 묻는 게 아니잖아요. 엄마는 사실상 그들의 가족에 관해 묻고 있잖아요.

Mom: Well, same thing.
엄마: 글쎄…. 마찬가지 아니겠니?

Eunice: Mom! Please!
유니스: 엄마, 제발요…!

홍영화(중앙일보 에듀라인)

Source: Joongang Ilbo

The South Korean government announced its plans to build five industrial complexes starting from 2010, the Korea Herald reported Wednesday.

The chosen sites are in Daegu, Pohang, Seocheon, Gumi and South Jeolla Province, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said.

In Daegu, the government will invest 1.7 trillion won (1.6 billion U.S. dollars) to construct a combined land space of a 9.98- square-kilometer industrial zone in Dalsung County, southeast of the city. The site will be supplied to the high-tech companies.

The industrial complex which is planned to be completed in 2017, could generate 51.1 trillion won (47.3 billion U.S. dollars) in production and create 230,000 jobs.

The industrial complex to be built in Donghae and Jangki towns near Pohang will accommodate mostly manufacturing companies producing automobile and shipbuilding parts and steel.

In Gumi, a 9.92-square-kilometer complex will be build in Haepyong town, where companies manufacturing electric parts and developing sound and visual technology will move in.

The ministry said it has not yet chosen a place in South Jeolla Province to build the fifth complex but the decision will be made in early September.

Source:InsuranceNews

From The Golf Blog:

Golfweek reports that the LPGA has just passed a new rule to require all players to speak English. Hilary Lunke, president of the Player Executive Committee, explained the rule as a way to ensure the pro-am events at each tournament continue to draw interest from the public.

So is this rule discriminatory against the Asian players? Hmm…let’s see. Out of the 24 LPGA tournaments this year, 7 were won by Asian players mostly, if not entirely, from Korea.

Unlike the rest of the countries of the world that may cry fowl, one may only count the minutes before the editorials of Korean media switch from ‘hey, no fair!’ to ‘another reason why we should all get on the English bandwagon’.

Translated by Nathan at Korea Beat:

Unintended effects from the Special Law on Prostitution continue to multiply. One Weekly Chosun writer decided to check out a new one for himself.

It is August 19th at 8 pm in officetel A near Seollung Station, on line 2 of the Seoul Subway. It is a mixed-use officetel just over 70 meters from Teheran Street. I’ve come here after calling a broker for “officetel prostitution” whose contact information I found on an adult website.

I arrived at the officetel and called the broker again. The broker said, “right now I only have two girls. One is 168 centimeters tall and size 55, the other is 160 centimeters and size 44, so choose one of them.”

After negotiations the broker said, “take the elevator to the 11th floor.” I arrived at the 11th floor and after giving my money to a woman who looked to be in about her mid-thirties she said, “go to room ○○”. All of the regular rooms on the 11th floor are residences. The room the broker sent me to was 59.5m² (18 pyeong), just a totally normal one-room apartment. There was a bed for two, desk, sofa, TV, refrigerator, and washing machine — and waiting for me, a woman in her twenties.

A new species of prostitution, “officetel prostitution”, is rapidly increasing at officetels in the downtown shopping and business districts of Seoul. Prostitution deals are flourishing in the offices and apartments of officetels near Gangnam Station and the Yeoksam, Seollung, Apgujeong, and Nonhyeon-dong neighborhoods north of the Han River. Johns learn about it through adult websites on the internet or through printed flyers. After the passage of the “Special Law on Prostitution” in 2004 the number of brothels in red-light districts declined, but prostitution has changed into more sophisticated, hidden forms.

Ms. Kang, the 25-year old I met at officetel A, said, “this room was rented by the ‘section chief’ [meaning the broker]. since I communicate with the section chief directly, I don’t know how many other girls there are.”

According to the police and prostitution workers, brokers specializing in officetel prostitution often have 40 to 50 girls working for them. But they always communicate “one on one”, so it is difficult to know for certain.

Officetel prostution is flourishing because customers can come and go as naturally as if it were their own apartment or office. Ms. Kang, the prostitute, said, “since they aren’t seen by strangers a lot of people come even during the day.”

In fact officetel prostition appears to be in boom times. At one famous adult internet site there are tens of ads from brokers for officetel prostitution. In one forum on the site, members can even make a reservation for the next day after looking at the women’s profiles.

On the 19th I called 12 brokers whose information I got from the site and all but one said, “please wait a moment while I check if there are reservations tomorrow night.” Then they would say, “call tomorrow” and hang up.

Police appear helpless to stop this form of prostitution. An investigator with the Gangnam Police Department said, “the brokers and the prostitutes have things arranged in a way that makes it difficult to uncover them. Officetels are set up with individual apartments and offices so we are not allowed to just to go opening doors even if it’s to investigate.”

