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Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

#11
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apologies but I'm trying to learn the hierarchy so I stop insulting my British colleagues. Being British but not English would make you... Welsh or Irish? Edit: no! Welsh or Scottish. Ireland is part of the British Isles but but Great Britain.

Right, and calling someone English when they're Welsh or Scottish may rather annoy them. There's an animosity towards the English from the Welsh. I believe the Scottish generally feel the same way towards them. England are like family that we love, but we don't really like very much. Northern Ireland is a bit of a tricky one because people from Northern Ireland generally consider themselves "Northern Irish", "British…

Thanks. I imagine it would be like confusing an Australian and a New Zealander. Or a Canadian and an American. We're just so darn similar that it's so important to us to be considered distinct.

Also makes me think about Quebec. Canada would not be Canada without Quebec. But there's always been some sibling rivalry with the province.

Finally, while this isn't Reddit and I have to learn to be more metered about my silliness, I just can't help but include this, as it's quite relevant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2q0T7QXETs

Re: Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

#12
There's an interesting discussion by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers of how Korean culture of this type may have caused the crash of Korean Air Flight 801.

>Korean Air had more plane crashes than almost any other airline in the world for a period at the end of the 1990s. When we think of airline crashes, we think, Oh, they must have had old planes. They must have had badly trained pilots. No. What they were struggling with was a cultural legacy, that Korean culture is hierarchical. You are obliged to be deferential toward your elders and superiors in a way that would be unimaginable in the U.S.

>But Boeing and Airbus design modern, complex airplanes to be flown by two equals. That works beautifully in low-power-distance cultures [like the U.S., where hierarchies aren't as relevant]. But in cultures that have high power distance, it's very difficult.

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/malcolm...

Re: Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

#13
post #12

There's an interesting discussion by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers of how Korean culture of this type may have caused the crash of Korean Air Flight 801. >Korean Air had more plane crashes than almost any other airline in the world for a period at the end of the 1990s. When we think of airline crashes, we think, Oh, they must have had old planes. They must have had badly trained pilots. No. What they were struggling w…

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Flight_801

The flight in question. Captain was a retired and highly respected airforce pilot. It was determined that the first officer knew that things were going wrong but didn't say anything.

Re: Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

#14
post #12

There's an interesting discussion by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers of how Korean culture of this type may have caused the crash of Korean Air Flight 801. >Korean Air had more plane crashes than almost any other airline in the world for a period at the end of the 1990s. When we think of airline crashes, we think, Oh, they must have had old planes. They must have had badly trained pilots. No. What they were struggling w…

The Western aviation culture also had to learn the lesson the hard way. The lessening of (perceived or actual) power differentials and the ability to raise concerns at any time are a part of the new communication paradigm developed in the 70s and 80s after a few disastrous accidents, now commonly known as Crew resource management [1]. Captain Haynes had the following to say after the United Airlines Flight 232 accident: [2]

...the preparation that paid off for the crew was something ... called Cockpit Resource Management.... Up until 1980, we kind of worked on the concept that the captain was THE authority on the aircraft. What he said, goes. And we lost a few airplanes because of that. Sometimes the captain isn't as smart as we thought he was. And we would listen to him, and do what he said, and we wouldn't know what he's talking about.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crew_resource_management

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_232

Re: Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

#15
post #14
post #12

There's an interesting discussion by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers of how Korean culture of this type may have caused the crash of Korean Air Flight 801. >Korean Air had more plane crashes than almost any other airline in the world for a period at the end of the 1990s. When we think of airline crashes, we think, Oh, they must have had old planes. They must have had badly trained pilots. No. What they were struggling w…

The Western aviation culture also had to learn the lesson the hard way. The lessening of (perceived or actual) power differentials and the ability to raise concerns at any time are a part of the new communication paradigm developed in the 70s and 80s after a few disastrous accidents, now commonly known as Crew resource management [1]. Captain Haynes had the following to say after the United Airlines Flight 232 accide…

As an aside, I find that while many (all, I'd hope!) professional pilots recognise their own limits and the necessity of modern CRM, many non-pilots still like to hold on to a romantic notion that on a flight, the captain is as god, even ascribing the captain powers well beyond the job.

Re: Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

#16
post #5

>Companies in English education, tourism, trade or other globally focused industries typically have English nickname policies. They want to accommodate foreign business partners who can’t decipher between Lee Ji-yeong and Lee Ji-yeon. “They’re thoughtful people,” Hong said. “It’s to be kind to foreign people.” I lived in Korea for about a year and a half and Korean names were near impossible for me to remember en mas…

I feel like this will be an issue in the US in the future with the popularity of names like Aiden, Brayden, Jayden etc. over the last few years.

Re: Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

#17
post #16
post #5

>Companies in English education, tourism, trade or other globally focused industries typically have English nickname policies. They want to accommodate foreign business partners who can’t decipher between Lee Ji-yeong and Lee Ji-yeon. “They’re thoughtful people,” Hong said. “It’s to be kind to foreign people.” I lived in Korea for about a year and a half and Korean names were near impossible for me to remember en mas…

I feel like this will be an issue in the US in the future with the popularity of names like Aiden, Brayden, Jayden etc. over the last few years.

You forgot Okayden

Re: Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

#18
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>First, not all western names are "English", come on. Indeed. But the thing that raised by hackles was: >“Using an English name even though you are not American is a little bit strange. Your name is from your own mother and father.” America is not where English comes from. I mean I understand that America's influence on South Korea probably can't be overstated. But that sentence just pushed a button I wasn't aware I…

Apologies but I'm trying to learn the hierarchy so I stop insulting my British colleagues. Being British but not English would make you... Welsh or Irish? Edit: no! Welsh or Scottish. Ireland is part of the British Isles but but Great Britain.

> Being British but not English would make you...

Or an ethnic minority, for example Mo Farah or Archie Panjabi. As far as I can make out, minorities preferred "British-x" (e.g. British-Asian) as a label rather than English even if they were born in England, although there have been calls for that to change [1].

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jun/23/englis...

Re: Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

#19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apologies but I'm trying to learn the hierarchy so I stop insulting my British colleagues. Being British but not English would make you... Welsh or Irish? Edit: no! Welsh or Scottish. Ireland is part of the British Isles but but Great Britain.

> Being British but not English would make you... Or an ethnic minority, for example Mo Farah or Archie Panjabi. As far as I can make out, minorities preferred "British-x" (e.g. British-Asian) as a label rather than English even if they were born in England, although there have been calls for that to change [1]. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jun/23/englis...

Interesting​. I never even considered those as ethnicities. Just places you live and what your demonym is.

Re: Why Korean companies are forcing their workers to go by English names

#20
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like this will be an issue in the US in the future with the popularity of names like Aiden, Brayden, Jayden etc. over the last few years.

You forgot Okayden

And Fayden, get fayded yo
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