Like cramming before a test, perhaps the best time to learn some new useful expressions is during the flight to your new destination. The phrase “learn before you land” is proudly displayed on the cover page and this is exactly what In-Flight Korean believes it can accomplish. The phrasebook will easily teach you all the important phrases you’ll ever need to know during your stay in Korea.
Overview
In-Flight Korean is a light 20-page phrasebook that can be read in as little as half an hour and that’s good enough for even the shortest of flights to Seoul. The book opens up with a pronunciation guide which helps students learn to correctly pronounce each word and phrase from the very beginning (all of which are written in the Latin alphabet). In each unit, students will also be provided with plenty of pronunciation tips. An example of this can be seen in many of the dialogues where periods are put between each syllable to make it easier to say (ex. YEONG.EO.REUL.HAL.JUL.A.SE.YO= Do you speak Korean?).
"The phrase “learn before you land” is proudly displayed on the cover page and this is exactly what In-Flight Korean believes it can accomplish."
The book also consists of 18 units that cover every topic or situation that the usual tourist will run into while visiting Korea. Students will focus on topics like shopping, lodging, asking for help, giving and asking for direction and more. The book is strictly for those who are planning to visit Korea and want to learn some useful phrases. Nothing in the book is written in Hangul and the book doesn’t provide any grammar or listening activities either. Readers could even use this book once they have arrived to Korea and –depending on the airline— one could even practice certain phrases with the Korean flight attendants!
Pros
· Many useful phrases are provided to help the reader get by in South Korea.
· Easy to follow pronunciation methods are provided throughout the book to help the reader say each word correctly.
· Very user friendly. Words can be looked up at a moment’s notice.
Cons
· Doesn’t include responses to the phrases you’ll be asking. This might be a bit of a problem because readers will not understand what is being said to them.
· The book doesn’t come with any listening activities.
· The book does not focus on grammar or writing practice.
Recommended For
· Absolute beginner students.
· People who are going on a short vacation or business trip to South Korea.
· Students who aren’t interested in learning the technical aspects of the language and just want to learn some common words and phrases.
Overall, In-Flight Korean is fantastic for those who are purely interested in learning basic Korean phrases. The book is easy to read and the pronunciation tips provided in each unit offer helpful ways to say each word correctly. Of course, the book will not help students with their conversational Korean skills but absolute beginner students will be able to make themselves understood with the help of this book. So whether you have a two hour flight from Japan or a twenty hour flight from New York, you can learn some useful things while on your way to Korea.
