Teaching English in Korea
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Culture Test
One of the easiest ways to grasp strange concepts of a foreign culture is to compare it with your own. Take the following test and compare it to the answers I've provided below.
N = Normal
P = Polite
I = Impolite
R = Rude
S = Strange
In My culture it's normal...
1.To shake hands when we meet someone for the first time.
2.To kiss on both cheeks when we greet or say goodbye to a friend.
3.To take someone out to dinner (and pay) for a celebration.
4.To be a little late to meet friends.
5.To be slightly late for business or work meetings.
6.To spit in public.
7.To ask people their ethnicity or nationality when you meet them for the first time.
8.For woman in the family to make important decisions about children, money etc.
9.For men to cook, clean or do other household work.
10.To interrupt people when talking.
11.To give gifts to teachers, doctors, or employers.
12.To invite people to your home.
13.To ask guests to leave when it gets late or if you are busy.
14.To publicly disagree with people older than yourself.
15.To give up your seat for older people or women.
Finished? Now let's look at it from a Korean cultural experience, compare your answers.
In Korea it's normal...
1.To shake hands when we meet someone for the first time.
Normal, but not necessary. Bowing is more appropriate, especially when greeting employers or older people. Koreans will often bow and perform a handshake when greeting a foreigner to display cultural sensitivity.
2.To kiss on both cheeks when we greet or say goodbye to a friend.
Strange and impolite. Koreans are not big kissers, especially in public. So this would not be a normal way to greet. Bowing and sometimes hand shaking (with men) is more appropriate.
3.To take someone out to dinner (and pay) for a celebration.
Normal and expected. Koreans love to socialize and celebrate around food and taking someone out for dinner will definitely score you brownie points. Often times, the oldest person at the table will pay or insist on paying so be sensitive to that.
4.To be a little late to meet friends.
Rude. Punctuality is important in Korea, don't neglect it.
5.To be slightly late for business or work meetings.
Rude and impolite. Definitely a big no-no. Being late in a professional capacity shows disrespect towards Korean hierarchical structure (i.e. your boss!). Foreigners often make the mistake of adopting the same laid back attitude to punctuality that some Western countries have, but be careful with this. Being on time is prized in Korea.
6.To spit in public.
Normal. Definitely takes getting used to if you??re from the West.
7.To ask people their ethnicity or nationality when you meet them for the first time.
Normal. This is not necessarily normal in multicultural Western countries (though Asian Americans still often get the "Where are you ORIGINALLY from?" questions). But Korea society is very homogenous and outsiders are seen infrequently so be prepared for this question when you live and work in Korea.
8.For woman in the family to make important decisions about children, money etc.
Strange. In line with traditional family roles, husbands and men maintain a leadership role and are in charge of family wealth. Important decisions are also left to them.
9.For men to cook, clean or do other household work.
Strange. Koreans maintain traditional household roles where men work outside the house and woman inside. This is largely set in stone, but changing with younger couples and a new generation of Koreans influenced with Western thinking.
10.To interrupt people when talking.
Impolite. At least from a foreigners perspective. Koreans will often interrupt each other, but as a foreigner you shouldn't interrupt, especially older people.
11.To give gifts to teachers, doctors, or employers.
Normal and expected. Teachers day (in early May every year) is also known as 'bribing day' among many tongue-in-cheek foreigners.
12.To invite people to your home.
Normal and expected. Bring a gift if you visit for the first time. People with small homes will usually prefer to meet at restaurants.
13.To ask guests to leave when it gets late or if you are busy.
Impolite and rude as it probably is where you live.
14.To publicly disagree with people older than yourself.
Rude and impolite. Doesn't matter if you know better, or think you do. Hierarchy and age is more important than knowledge over here, so be sensitive to public disagreement.
15.To give up your seat for older people or women.
Normal and expected. As always, age takes preference so give up your seat for the tires old ajummaj next to you on the bus.
For a more comprehensive look at Korean and Western culutral differences, see this article.