This appears to be the physical result of the 2004 “Special Law on Prostitution”. At the time there were an estimated 1,696 red-light districts nationwide employing 5,717 women as prostitutes. After the passage of the Law, police cracked down so that in September of 2007 there were 995 red-light districts employing 2,508 prostitutes. So compared to before the Law was passed, there are 700 fewer red-light districts and half as many women working in them. The famous red-light districts Seoul 588, Busan Wanweol-dong, and Daegu Jagalmadang have nearly vanished.

But the number of people arrested for prostition continues to increase, from 12,737 in 2003 to 29,236 in 2007. Because of the Special Law and police crackdowns the number of red-light districts has decreased but hidden, unorthodox forms of prostitution are going on as before. This is the “balloon effect” of crackdowns on prostitution — push it here, it moves over there, and nothing really changes.

The citizens’ organization Support Center for Victims of Sex Trafficking (다시함께센터), which helps victims of prostition to support themselves, said, “with the Special Law and strengthened enforcement by police, prostitution has changed from being located in buildings, as if it were a business, to moving around and relying on the internet. To deal with this new species of prostitution the communications law should be updated and increased investigations carried out on the internet.”

I’ve got 7 of the next 10 days off, so looks like I can be able to put more thought into blog posts and organizing the translating/proofreadings, which have fallen into neglect, mostly due to me getting busy with work, wedding planning, and prepping for the move back to Korea. Also working on the street maps of downtown Daegu, which we’re hoping to get all done by the end of Sept. Those will be online and interactive, as well as in printable format for those wanting maps to stick in your back pocket. Will also be doing maps of Siji, Jisan, Seongseo and Kyungdae nightlife, Palgongsan tourist sites, surrounding area of all Daegu subway stations, followed by Itaewon, Hongdae, and Sinchon. Looking forward to the new year, as we make a big strategy shift into mapping which will tie into the existing content of the wiki.

▲ 이런 표현을 영어로는?

1. 그 사람들이 나중에 우리한테 무슨 의미가 있겠어?

2. 그럼 좋겠지만 항상 원하는 대로 되진 않아

3. 난 비행기를 타게 될 줄 알았지.

Miranda: I think I’m gonna go upstairs. [난 이제 방에 돌아갈래.]

Carrie: They’re just idiots. Don’t go. [저런 바보들 때문에 가면 안 돼.]

Miranda: I’m tired. I’m sorry, Charlotte. Happy birthday. [지쳐서 그래. 미안해, 샬롯, 생일 축하해.]

Carrie: Stay. You can have my chip. [가지 마, 내 칩을 줄게

Samantha:　She'll be all right. [곧 괜찮아질 거야.]

한편 샬롯과 캐리는 바에 가서 칵테일을 한잔하며 생일을 축하하려고 할 때 낯선 사람들이 그들의 대화에 합류하고자 하는것을 캐리가 따돌리자 샬롯은 캐리의 태도를 못마땅하게 생각합니다. 둘은 밖에 나와 트램카를 타고 해변가를 돌고 있습니다.

Carrie: Isn’t this amazing? It’s like a postcard from the ’20s. [정말 근사하지? 20년대 엽서의 한 장면 같아.]

Charlotte: What’s the harm in one drink? [한 잔 같이 한다고 큰일 나니?]

Carrie: I can’t believe you’re still upset. [네가 아직도 화가 나 있다는 게 믿을 수 없어.] What role did you think they were going to play in our lives? [그 사람들이 나중에 우리한테 무슨 의미가 있다고?]

Charlotte: We might have hit it off. [인연이었을지도 모르잖아.]

Carrie: Come on. [꿈 깨.] Look at the odds. How many guys do we ever hit it off with? [아닐 가능성이 더 커. 그런 경우가 얼마나 있었니?] Very few, and even if we do, those relationships don’t last. [거의 없었지, 게다가 그런 경우 오래가지도 않았었지.] I say we skip all the drama and enjoy each other’s company…now. [드라마틱하게 살기보다 지금처럼 친구와 재미있게 사는 게 좋아.]

Charlotte: But I don’t want to skip all the drama. That’s life. [난 드라마틱한 삶을 포기 안 할래. 그게 사는 거야.] That’s everything. That’s relationships and anniversaries and kids. [남편과 알콩달콩 살면서 애들을 키우는 거 말이야.] I want all that, in addition to my friends. [우정도 중요하지만 난 그렇게 살고 싶어.]

Carrie: That sounds wonderful, but don’t bank on it happening. [그럼 좋겠지만 항상 원하는 대로 되진 않아.] You must be getting cold. I’ll meet you back at the hotel. [너 추워 보인다. 나중에 호텔에서 보자.] I’m going to get some saltwater taffy. [난 해수로 만든 태피나 사 먹을래.]

