As the new semester arrives, Korean college students have set their sights on a good score on the TOEIC or TOEFL exams and plan on studying English. English is almost a mandatory subject in Korea. To prepare for university examinations, exchange student programs or employment, more than one English score is necessary. The Argus met with three non-Korean HUFSans to discuss the importance of English in other countries.

The Argus: Please briefly introduce yourself.
Irina: My name is Irina Tsoy. I am 21 years old and from Turkmenistan. I am majoring in International Studies and minoring in Business Administration. I have been in Korea for two years.
Kodai: I am Kodai from Japan. I am 22 years old and have lived in Korea for a year. I am an exchange student, and I study Education in my home university.
Riikka: My name is Riikka. I am from Finland and 26 years old. I have been in Korea for a little less than a year. My major is International Studies.

The Argus: What do you think about Korea’s excessive English education?
Irina: I partly understand English education in Korea because I also learned English, but they are forcing themselves too much. I think Koreans learn English because they want to be more competitive to get into a good university or to get a job.
Kodai: It is hard to understand why Koreans focus on learning English so heavily. Koreans are much more eager to study English than Japanese people. I was pretty surprised when I first found out that they do whatever they can to study English, such as spending a lot of money to study abroad or setting a rule to speak only in English at school or at home.
Riikka: It is great that Koreans study English a lot, but it should not be so intense. It is unfortunate that many students practice English only to get a good grade. The system by which Koreans learn English is not effective. It should be more focused on using the language practically rather than on grammar and scores.

The Argus: How important is English in your country?
Irina: English is not important at all in my country. Most people cannot speak English well. Not many people learn English unless they can afford it. English is not of significance when speaking to foreign people. We think communicating with people is possible with hand gestures and body language.
Kodai: English is not important in our social life. Japanese think English is unnecessary because there are not many opportunities to use it in real life. It is important only when seeking a job, but useless after that. We do not study English so competitively because getting a job is comparatively easier in Japan than it is in Korea.
Riikka: English is important in cities because of tourism. However, if you go out to the countryside, then you will not need English because there are no tourists. The level of English in Finland is good in general. People in Finland do not think speaking English is special because it is a basic skill.

The Argus: How do people in your country learn English?
Irina: We have a special language center that teaches English different from Korean hakwon. It is more official and gives students a certificate when they finish the course. We cannot learn English well because the quality is poor. We learn English from Turkman who learned English, not native speakers.
Kodai: Japanese people go study abroad to learn English.There are not many places to learn English in Japan even though people want to learn it. Private educational institutes for English tests like TOEFL exist, but they are not very professional.
Riikka: We have a lot of TV programs in English with subtitles in Finland. Usually it helps us to learn English. I think traveling might be one of the easiest ways to learn a language.

The Argus: Does your English skill level affect your social life in your country like it does in Korea?
Irina: It depends on what your goal is. If you want to work at an international company or embassy, you need to learn English. You can still get a good job without knowing it. English scores are unnecessary when applying for jobs.
Kodai: A strong ability to speak English can be seen as nice by many people, but it does not influence one’s social life. TOEFL or TOEIC scores are sometimes required by universities to graduate or get jobs, but the minimum score is very low. In Japan, independence, cooperation, and communication skills are more important for finding a job.
Riikka: Almost everyone in Finland can speak English, so it does not influence our social life in a sense when going to college or getting a job. English as a subject is just a part of normal classes, so it does not additionally help you to get a job. Working experiences such as internships and having an outstandingly good personality are considered important rather than  English in Finland.

The Argus: Does your country have a foreign language that is required to learn for social purposes?
Irina: People try to learn Russian more than English because many Russian people are living in our country. Also, various and exciting Russian television channels exist in Turkmenistan.
Kodai: We learn Chinese characters from elementary to middle school as a part of our mandatory education because it is related to Japanese characters. Other than that, there is no specific foreign language that is required.
Riikka: Finland uses Finnish and Swedish, but people usually speak English much better. Swedish education is mandatory for three years, but English is studied for eight years or more, depending on the level of education. English is a more important and more widely used language than Swedish.