You may not realize it now, but foreign languages and translation play a major role in your life. If you want to become part of the industry and translate English to Korean, there a number of important things you must consider.
Whether you are born into a Korean family, or you are still a beginner and questioning if you want to pursue learning the language, considering a career to translate
Becoming a Korean translator will grant you flexibility. For someone who wants to combine their love for languages and travel, it’s a win-win career path. Here’s what you need to know before you can translate to Korean.
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This post was updated on March 2021
What Is a Translator’s Job?
Translators are responsible for translating documents from a source language to another. In your case, it would be any language, mostly English, to Korean. Most people who translate to Korean are native speakers, but that does not mean you can’t be one if it’s not your mother tongue.
A career in this field is extremely interesting. It grants you the opportunity to work with a lot of documents, whether they may be technical, commercial, or legal. If you have worked for specialized industries before, you can use this knowledge to leverage your translating career in a certain field. For example, someone who was a nurse can translate English medical documents to Korean.
Translating to Korean is Easier Than You Think
If you are wondering why you should translate to Korean, the answer is easy. Here are some of the reasons that will motivate you to learn the language better so you can become a translator.
Most logical writing system
The Korean alphabet is called Hangul. You may think the English alphabet is easy to learn because you’ve grown up using it your entire life. However, Hangul is easier to learn since it was crafted to be that way. It’s so easy you can learn to read and write it in under an hour if you have the right material.
The mastermind behind Hangul is King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty. Before Hangul was used in Korea, people adapted Chinese characters. Unfortunately, only elites gained education because it was expensive and challenging. Therefore, many could not express themselves in written form. This situation resulted in poor court document writing just so it could be understood by the masses. King Sejong wanted to remedy this issue.
The Hall of Worthies created a language so easy to learn anybody could understand it. Hangul has 24 letters, less than the 26 letters in the English alphabet. The language is also written to reflect how the mouth looks when the sound is produced. For example, the Hangul character for ni-eun, or N in English, looks at your tongue’s shape as it touches the back of your teeth when making that sound.
Because of how easy it is to learn, even those who treat Korean as their second or third languages can have a career to translate to Korean.
Easy to build word families
If you are a native English speaker, you may be tempted to think Korean words are hard to understand because it’s jumbled up. However, this is what makes Hangul particularly easy to use. Instead of writing words linearly, the characters are put together to form a block. The language is made up of three types of words, which include pure Korean, as well as others based on Chinese and English characters.
One amazing thing about the Korean language is if you are already familiar with some words, you can easily understand phrases and sentences that contain that word.
Parallel words
By now, you probably already know that there are words added to certain languages almost every day. When it comes to Korean, the new words are mostly English words. These new words based on English are called “Konglish.” Unless you want to study North Korean, you are bound to get better at the language every day simply from the increasing similarity to English.
For example, words such as ice cream, computer, menu, fork, pizza, chocolate, and taxi sound the same and share the same meaning. There are also other Korean words based on English but have a little difference in pronunciation. Despite this, it’s still very easy to remember. Just think of it as a fun way to say words you already know differently.
Anyone who wants to study Korean can quickly grasp concepts and words in the language because of its parallels in English. Even grammar and tenses are straightforward, much like Spanish.
Korean grammar is easy
If you’re still not sold that it’s easy to translate to Korean, here’s another reason. When you attend a French class, you will spend a couple of hours in the lecture room learning pronouns like “he is,” “I am,” and so one. The same cannot be said for Korean.
When you learn Korean, you won’t be bothered with this since conjugation can quickly be picked up. The verbs in the language also change depending on factors such as the level of politeness and the tense. Although these change, it can still be easily predicted based on its final consonant. There are also a few consonants in Korean, so it won’t take long for you to master it.
Easy to find resources
Perhaps one of the major deciding reasons why it’s easy to translate to Korean is because you can find loads of resources everywhere. The language has been spoken for more than a thousand years, so it’s not new. Despite this, learning would not be a challenge since it’s not antiquated, much like learning English using Shakespeare’s works. All resources you’d find on the language are applicable today.
