Expert Korean Translation Support Services

Get the language support you need to complete your Korean translation project successfully.

I also provide a variety of Korean-language support services, including the following:

  • Summary and sight translation
  • Video transcription and subtitling
  • Translation quality audit, evaluation, and validation
  • Localization, transcreation, and copywriting
  • Additional reviews and updates
  • Terminology planning and management
  • Translation memory alignment and maintenance
  • Publish-ready layout and formatting
  • Search engine marketing adaptation

You can expect from me:

  • Accurate, well-done Korean translation support work
  • On-time delivery every time, sometimes with overnight turnaround
  • Prompt and thorough communication before, during, and after your project
  • Consistently high quality from project to project by leveraging technology and best-practice workflows
  • Accountability through workflow verifiability, US-based business registration, professional liability insurance, and my “Consistently Good Work” Pledge
  • Confidential handling of and respect for your intellectual property

Approximate rate range: US$60–130/hour
Visit Rates & Pricing for further details, including discount options.

“Hi Steven, I can’t think of anything that would make the service better — it was quick, courteous and prompt. Thanks again. Chan”

Chan D. Park (Pasadena, California)

Summary and sight translation

Instead of a premium translation–or even a budget translation–how about saving money with a summary or sight translation? With a summary translation, I will provide you with a short synopsis in English of the main points of a Korean document. And with sight translation, you and I will meet online through screen sharing to go through your materials together (web pages, PDF files, Word documents, etc.). I will translate or summarize the content in real time for you at the level of detail you request. We can jump around or dive in for the details; it’s up to you. This effort can help to narrow down a stack of potentially translatable content so that you can decide which materials to translate fully, and which can be ignored.

Translation quality audit, evaluation, and validation

Have you hired a translator for your content, but later received negative feedback from readers about the quality? Let us evaluate your translation so that you can be confident about it (if it’s good) or have it improved or even retranslated (if it’s bad). Is your translated content so important that you need it to be perfect? I can audit your translation, reporting on and correcting issues likely to otherwise compromise your message. Especially on English-to-Korean translations, I frequently find issues that native Korean translators miss. Finally, in the translation-backtranslation process, I can also validate your translation and back-translation with the discernment of a Korean-language expert to help you avoid backtranslation pitfalls and get through the process efficiently and effectively.

Video transcription/translation and subtitling

More and more translatable content is becoming available in audio and video formats. Whether you need transcription of Korean audio into written format ready for translation, translation of transcribed Korean into English – or even subtitling of Korean video into English – my team and I can support you with the linguistic aspects. We work with time codes, line-length restrictions, unusual formats, and other unique requirements of transcribing and subtitling in Korean.

Localization, transcreation, and copywriting

Technical translation typically focuses on making the translation as close in meaning to the source as possible, while still maintaining idiomatic style. However, in translation of marketing and other culturally and linguistically sensitive materials, making a connection with the audience is often more important than literal adherence to the source.

The localization process covers all aspects of ensuring your translation is culturally appropriate, taking factors such as colors, brand names, photos, and other visual and iconic aspects into consideration. Transcreation is a creative approach to translation where the translator aims to adapt the message in the target language (in our case, Korean) in a way likely to maximize reader or listener receptiveness and responsiveness. Copywriting is carried out after the initial translation step to fine tune phrasings and terminology for the specific purpose and audience. This painstaking effort is particularly necessary on user interface translations, and often involves a group approach with a great deal of discussion to weigh phrasing and terminology options.

I can support you with these added-value localization, transcreation, and copywriting services to help you achieve your translation goal.

Additional reviews and updates

Many, if not most, translation projects involve a single workflow: 1) receive source text from client, 2) translate the text to the target language, and 3) deliver to the client. However, additional review workflows are required in some cases. For example, clients often request that their internal reviewer go through a completed translation and provide feedback and other suggestions on the job, doing so to match terminology or style to internal practice. We offer a free best-practice client review approach on many projects. But if this workflow is not feasible, then reviewing the client feedback and adapting the overall document to these suggestions often involves additional work. In addition, changes to the source text after translation (or even during translation) require translation updates, especially when working in our CAT environment where updates the translation memory may also be necessary.

I am always glad to support my clients with these added-value review and update services at my most competitive rates.

Terminology planning and management

Quality translation that best supports your brand requires a consistent and well-considered effort to choose the right terminology from the start, and ensure that approved vocabulary is used throughout the translation process. The terminology planning and management effort may involve several reviews, both internally and by our team, but it pays off over months and years of future work. From terminology extraction, to research and terminology drafting, updates based on client feedback, and QA during the translation process, I am prepared to ensure high-quality terminology usage during your translation project.

Translation memory alignment and maintenance

It is sometimes possible to bring translation costs down by leveraging previously translated content through translation memory alignment and management. Ideally, old translations will have been produced in a best-practice workflow that saves previous work into a translation memory. However, even if the content is not available in this way, I may be able to align your old documents into a translation memory as a separate, efficient step. Furthermore, I can also support you if your previously translated content needs improvement before reusing.

Publish-ready layout and formatting

We work in many different file formats. While the latest versions of popular desktop publishing programs support Korean text without much trouble, if you really want to make the best impression, leaving the selection of fonts and other layout fine-tuning to a Korean-language expert is your best option. Through publish-ready layout and formatting support, we can handle the layout for you to ensure you get the highest-quality final output for your Korean translation project.

Search engine marketing adaptation

Effective search engine marketing in a Korean context requires a clear understanding of search engine optimization principles, as well as the ability to write succinct and easy-to-understand Korean, doing so through the process of search engine marketing adaptation. Whether you need PPC or SEO support, we can support your efforts with copy that effectively communicates your English message in Korean.