<People>
If I’m the First to Try, I Can Create My Own Path
- Jang Seok-gyun, Studying Russian at CNU-
By Hyeon Ji-yeong, Tribune Reporter
As multi-lingual proficiency is a powerful weapon in the globalized world, some job applicants have paid special attention to acquiring a second foreign language for improving their global competitiveness. To survive intense global competition, just knowing languages can give a person a big advantage in achieving their goals. Most Korean people tend to be interested in Japanese and Chinese, which is not be unique anymore. Chonnam Tribune met one special student who is majoring in industrial engineering and studying for the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFLE) as he works towards his dream, not just following what everybody else does.
▲ Jang Seok-gyun (Junior, Dept. of Industrial Engineering)
Jang Seok-gyun (Junior, Dept. of Industrial Engineering) became interested in Russia after being selected as a scholarship student sponsored by the Vodamirtec Company which is an eco-friendly boilermaker that uses Russian technology. Through this opportunity, he could live in Moscow for six months and then subsequently he decided to study Russian. He has fun studying Russian. He said, “At first, I was afraid of learning Russian. But it was interesting once I actually tried to do it myself. Even though I found insignificant Russian expressions, I studying was a pleasant experience. As I encountered new things, I became more and more interested in it.”
When he first started learning Russian, there were only two private educational institutes in Korea and they were both in Seoul. So he took off school to study Russian and learned Russian in Seoul for over a year. He said, “When I attended a Russian institute, I studied grammar and discussed ideas with friends after we watched Russian cartoons. Recently, I talk with Russian friends using Twitter and take lectures on the internet. I also always listen to Russian radio broadcasts on my iPhone.” However, studying Russian is not without its difficulties. Since the language is not popular in Korea he says, there is a lack of material at the higher levels, and a lack of Russian dictionaries in Korea, so it’s difficult to search for Russian vocabulary.” Because of that he did not expect to learn Russian in Gwangju, but he discovered he could learn Russian at Chonnam National University as part of a curricular course of cultural studies. At that time, he was very happy. Now, he is preparing for the TORFLE exam in December and next January.
He has a dream. He aims to get a job in the field of his major by being a sojourning employee at the Russia office which has been advanced by Korean enterprises. He thinks that studying Russian is ‘Blue Ocean’. It is difficult for most of us to focus on one thing steadily like him. It seems that his path is not easy to follow but I was impressed by the strength of his conviction in his success. We know it is hard to have confidence about what we want. But he believes sincerely in the fruit of his efforts. Lastly, he told me that “If I’m the first to try I can create my own path”. I want to cheer his courageous challenge. I hope that he has brilliant success.
현지영 기자
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