korean dramatized bible (25h free audiobook!)

[d04jfa1325]

I'm quite the beginner in Korean, and I'm considering massive amounts of audio input as a method of getting used to the language. I found this seemingly excellent resource, which is a Korean dramatized version of the New Testament. Now, I'm not a religious man, but if it helps my Korean, I'm all for it! After all, the bible is quite the best-seller, it should have something going for it, right?

Listen to the following samples:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4688200/kor/B01 ... KORSKV.mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4688200/kor/B01 ... KORSKV.mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4688200/kor/index.html

It sounds great to me, but I've no idea what they're saying! Their "evil" and "good" voices kinda reminds me of cartoons I used to watch as a kid, which is nice. Also, it's like 25 hours of non-stop Korean audio for free, can't complain there.

However, since my Korean is pretty much non-existent , I'm worried about the language. It is the Bible after all, and I'd rather not sound like some stuffy 200 years old preacher. Would someone (who actually knows some Korean) mind listening and tell me what they think of the audio? Is it natural? Is it old and outdated? Does it use weird grammar/words/expressions? Is the pronunciation clear and correct?

The audio comes from Faith comes by hearing. It's all free, and they have bibles in literary hundreds of languages there(!) However I found it incredibly slow at downloading, also it's using some custom browser plugin or something, so I ended up getting it from here instead:
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5342328 ... ment_-_MP3

[trutherous]

Hello d04jfa1325,

I gave it a listen. Among bible recordings that I have heard this is very clear and a little more modern translation than the most common Korean bible.

Will it be helpful?

All input is good.

I'm rather partial to the message of eternal life - thinking there isn't anything quite as important in this life, but when it comes to learning a foreign language a wide variety of input is best. These bible readings could be a good supplement to your other Korean study, especially if you have a copy of that particular translation and read along.

However, in the bible you are not likely going to find much of the day-to-day conversation language Koreans are actually using.

I've been reading the Korean bible for years, and lately a couple of different modern translations. I can say with some confidence, therefore, that you could memorize the book and still not be very proficient in everyday Korean. Knowledge of the bible does help a great deal when having a conversation with church friends or talking about the pastor's sermon -- but in the bible I've yet to find simple phrases like "Are you going to eat here or do you want that to go?"

Keep up the study.

thanks for the links

George

[timandyou]

I do agree with what George just said.
George, do you even know about the Bible? Even you've been reading it!!! Man, I have to say that I am very impressed by you.
I've been reading English Bible myself. So... I know how hard it is to read the Bible in Enlgish and in Korean.

Hello d04jfa1325,
I have to say... reading the Bible will be benefitial for many perspectives (i have no doubt about that) but, the phrases and vocavulary are quite out of date.
Even, if you meet an individual using some Korean phrases and vocab from the Bible, you will would look at him/her wonderingly.

Learning new language should be fun and interesting.
That's the first step! I mean... learning language means you have to work on 4 perspectives - in reading, in listening, in speaking and in writing. all those four are equally important.

I don't want to be a geek.
I don't want my children to be geeks (I haven't got merry yet).
Therefore, I don't want KoreanClass101.com listeners to be geeks.
After he/she becomes an advanced-Korean learner, then I do agree with you - reading the Bible is 100% good.
Reading the Bible is good! When I learned English, I read and listened to the Bible.
But... it was because I was a believer. That's totally different for non-believers.
I wanted to read and know about the Bible because I was a believer.
If you don't like 'love-story' movies, are you interested in watching and litening to them? The issue related with the Bible is much more complicated. Trust me on that!
We have to be careful with it.
Even I am a believer, I don't want to teach it because the Bible is not a comic book that I can easily or simply say about.

I hope you understand my point.
Don't suggest people to read the Bible. If someone says or mentions about the Bible, then you may suggest it. Wait for people. Meantime, what you can do is... show your love for people, treat people with full of compassion, love and care.
Maybe.. you would fail persuading people but still keep 'breaking the wall' not mentioning about the Bible but showing your love in action.
That's my call.

I think you would have different idea. I understand it.

Enjoy learning Korean and live with passion!
cheers,

Tim

[d04jfa1325]

I'm only interested in it from a language learning point of view. (No intentions of becoming religious at the moment, hehe.)

