我们那时候没有补习班

[keannu2]

不管怎样,最近孩子们因为学习而受苦。 

我们那时候没有补习班,也没有课外辅导。

 

The underlined is said by a Korean mother to mean that when she was a student, there were neither "private academies" nor "private lessons".

Is the underlined correct to have such meaning?

[889]

I think 补习班 is best translated as "cram school" class. After-school private schools are a fixture in many Asian countries, usually prepping for college entrance exams.

 

[Lu]

Yes, the general meaning is correct. If it is relevant for you, you can read up a bit on the 补习班 phenomenon. It's a very big deal in South Korea, China and Taiwan. Usually translated as 'cram school', as 889 already says.

[somethingfunny]

I've always felt uncomfortable with the "cram school" translation.  I realise that it is the generally used term, but it doesn't seem to fit right.

 

Firstly, 补习 has more of a "supplement learning" meaning.  So I feel that "extra tuition" would be more appropriate.  That's what we call it in the UK (or "private tuition").  

 

Secondly, most of the educational approach in schools in places like China is already of the "cramming" type.  So while "to do well on the exam" might be the reason for going to a 补习班, it's probably also the reason for going to school in the first place.

 

Finally, doesn't "cram" have more of a last-minute, put as much stuff in short-term memory, kind of implication?

 

Just thinking out loud.

[889]

If we were to start over with the language, sure we could call a "cram school" and a great many other things by more appropriately descriptive names. But the names are what they are.

 

(Of course the schools themselves would never use the term, would they.)

[somethingfunny]

But is "cram school" even a thing in English speaking countries?

[889]

Of course!

 

For example, lawyers-in-waiting in the US take "cram courses" like this for the bar exam, or they remain lawyers-in-waiting.

 

https://www.barbri.com/

 

There are similar cram courses for the SAT and other exams.

 

https://www.princetonreview.com/college/sat-cram-course

[imron]

I'm with @somethingfunny, I'd use private classes/private tutoring and translate the whole sentence as something like: "Back in my day, we never had private classes or tutoring"

[889]

I can imagine exceptionally formal contexts where "cram school" might seem a bit too slangy. But "private classes" misses the mark completely in identifying these schools. Perhaps "exam preparation school" would work in an exceptionally formal context.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juku

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagwon

[somethingfunny]

I suppose it depends on your target audience.  Sounds like "cram school" would make perfect sense to an American, however it would be entirely lost on someone from the UK.