It’s amazing how often a simple question can have a non-simple answer. This week’s tip covers the translation of the job title “director”.
This is one of the most common job titles we translate for business clients and a comprehensive review of the options is long overdue.
My answer to the question takes up a full article on my weblog: 
“How Do You Write ‘Director’ in Korean?”
Tips on Translating ‘Director’ to Korean
The following summary distills the answers down to the basics:
1. Director positions within a traditional corporate structure or on the board of directors: 이사
2. Director positions outside a traditional corporate hierarchy but which have responsibility for directing an organization:
- of a study institute – 원장
- of a clinic or hospital – 원장
- of a committee – 회장
- of an office of some sort – 실장, 소장, 센터장, 협회장, 부장 or 국장 (depending on context)
- of a research institute – 소장
- of a larger government office – 청장
3. Director positions in the arts: 감독 or 디렉터
4. Others
- of a choir – 지휘자
- of programming for a TV show – PD
5. If you don’t want think about, just write 디렉터
Additional Resources on KBC and Elsewhere about Marketing a Business in Korea
- Executive Report – “Succeed in Korean Business by Understanding Company Hierarchy”
- Business Accelerator – Korean Business Savvy
- ebook – The Definitive Guide to Business Cards in Korea
- Professional, premium business card translation and layout services from Korean Consulting & Translation Service, Inc.
** Comments are always welcome. If you have additional insights or come across information here that you disagree with or that needs to be updated — or just want to know something — don’t hesitate to leave a comment and share your opinion/knowledge/question!
