Alas, Roz, my Korean (at best — that would be 1988, while I was still stationed there) was mixed at best, and could best be described as "suitable for giving directions to cab drivers, with lots of hand waving." And my accent was very American with strong Seoul overtones (I was stationed in Seoul), which was apparently hilarious to folks in the southern end of the country.

When our unit was in Daegu (almost the opposite end of the country from Seoul), I and a couple buddies needed a hotel room in town; I got volunteered to make the arrangements. I asked for a room at the front desk and got through the first sentence before the clerk behind the desk exploded in laughter. She ran into a back room to grab a friend, then asked me to repeat myself (“Again, again!” in English, with gestures, because that is how bad my Korean must have been). Both of them were howling with laughter after I got through my request. I picked up “American” and “Seoul” in their comments to each other, so apparently I sounded like a Frenchman who learned to speak English in Brooklyn trying to rent a room at a hotel in rural Georgia.

Got the room, though.

But I still know how to answer a phone with the proper greeting (different from an in-person greeting) and I can tell someone goodbye when they are leaving and I’m staying, in an informal manner. Should be good enough for most bots!