캐리는 혼자만의 시간이 필요했는지 아니면 샬롯이 혼자 생각할 시간을 주고 싶었는지 트램카를 함께 타고 가다가 먼저 내립니다.

* Taffy 태피 (영국 toffee, toffy)(땅콩 넣은 버터볼);

Charlotte: Are you sure? [정말이야?]

Carrie: I’m dying for it. [응, 너무 먹고 싶어.]

Carrie’s Narration

By my fifth piece of peppermint taffy, I realized…maybe I wasn’t banking on my friends. I was hiding in them. 박하 맛 태피를 5개 먹고 난 친구들에게 의지하려 한 게 아니라 그들 뒤로 숨으려 한 걸 깨달았다. Then again, maybe there are some things worth gambling on. 어쩌면 도박을 할 가치가 있는 것도 있을지 모른다. Back inside, I had a thought. To hit the jackpot in the future, you might have to bet on where you are in the present. 카지노에 돌아가서 미래의 대박을 위해서는 현재의 삶을 걸고 도박할 줄도 알아야 한단 생각이 들었다.

A dealer: Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets. [신사숙녀 여러분 판돈을 거세요.]

Carrie: What happens after 36? [36 이상이 나오면 어떻게 되죠?]

A dealer: I don’t know. I guess you fall off the table. [글쎄요. 아마 그 자리에서 기절을 하겠죠.] All right, no more bets. Here we go. [베팅은 여기까지입니다. 시작하죠.] The winner is…number 29. [번호는… 29번입니다.]

Carrie: Well… 이런…

천 달러를 손에 넣었지만 결국 다 잃고 만 캐리, 그리고 올 때 만해도 개인전용기로 왔지만 결국 리차드와 헤어진 사만다. 그들은 불과 며칠 만에 많은 사연들을 안고 싸구려 버스에 올라 뉴욕으로 돌아가고 있는 네 사람. 손에 넣은 듯 그러나 잡히지 않는 인생에서의 행운. 다소 어두운 분위기가 흐르자 미란다가 입을 엽니다.

Miranda: I can’t believe you gambled all that money. We could be in a limo. [어떻게 그 돈을 다 걸 수 있니? 리무진을 탈 수도 있었는데.]

Carrie: I thought we were taking the jet. [비행기를 타게 될 줄 알았지.]

샬롯은 리차드와 성급히 헤어진 사만다에게 불평합니다.

Charlotte: You couldn’t have broken up tomorrow? [내일 헤어지면 안 됐니?]

Samantha: And lose my dignity? [내 체면은 어쩌고?]

* dignity 존엄, 위엄; 존엄성; 품위, 기품; 체면, 긍지.

the dignity of labor [the Bench] 노동[법관]의 존엄성[위엄].

a man of dignity 관록[위엄] 있는 사람.

Miranda: Don’t let me have any more of these. [이것 좀 그만 먹게 말려줘.]

Charlotte: Anyone up for playing Old Maid? [노처녀 게임 안 할래?]

Samantha: Aren’t we? [지금 하고 있지 않니?]

Carrie: Excuse me. Would you mind taking our picture? [실례합니다. 사진 좀 찍어주시겠어요?] This is the moment we’ll want to remember. [훗날 기억하고 싶은 순간이 될 거예요.]

Carrie’s Narration

Turns out, it was. 그리고 실제로 그렇게 됐다

* mind

mind 사물을 생각하는 주체로서의 마음. body의 반의어로서 정신, 주의력; heart의 반의어로서 지성: speak one’s mind 자기의 생각을 말하다.

heart mind의 반의어로서 심정, 감정, 정애: My heart is full. 가슴이 벅차다, 감개무량하다.

soul 혼, 영혼. 인간과 동물을 구별하는 것으로서 종교적으로는 불멸[불사]한다고 생각함. 윤리감, 숭고한 것에 대한 정열, 인간적 감정을 좌우 또는 장악하는 마음: put one’s whole Mind your language. 말조심해라.

Never mind him. 그 사람 말 따위에 신경 쓸 것 없다.

If you don’t mind, ~괜찮으시다면

never mind 상관없다, 걱정 말아라, 아무 것도 아니다. ⑵ ~은 물론(이지만), ┅은 아무래도 좋다[좋지만].

Would you mind doing? ~해 주겠니?

▲ Answers

1. What role did you think they were going to play in our lives?

2. That sounds wonderful, but don’t bank on it happening.

3. I thought we were taking the jet.

송고은 중앙대학교 교수/실용영어담당
Source:Hankooki

In the official entry of the victorious 24-man South Korean Olympic baseball team, the name of the ace player who hit two-run homers in both the semifinal and the final is listed as Lee Seung-yuop. If his Korean fans are asked to write his name in Roman letters, there may be at least five different versions. His family name Lee is rather common, but his given name could be variously spelled as Sung-yup, Seung-yob, Sung-yeop or Seung-yop.