For some information on Culture shock, go here.
N = Normal
P = Polite
I = Impolite
R = Rude
S = Strange
In My culture it's normal...
1.To shake hands when we meet someone for the first time.
2.To kiss on both cheeks when we greet or say goodbye to a friend.
3.To take someone out to dinner (and pay) for a celebration.
4.To be a little late to meet friends.
5.To be slightly late for business or work meetings.
6.To spit in public.
7.To ask people their ethnicity or nationality when you meet them for the first time.
8.For woman in the family to make important decisions about children, money etc.
9.For men to cook, clean or do other household work.
10.To interrupt people when talking.
11.To give gifts to teachers, doctors, or employers.
12.To invite people to your home.
13.To ask guests to leave when it gets late or if you are busy.
14.To publicly disagree with people older than yourself.
15.To give up your seat for older people or women.
Finished? Now let's look at it from a Korean cultural experience, compare your answers.
In Korea it's normal...
1.To shake hands when we meet someone for the first time.
Normal, but not necessary. Bowing is more appropriate, especially when greeting employers or older people. Koreans will often bow and perform a handshake when greeting a foreigner to display cultural sensitivity.
2.To kiss on both cheeks when we greet or say goodbye to a friend.
Strange and impolite. Koreans are not big kissers, especially in public. So this would not be a normal way to greet. Bowing and sometimes hand shaking (with men) is more appropriate.
3.To take someone out to dinner (and pay) for a celebration.
Normal and expected. Koreans love to socialize and celebrate around food and taking someone out for dinner will definitely score you brownie points. Often times, the oldest person at the table will pay or insist on paying so be sensitive to that.
4.To be a little late to meet friends.
Rude. Punctuality is important in Korea, don't neglect it.
5.To be slightly late for business or work meetings.
Rude and impolite. Definitely a big no-no. Being late in a professional capacity shows disrespect towards Korean hierarchical structure (i.e. your boss!). Foreigners often make the mistake of adopting the same laid back attitude to punctuality that some Western countries have, but be careful with this. Being on time is prized in Korea.
6.To spit in public.
Normal. Definitely takes getting used to if you??re from the West.
7.To ask people their ethnicity or nationality when you meet them for the first time.
Normal. This is not necessarily normal in multicultural Western countries (though Asian Americans still often get the "Where are you ORIGINALLY from?" questions). But Korea society is very homogenous and outsiders are seen infrequently so be prepared for this question when you live and work in Korea.
8.For woman in the family to make important decisions about children, money etc.
Strange. In line with traditional family roles, husbands and men maintain a leadership role and are in charge of family wealth. Important decisions are also left to them.
9.For men to cook, clean or do other household work.
Strange. Koreans maintain traditional household roles where men work outside the house and woman inside. This is largely set in stone, but changing with younger couples and a new generation of Koreans influenced with Western thinking.
10.To interrupt people when talking.
Impolite. At least from a foreigners perspective. Koreans will often interrupt each other, but as a foreigner you shouldn't interrupt, especially older people.
11.To give gifts to teachers, doctors, or employers.
Normal and expected. Teachers day (in early May every year) is also known as 'bribing day' among many tongue-in-cheek foreigners.
12.To invite people to your home.
Normal and expected. Bring a gift if you visit for the first time. People with small homes will usually prefer to meet at restaurants.
13.To ask guests to leave when it gets late or if you are busy.
Impolite and rude as it probably is where you live.
14.To publicly disagree with people older than yourself.
Rude and impolite. Doesn't matter if you know better, or think you do. Hierarchy and age is more important than knowledge over here, so be sensitive to public disagreement.
15.To give up your seat for older people or women.
Normal and expected. As always, age takes preference so give up your seat for the tires old ajummaj next to you on the bus.
For a more comprehensive look at Korean and Western culutral differences, see this article.
For some information on Culture shock, go here.
In what ways are Korean cultural customs distincly different from its Western counterpart? Take the following test to find out.
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