Day 79: Life as a Councillor's Aide

Dialogue

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1. 1

   A 선배, 구의회 정책지원관으로 일하신다고 들었어요. 의원 비서 같은 거예요? 멋있을 것 같은데요.

   Seonbae, guuihoe jeongchaekjiwongwaneuro ilhasindago deureosseoyo. Uiwon biseo gateun geoyeyo? Meosisseul geot gateundeyo.

   I heard you're working as a policy aide at the district council. Is that like a councillor's secretary? It sounds pretty cool.

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2. 2

   B 비슷한 거야. 근데 멋있기는. 하루 종일 전화 받는 게 일이야.

   Biseutan geoya. Geunde meositgineun. Haru jongil jeonhwa banneun ge iriya.

   Something like that. But cool? Hardly. My job is answering the phone all day.

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3. 3

   A 전화요? 주로 어떤 전화요?

   Jeonhwayo? Juro eotteon jeonhwayo?

   The phone? What kind of calls?

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4. 4

   B 주차 문제라든가 쓰레기 문제라든가, 대부분 생활 민원이야. 어제는 옆집 에어컨 실외기 소리 때문에 잠을 못 자겠다고 전화가 왔어.

   Jucha munjeradeunga sseuregi munjeradeunga, daebubun saenghwal minwoniya. Eojeneun yeopjip eeokeon siroegi sori ttaemune jameul mot jagetdago jeonhwaga wasseo.

   Parking, rubbish, that kind of thing. Mostly everyday complaints. Yesterday someone called because their neighbour's air conditioner unit was keeping them up at night.

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5. 5

   A 그런 것까지 구의회에서 해결해요?

   Geureon geotkkaji guuihoeeseo haegyeolhaeyo?

   The district council deals with things like that too?

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6. 6

   B 해결은 못 해도 들어는 드려야지. 구청에 말해도 안 되니까 결국 우리한테 오시는 거거든.

   Haegyeoreun mot haedo deureoneun deuryeoyaji. Gucheonge malhaedo an doenikka gyeolguk urihante osineun geogeodeun.

   Even if we can't fix it, we have to listen. They come to us because complaining to the district office got them nowhere.

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7. 7

   A 그래도 의원이면 힘이 있으니까 금방 바꿀 수 있지 않아요?

   Geuraedo uiwonimyeon himi isseunikka geumbang bakkul su itji anayo?

   But a councillor has power, right? Can't they change things quickly?

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8. 8

   B 다들 그렇게 생각하지. 근데 신호등 하나 설치하는 것조차 얼마나 어려운지 몰라.

   Dadeul geureoke saenggakaji. Geunde sinhodeung hana seolchihaneun geotjocha eolmana eoryeounji molla.

   That's what everyone thinks. But you've no idea how hard it is to put up even a single traffic light.

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9. 9

   A 신호등 하나요?

   Sinhodeung hanayo?

   One traffic light?

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10. 10

    B 응. 초등학교 앞 횡단보도에 신호등을 달아 달라고 건의가 들어왔는데, 경찰서 심의 받고, 예산 따고, 공사까지 여덟 달 걸렸어.

    Eung. Chodeunghakgyo ap hoengdanbodoe sinhodeungeul dara dallago geonuiga deureowanneunde, gyeongchalseo simui batgo, yesan ttago, gongsakkaji yeodeol dal geollyeosseo.

    Yeah. We got a request for a traffic light at the crossing outside a primary school, and what with the police review, getting the budget and the construction, it took eight months.

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11. 11

    A 여덟 달이요? 그 사이에 사고라도 나면 어떡해요?

    Yeodeol dariyo? Geu saie sagorado namyeon eotteokaeyo?

    Eight months? What if there'd been an accident in the meantime?

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12. 12

    B 그러니까 내가 매주 담당 공무원한테 전화하고 공문도 보냈지. 나중엔 내 목소리만 들어도 한숨을 쉬더라.

    Geureonikka naega maeju damdang gongmuwonhante jeonhwahago gongmundo bonaetji. Najungen nae moksoriman deureodo hansumeul swideora.

    Exactly, so I called the official in charge every week and sent formal letters too. By the end he'd sigh the moment he heard my voice.

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13. 13

    A 하하, 선배 끈기 대단하네요. 그럼 예산 같은 큰일은 누가 정해요?

    Haha, seonbae kkeungi daedanhaneyo. Geureom yesan gateun keunireun nuga jeonghaeyo?

    Ha ha, you really don't give up. So who decides the big things, like the budget?

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14. 14

    B 예산은 구의회에서 심사하는데, 의원님들은 밤새 자료 보시고 나는 그 자료 만드느라 주말조차 없어.

    Yesaneun guuihoeeseo simsahaneunde, uiwonnimdeureun bamsae jaryo bosigo naneun geu jaryo mandeuneura jumaljocha eopseo.

    The district council reviews the budget. The councillors pore over the documents all night, and I'm so busy preparing them that I don't even get weekends.

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15. 15

    A 들으니까 좀 존경스러운데요. 정치가들은 뉴스에서 싸우는 모습만 봐서 몰랐어요.

    Deureunikka jom jongyeongseureoundeyo. Jeongchigadeureun nyuseueseo ssauneun moseumman bwaseo mollasseoyo.

    Hearing that, I kind of respect it. I'd only ever seen politicians fighting on the news, so I had no idea.

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16. 16

    B 뉴스에 나오는 건 일부야. 실무는 대부분 이렇게 조용하고 지루해.

    Nyuseue naoneun geon ilbuya. Silmuneun daebubun ireoke joyonghago jiruhae.

    What's on the news is just a small part. Most of the real work is quiet and dull like this.

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17. 17

    A 저도 졸업하고 이런 일 해 보고 싶어요. 어떻게 시작하면 돼요?

    Jeodo joreopago ireon il hae bogo sipeoyo. Eotteoke sijakamyeon dwaeyo?

    I'd like to do this kind of work after I graduate. How do I get started?

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18. 18

    B 다음 달에 주민 간담회가 있는데 한번 와 봐. 끝나면 주민분들이 줄 서서 한 명씩 얘기하시거든. 그거 보면 생각이 달라질 거야.

    Daeum dare jumin gandamhoega inneunde hanbeon wa bwa. Kkeunnamyeon juminbundeuri jul seoseo han myeongssik yaegihasigeodeun. Geugeo bomyeon saenggagi dallajil geoya.

    There's a residents' meeting next month. Come along. Afterwards residents line up to talk to us one by one. Once you've seen that, you might think differently.

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19. 19

    A 꼭 갈게요. 근데 그 간담회도 주말이에요?

    Kkok galgeyo. Geunde geu gandamhoedo jumarieyo?

    I'll be there. But is that meeting on a weekend too?

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20. 20

    B 토요일 오전이야. 말했잖아, 나한텐 주말이 없다고.

    Toyoil ojeoniya. Malhaetjana, nahanten jumari eopdago.

    Saturday morning. Told you, I don't get weekends.

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