In recent years, more people are becoming interested in the language due to Hallyu, or “The Korean Wave.” This interest increased the number of resources available that can be used by speakers of all levels. Many resources are also in video form, so the learning process will be more fun.
Why Should You Translate to Korean?
Now that you know why Korean is easier to learn compared to other languages, you’re probably very excited to study it. In case you’re not sold yet, here are other reasons that would motivate you to try to translate to Korean.
Prepare for the future
Korean companies are becoming more successful on a global scale, and this should continue in the years to come. For example, Samsung is now head-to-head with Apple. As the country’s largest company, it was a major win when it beat out the American company in the smartphone market. Bloomberg hailed South Korea as the most innovative country.
If you want to get ready for the future, you should learn to translate to Korean right away. Korea’s meteoric rise in many industries is truly impressive, and it will remain as one of the powerhouse economies in the world in the coming years. When you know the Korean language by heart, you can use this to leverage your career, just like how Mandarin speakers are using their skills to kickstart their career and business prospects.
The good news is that you don’t have to move to Korea to learn to translate to Korean. You may even end up translating for a Korean subsidiary located anywhere in the world. This ability can be great news since subsidiaries from South Korea pay significantly higher rates than other subsidiaries.
Understand pop culture
More people want to learn Korean because they already know movies, songs, and shows made in the country. Because of the Korean wave, it’s becoming more common to see Koreans on the international scene. Perhaps your interest was sparked when you watched Parasite or Oldboy. Or maybe you were enamored by K-pop artists like Blackpink and EXO and want to understand the songs more.
Whatever hooked your interest, the Korean language will allow you to understand these elements of pop culture better and not simply rely on translations or subtitles. When you learn the language, you can obtain a deeper understanding of their interesting culture. This enhanced comprehension is applicable when you translate to Korean.
Good for business
When you can translate to Korean, you will be a valuable asset to any business. Aside from Samsung, Hyundai, and LG, other Korean companies are also becoming global business players. Should a certain company expand to Korea, your knowledge to translate to Korean will elevate you to the top of the list for these opportunities.
Not only that, having the ability to translate to Korean is an amazing method to improve personal relationships with Korean friends and family. These people will greatly appreciate your job as a translator, and may even help you improve your skills.
Better travel experience
When you know how to speak the language of a certain country, your travels will become more meaningful.
If you can translate to Korean, luck is on your side. South Korea is one of the most breathtaking destinations at any time of the year. Whether you want to visit temples, parks, coastlines, quaint villages, go on a food crawl, or marvel at modern structures, your ability to translate to Korean will come in handy. Whether you are planning to stay for a couple of days, weeks, or months, knowing their language will make it easier for you to adapt to their culture and meet new people.
Explore new opportunities
When you learn how to translate to Korean, you will be shocked at the number of opportunities that come knocking at your door, especially in business areas. You may use your language skills to bridge the cultural gap between the two countries, especially now that South Korea is becoming more involved in international political affairs.
South Korea is one of the US’s most powerful allies. Because of the situation between North and South Korea, the world constantly has its eyes on it. Who knows, you may even become part of translating unification documents one day.
Wherever you are in the world, chances are, South Korea is investing in your area to further its global agenda. Soon, new job opportunities will come your way, may it be in the field of economics, politics, business, or culture.
Improve brain power
There are many benefits you may gain from learning a new language, not just Korean. Being bilingual is advantageous to your mental development and intellectual growth. When you can translate to Korean, you will continuously stimulate your mind, which will then keep your brain healthy.
Translate English to Korean?
There are thousands of reasons why you should consider starting a career to translate to Korean. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a slightly conversational speaker. Once you learn Hangul, your knowledge and comprehension of the language will grow quickly.
Just like any language, learning Korean needs dedication, effort, and time. When you can finally translate to Korean professionally, you will be part of an amazing and supportive community that will help you set your career ablaze.
If you’re looking for high-quality Korean translators, you should consider Bunny Studio your one-stop-shop for the best translators on the web. Our team will translate to Korean in a fast, efficient way that is second to none. Get in touch with us; we’ll be happy to bring our A-game to the table!