You say the language is somewhat outdated in this translation, right? Do you have any examples? How would it normally be said today? (I'm curious if there was something in particular.) Is the language very different from, say, a novel written today that takes place around the same time (2000 years ago)?

Of course daily items from modern society won't be included, like take-outs, computers, pop stars...

(Oh and btw, I think listening/reading is more important than speaking/writing. You can always speak in a simple way, but you still have to understand what comes back at you.)

[timandyou]

One thing we do have common is that we (Tim, George and d04jfa1325) all care for Korean and those who want to study Korean, right?

Yes, if you said, "I'm only interested in it from a language learning point of view", I do have nothing to say about. Every materials are useful to learn language.

I do thank you for you comment, d04jfa1325.
thanks,

Tim

[MelSymph]

One thing to remember is that the Bible itself has many different types of translations. For instance, in English I use ESV, the English Standard Version, which is the current most modern style. Naturally some things are very proper, so it would help one understand polite/proper English. Now, if you want to learn the slang in any language, it is best to watch various TV shows. I suggest you watch many Korean variety shows, talk shows, and interviews. You will find the best form of Korean for one wanting to learn conversationally.

[d04jfa1325]

One thing to remember is that the Bible itself has many different types of translations. For instance, in English I use ESV, the English Standard Version, which is the current most modern style. Naturally some things are very proper, so it would help one understand polite/proper English.

Yes that's just what I'm getting at. How about this bible? trutherous hints at it being fairly modern (well, compared to other korean bibles, not that I've read any). So, just how modern is it? And how does it compare to modern novels?

[MelSymph]

Novels will still sound more laid back compared to the bible. You have to think of it as something more formal. Novels in general tend to break grammatical rules because the author wants to tell a story that will draw readers in.

[trutherous]

Ok, it appears that they are using the 새번역 성경 - "New Translation Bible" officially known as: "Revised New Korean Standard Version" 1st printing May 2007 -- some repetitive style and apparent "politically correct" translations of meaning put this on my "maybe later" shelf. I think the style of language would be about equal to 19th century English, or roughly the equivalent of the NASB . It was very clear and formal --even when King Herod is talking informally to the wise men it's still formal. I actually liked it. As I listened I got the same feel as when I was watching the 이순신 (Admiral Soonshin Lee) drama. I will definitely have to give this translation a second look. Anyway, the thing is that almost nobody uses those patterns of speech in everyday Korean conversation, so out of your 25 hours of Korean listening you may only pick up 25 useful phrases... though you may pick up a thousand vocabulary words.

My practice is to read out loud. I have cycled through the New Testament 1.5 times this year already, and also read Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Isaiah. This is in addition to my other Korean study - watching dramas, and other reading.

The most widely used Korean bible is about equal in antiquity of style to the 1611 King James translation, although they were not translated in the same era. Much of this translation's vocabulary comes directly from Chinese and is even difficult for some young Koreans.

I am currently reading the following Korean translations:

현대인의 성경 - "Modern Person's Bible" -- like "The Living Bible" in English this is a paraphrase, not a literal translation, the vocabulary is common and the style is modern enough to be used in conversation.

우리말 성경 - "Our Language Bible" - I guess they also call this the "Korean Standard Version" it is very similar to the NASB (New American Standard Bible) in terms of flow and feel. I really like this translation for it's poetic feel and adherence to accuracy of translation; however, the vocabulary is a tier higher than common, and the style a bit too formal for casual conversation.

Looked at but not currently reading:

쉬운 성경 - "Easy Bible" -- ok, if you haven't figured out yet that anything that advertises "easy" in the title usually isn't .. anyway, I found the style weak and watered down, and the translations of certain parts too vague. The flow and feel of this translation reminded me of the NIV (New International Version) Once again, not really a style of speech for everyday conversation.

[d04jfa1325]

I tried to find a text transcript corresponding to the sound files (I looked for the version thrutherous mentioned). I found this:
http://www.holybible.or.kr/B_SAE/cgi/bi ... CV=99&FR=H

However, none of the versions really matches the one in the mp3 files. I didn't know there where that many translations of the Bible! It's better than nothing though I guess...