Interactive Role-Play: Returning a Damaged Dictionary
A Level 3 student, Tama, has one minute to prepare a three-minute role-play with his teacher, who plays a Korean school librarian. Tama borrowed a Korean–English dictionary two weeks ago; a page has been torn and the cover is water-stained. In the role-play he must return the dictionary, explain the damage, and offer a solution. The librarian will initially say, “아이고, 괜찮아요. 그냥 쓰면 돼요,” and then ask whether he can pay for a replacement. Tama has a vocabulary list of 12 words but not the word “보상” (compensation). He may not use English, although his friend in the room whispers, “Just say sorry and go.” The interaction is recorded for his portfolio; the assessor listens for appropriate honorifics, repair strategies, and turn-taking.
1. Write the first two turns Tama should produce. Justify your choice of speech style and address term.
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Opening: “선생님, 안녕하세요. 지난번에 빌린 사전을 오늘 돌려드리러 왔습니다. 그런데 제가 실수로 책장을 조금 찢어 놓았습니다. 정말 죄송합니다.” After “괜찮아요”: “아니요, 제가 빌린 책을 망가뜨렸는데 그냥 드릴 수 없습니다. 제가 테이프로 붙여 봤는데… 혹시 새 책으로 바꿔 드리면 안 될까요?” Justification: 선생님 is the safe address term for a librarian who is also a teacher; “-습니다” keeps formal distance; 드리다 is the humble form of 주다, required when Tama gives and the librarian receives. 죄송합니다 is heavier than 미안해요 and matches damage to institutional property. The second turn uses “혹시 … 안 될까요?” to make a request without demanding. This shows awareness that the librarian’s first “괜찮아요” is face-work, not a release from responsibility.
2. The librarian says “괜찮아요”. Explain why Tama should not simply leave, and give a Korean phrase he could use to insist politely.
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Leaving would treat a face-saving utterance as a release from obligation. In Korean institutional talk, the senior person often minimises the problem first (“괜찮아요”, “그냥 쓰면 돼요”) to spare the junior embarrassment; the junior is expected to persist once, politely. A phrase: “그렇게 말씀해 주셔서 감사합니다. 그래도 제가 책임을 지는 게 맞는 것 같습니다. 제가 새것으로 사 드리거나 수리비를 내겠습니다.” This acknowledges the kindness, then reframes responsibility. If the librarian repeats that it is really fine, Tama should accept gracefully with “알겠습니다. 다음부터는 조심하겠습니다” rather than arguing. The judgement is knowing when one more insistence is enough. Over-insisting can be as inappropriate as leaving immediately, because it refuses the librarian’s attempt to close the matter.
3. Tama does not know the word “보상”. What should he do in the moment? Give a specific circumlocution.
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He should not freeze or switch to English. He can avoid the abstract noun by naming the action: “제가 새 책을 사서 드리면 될까요?” or “수리하는 데 돈이 얼마인지 제가 내겠습니다.” Another option is to ask for the norm rather than the word: “이런 경우에는 어떻게 하는 게 보통이에요?” That asks the librarian to supply the procedure. Gesture plus “돈으로… 어떻게…” is weaker in an audio-recorded portfolio, though it can keep the turn alive. The best answer uses known verbs (사다, 내다, 고치다) to express compensation without the term 보상. This demonstrates strategic competence, which the interaction standard rewards more than an exact vocabulary match. Tama should also self-correct calmly if he starts a wrong word, rather than abandoning the sentence.