ID :
33569
Tue, 12/02/2008 - 17:25
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/33569
The shortlink copeid
(Yonhap Interview) S. Korea should develop own expertise on Islamic World: scholar
By Kim Young-gyo
SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea should develop its own expertise on the Islamic world rather than rely on Western accounts, a pioneering South Korean scholar on the Arabic language said on Tuesday.
"South Korea needs to have a consistent policy in order to nurture experts in the
Arabic language," said Song Kyung-sook, an Arabic language professor at Seoul's
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS).
"There is not much 'raw' information on Islamic culture in South Korea. Much of
the information has been filtered by Western media," she said in an interview
with Yonhap News Agency. "South Korea needs to be in contact with the Islamic
world face-to-face."
Song was among the first six graduates who majored in Arabic at HUFS, which set
up Arabic courses for the first time in South Korea in 1965.
"The importance of Arabic language first came to the fore in South Korea only
after the oil crises of the 1970s," she said. "We tend to focus too much on the
economic benefits of the relationship with Islamic countries, rather than on
their cultural richness."
"The Arabic language is especially crucial in understanding the culture, as the
Koran, the religious text of Islam, is written in Arabic," Song explained.
"Muslims believe the original Arabic text to be the final revelation of God and
that it cannot be fully translated into any other language."
"When you are trying to learn about a person, you will not be able to get to the
bottom of their soul unless you speak his or her language. That's what I am
telling my students when I explain to them why we need to learn Arabic," she
said. "One Arabic word is better than hundreds of English words if trying to
converse with an Arabic-speaker."
Song shared her experience of trying to learn Arabic without the guidance of a
South Korean with proper command of the language. Her university had put out an
announcement that it was looking for someone in the country who could speak any
Arabic. Those who came to the school to teach were mostly foreign nationals,
including one person who claimed to have served in the Middle East as a
missionary.
"Until the third year in school, none of us knew that we had been learning
dialects. We were learning different dialects every time a different teacher came
along," she recalled.
"How did we find out we were learning dialects? A wife of a foreign diplomat to
Seoul, who was educated in an Arab country, was surprised to hear what we were
speaking and told us," Song said.
She estimated that the number of Arabic majors to have graduated from HUFS, along
with three other universities in the country offering Arabic programs, is about
5,000 by now. But she doubts their skills are being employed in useful areas.
"I do not think South Korea is making good use of this pool of human resources,"
she said, arguing that a lack of understanding of Islamic culture is ultimately
to blame for the rift between the Islamic world and everywhere else.
"What is being described as a clash of civilizations between Islam and
Christianity is not about religion. The religious unity of Muslims is being
abused on the international political stage," she said, referring to the recent
terrorist attacks in Mumbai, allegedly waged by a radical Islamic group.
Concentrating her study on Palestinian literature, often characterized by its
overtone of loss and longing after the 1948 Palestinian exodus, Song says the
back-and-forth between Palestine and Israel has become a game for the major
powers of the world.
"The Arab world is often referred to as an 'Explosive Region,' mostly due to the
Palestine conflict," said Song. "That is an issue all the Arab countries unite
their voice on."
For Palestinians, Song said, it is like "you have a family, but you don't have a
home to go back to."
Song recently co-hosted with the government-funded Korea-Arab Society the first
annual Korean-Arab Literary Forum to explore new avenues for enhancing bilateral
cultural dialogue.
She is also compiling an Arabic-Korean dictionary together with her former
students.
"There is demand for a good Arabic-Korean dictionary, not only within South Korea
but also in Egypt as well as Jordan and Morocco. The department of Korean
language was established in Egypt's Ain Shams University and it has been
attracting many top students," she said.
"The demand will increase along with South Korea's development of national
strength," Song said.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea should develop its own expertise on the Islamic world rather than rely on Western accounts, a pioneering South Korean scholar on the Arabic language said on Tuesday.
"South Korea needs to have a consistent policy in order to nurture experts in the
Arabic language," said Song Kyung-sook, an Arabic language professor at Seoul's
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS).
"There is not much 'raw' information on Islamic culture in South Korea. Much of
the information has been filtered by Western media," she said in an interview
with Yonhap News Agency. "South Korea needs to be in contact with the Islamic
world face-to-face."
Song was among the first six graduates who majored in Arabic at HUFS, which set
up Arabic courses for the first time in South Korea in 1965.
"The importance of Arabic language first came to the fore in South Korea only
after the oil crises of the 1970s," she said. "We tend to focus too much on the
economic benefits of the relationship with Islamic countries, rather than on
their cultural richness."
"The Arabic language is especially crucial in understanding the culture, as the
Koran, the religious text of Islam, is written in Arabic," Song explained.
"Muslims believe the original Arabic text to be the final revelation of God and
that it cannot be fully translated into any other language."
"When you are trying to learn about a person, you will not be able to get to the
bottom of their soul unless you speak his or her language. That's what I am
telling my students when I explain to them why we need to learn Arabic," she
said. "One Arabic word is better than hundreds of English words if trying to
converse with an Arabic-speaker."
Song shared her experience of trying to learn Arabic without the guidance of a
South Korean with proper command of the language. Her university had put out an
announcement that it was looking for someone in the country who could speak any
Arabic. Those who came to the school to teach were mostly foreign nationals,
including one person who claimed to have served in the Middle East as a
missionary.
"Until the third year in school, none of us knew that we had been learning
dialects. We were learning different dialects every time a different teacher came
along," she recalled.
"How did we find out we were learning dialects? A wife of a foreign diplomat to
Seoul, who was educated in an Arab country, was surprised to hear what we were
speaking and told us," Song said.
She estimated that the number of Arabic majors to have graduated from HUFS, along
with three other universities in the country offering Arabic programs, is about
5,000 by now. But she doubts their skills are being employed in useful areas.
"I do not think South Korea is making good use of this pool of human resources,"
she said, arguing that a lack of understanding of Islamic culture is ultimately
to blame for the rift between the Islamic world and everywhere else.
"What is being described as a clash of civilizations between Islam and
Christianity is not about religion. The religious unity of Muslims is being
abused on the international political stage," she said, referring to the recent
terrorist attacks in Mumbai, allegedly waged by a radical Islamic group.
Concentrating her study on Palestinian literature, often characterized by its
overtone of loss and longing after the 1948 Palestinian exodus, Song says the
back-and-forth between Palestine and Israel has become a game for the major
powers of the world.
"The Arab world is often referred to as an 'Explosive Region,' mostly due to the
Palestine conflict," said Song. "That is an issue all the Arab countries unite
their voice on."
For Palestinians, Song said, it is like "you have a family, but you don't have a
home to go back to."
Song recently co-hosted with the government-funded Korea-Arab Society the first
annual Korean-Arab Literary Forum to explore new avenues for enhancing bilateral
cultural dialogue.
She is also compiling an Arabic-Korean dictionary together with her former
students.
"There is demand for a good Arabic-Korean dictionary, not only within South Korea
but also in Egypt as well as Jordan and Morocco. The department of Korean
language was established in Egypt's Ain Shams University and it has been
attracting many top students," she said.
"The demand will increase along with South Korea's development of national
strength," Song said.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
