Busy weekend in Korea

Saturday morning we left KNU at 7 to go to Seoul to a TESOL conference (Teaching English to Students of Other Languages) . Hundreds came from all over Korea and Japan to attend.

I learned many things here about how the popularity of the English language is rising in the world. One particular point was made that English is the "bridge" language between cultures throughout the world. In other words, if a Chinese and a Japanese are trying to communicate they will use the "common language" of English since both countries are making English the "bridge" language. The Japanese cannot speak Chinese, and vice-versa but both of them can get by with English, so they use English in conversation. It is predicted by some that by the year 2050 English will be the most commonly used language in the world! That is a big statement. Right now, of course, Chinese is the most used language since it is so populated. But predictions are that English will literally unite the world in conversation in years to come. Of course, each ethnic group will keep their own language, but most nations will use English as a second language for world communication. It is a fascinating prediction, and many experts feel the time table for this is moving faster than predicted.

If this is even partially true, the church has a lot of work to do to catch up with this phenomenon. Many countries are starting English Church services to help non-English speakers learn English. It is also helping people understand the Bible better. A Korean testified in one seminar session that the English Bible translation helped to clarify many verses and stories that other translations muddled up. Many Koreans prefer an English reading of scripture simply because it makes more sense and is clearer in meaning! It seems our mission field is getting larger and not smaller these days! I speak to Chinese students using the English Bible so they can gain knowledge in both English and Scripture. It is interesting to be a part of this. I could say much more about this but it seems that the world is turning to English more and more. Let us pray that the church keeps up with the program!!

Also this weekend I preached at a Korean Church. The pictures (sorry they are blurred) show the Korean sign, the opera singer (short video below, sorry the video cannot be turned, just listen) who sent chills down my spine with the clearest voice I have ever heard, and my preaching with Dr. Chun interpreting for me. It was a good, but busy day. I mentioned to Bonnie last night that I have preached with the following language interpreters: Portuguese, Zulu, Spanish, Korean and Chinese. I am rather amazed at this! I hope to add many more!! Each language has its own pace and challenges. Korean is the hardest, in my opinion. Their concepts are so different and the interpretation is not a word for word or sentence by sentence approach. It is a concept interpretation so it takes much longer to get my words translated. Finding a rhythm is harder in Korean than in some of the other languages. Of course all of this depends on the interpreter. Today was easier than other times here. My hat is off to interpreters, it is difficult work!