As far as their Romanized names are concerned, South Koreans are undoubtedly the top believers in laissez-fair in the world. Eight years have passed since the government promulgated the official Romanization system for Hangeul, but few are keen about using it for their own names. After President Roh Moo-hyun, we have President Lee Myung-bak, whose names should be Romanized as No Mu-hyeon and Yi Myeong-bak, respectively, if they follow the official system.

One major reason for the government to adopt the new transliteration system, rejecting both the long-practiced McCune-Reischauer System and the old Ministry of Education System was to be better prepared for the “age of information.” In other words, it was to prevent confusion in international communication, particularly in the use of the internet. The basic idea was to make automatic reversal possible between the original Korean names and their Romanized versions; to have 이승엽 uniformly transliterated into Yi Seung-yeop and vice versa.

At huge costs, road signs have been replaced or repainted over the years, although the work is far from complete yet. In academic circles, historical names are gradually being changed to meet the new formula, such as Chosun or Choson Kingdom to Joseon, and Koguryo to Goguryeo. In the wake of the recent flare-up with Japan over 독도, the Foreign Ministry is urging all concerned individuals and organizations to stick to the official spelling of “Dokdo.”

Making people follow the new rule in Romanizing their names has proved most difficult, as everyone wants to show their individual tastes. One plausible proposal is to give officially Romanized names when issuing resident cards or passports. Even earlier, all students at elementary schools could make up their Romanized names according to the new system with the help of teachers. These methods, which are in practice in some Asian countries, may sound a little too radical, but government authorities are urged to consider these or other effective ways if they agree that the present liberal system needs improvement.

Source: Korea Herald

Siji Taco is the new Mexican eatery in Siji. The restaurant has a small selection including chicken or beef tacos/ or burritos as well as nachos. I ordered a chicken taco (4,000 won) and a beef burrito (6,000). The chicken taco was stuffed with salsa, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce and tomato. It was satisfactory, but the chicken was a little dry. The beef burrito was made from refried beans, rice, cilantro, salsa, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ground beef. It was quite delicious and filling. I would have it again. My companion ordered the Nacho Supreme. It was extremely disappointing with imitation cheese and little accompaniments. Also, disappointing was the lack of any side dishes to go with the meals. I found the prices a bit steep for what I received. Also, I suggest taking earplugs because they play a terrible mix of music from the 1980′s (I mean songs you’ve never heard of). However, if you are just dying to get some Mexican, then Siji Taco might be your answer!

Written by Michelle Van Balkom-Nicholson

if you see me walking down the street
staring at the sky and dragging my two feet
-당신이 내가 하늘을 바라보며 천천히 걸어가는 모습을 본다면

you just pass me by it still makes me cry
-그저 지나쳐주세요 비록 그게 날 울게 만들지만요

but you can make me whole again
-당신만이 나를 완전하게 할 수 있죠

and if you see me with another man
laughing at him joking doing what I can
-그리고 당신이 내가 다른 사람과 있으며 웃거나 농담하고 내가 할 수 있는 모든 것을 하는 것을 본다면

I won’t put you down
-난 당신에게 아무말도 할수 없네요

cause I want you around
-계속해서 당신을 원하고 있으니까요

cuz you can make me whole again
-당신만이 나를 완전하게 할 수 있으니까요

# looking back on when we first met
-우리가 처음만났을때를 생각합니다

I cannot escape and I cannot forget
-난 피할수도 잊을수도 없어요

baby you’re the one
-baby 하나뿐인 당신

you still turn me on
-아직도 당신을 생각하고 있습니다

you can make me whole again
-당신만이 나를 완전하게 할 수 있죠

time is laying heavy on my heart
-시간이 마음에 무겁게 자리잡고

seems I’ve got too much of it
since we’ve been apart
-우리가 헤어진 이후로 점점 더 커져만 가네요

my friends make me smile
-나의 친구들은 날 웃게해요

if I only for a while
-비록 잠시동안이지만요

you can make me whole again
-당신만이 날 완전하게 할 수 있죠

# 반복

for now I’ll have to wait
-지금부터, 난 기다려야만 할거에요

but baby if you change your mind
-하지만 baby 당신의 마음이 변했다면

don’t be too late
-너무 늦지는 말아줘요

cause I just can’t go on
-기다릴수가 없거든요

it’s already been too long
-벌써 너무나 오랜 시간이 지났지만

but you could make me whole again
-오직 당신만이 날 완전하게 할수 있습니다.

# 2번 반복

baby you’re the one
-baby 하나뿐인 당신

you still turn me on
-아직도 당신을 생각합니다

you can make me whole again
-당신만이 나를 완전하게 할 수 있죠