This may not be the way to increase Korea’s chances of getting that Nobel Peace prize

This is a classic piece of jingoism – the reason Korea is not getting more Nobel prizes is that, ironically, its language is too good.

I far prefer Yun Cho’e’s approach of doing good work.

BTW – because this seemed so combustible, the translator had a quick go at the language .. which I have reproduced below the video.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdhF9sXh0ho]

Translator Says:

Each language differs in depicting sound, and Korean is the most developed language in depicting and expressing sound. Korean is very developed in “sound symbolism (onomatopoeia)”. We have “red”, “clear(?)”, “dark red”, “rust (and opaque) red”. There are more words, right? And a brook flows “jol jol jol”, “jul jul jul” “jil jil jil”, “tjol tjol tjol”, “zjual zjual zjual”, “qual qual qual” and we can feel by only listening the volume of water flowing. There is no other language but Korean that is developed in this fashion. I’m an English instructor, but I am also a Korean enthusiast. My principle is that one must speak Korean well to speak English well. (Personally,) I devote much effort to speak better Korean, as much as the effort I put into further studying English. And I love the Republic of Korea. Truly I do. You need to speak English well, and you need to speak Korean correctly. Korean language is extremely superior. (Because of that,) Translating Korean into English is too difficult. Hence, there has not been a Nobel Literature Award for Koreans. Did you know this? Why are you chuckling? You are chuckling because you feel dumbfounded, right? You are not laughing at yourself (for your own inability?), right? How many Nobel Literature Laureates are there in Japan? A factoid for you: 2 (Laureates). One time, late Midang, Seo Jung Ju, contended for the award, but the honor went to Japan. Then, why Japan has…. In fact do you know how substandard Japan had been? If we had not introduced our culture to them during the Baekje Dynasty in the 4th Century, they might still be living primitively even today. Then why is that we have not received the Nobel Literature Award with all this superior culture and heritage, while Japan won it 2 times? Why? It’s the translating Korean (literature) is difficult. In case of Japanese, the language is shabby and that’s why it is very easy to translate it into English. However, Korean is too superior to a point where no other language on earth can compare. Hence translation is (nearly) impossible. It’s not my own claim. It’s the truth. Do you know the poem Seungmu (Buddhist Dance), by Cho Ji Hun?

This thread fair-white peaked hat
Is finely folded (into) a fluttering butterfly