Korean Translation FAQ

 Q: It seems you only deal with Korean and English. Do you do multiple language pairs? 

A:  I would love to do multiple language pairs. But unfortunately I am only proficient in Korean and English. And so, I only do Korean into English or English into Korean translation. Many agencies that do multiple language pairs claim to have Korean experts, but the truth is that the project managers at most translation agencies don’t speak Korean and they have to depend on translators of unknown quality to deliver. By concentrating on the language pairs I know, I am able to generate faster turnaround times, which is important to most of my clients.  I would love to do more languages, but the only way I can guarantee the quality of the work if I control the quality assurance process. I am a perfectionist and I expect nothing less than perfect for my clients. 

Q:  Do you offer any guarantees?

A:  Absolutely! I guarantee that your project will be delivered at the agreed-upon deadline.  If you have a rush job that I feel cannot be done, I won’t take it. I do not sacrifice quality for speed (even though I am often told that I have amazingly fast turnaround times).  Nonetheless, unless there is some change mid-way through the project, if I don’t make the agreed upon deadline, I won't take your money. Or if you paid me a deposit, I refund it to you immediately. But I am happy to report that in all my years as a professional Korean translator, I have never once had to honor my guarantee. 

Q:  Are you or anyone you work with certified translators?

A:  The short answer for that is no. But the long answer is that NO KOREAN TRANSLATOR IS CERTIFIED. There is no such thing in the United States. The only certification a translator or interpreter can get in the United States is a court license to interpret in the courts. If any translator or translation agency claims they only use certified Korean translators, then they are not being truthful. One other thing is that the American Translator's Association (ATA), which I am a member of, does have a certification process, but they do not offer it for the Korean language. 

Q:  Many translators and translation agencies have their prices listed right on their web sites. Why don’t you do that so I can compare prices?  

A:  The problem with listing your prices on a web site is that it assumes that every project is the same. There are many factors that go into a project, and I like to talk with prospective clients upfront about what they will need so I can deliver a fair and accurate quote with no surprises later.  Get your no-obligation quote now.

Q:  I understand that. But are your prices competitive? 

A:  Yes.  My prices are competitive for the value you receive. But if you are comparing my prices to the unreliable, dirt-cheap, low-quality Korean translation services out there, then my prices might seem a little expensive. But as the old adage goes, “You get what you pay for.” And this is even more true when you’re talking about Korean into English translations.

Q:  How do you assure the quality of the translations? 

 A:  I wish I could say that every translator is perfect, but they are not (myself included). So, I do have a small, trusted team of translators and editors who look over each others’ work. These editors and translators are fluent in both English and Korean so they not only look for grammatical errors but look over the translation to fine tune it and correct any potential mistranslations. Each of them has their own specialized area, and I allocate the quality assurance process according to their specialized area. And I go one step further when it comes to translation from Korean into English. My English editor is a native speaker of English, but is fluent in Korean. This way the English is not only checked for grammar and style but also can be checked against the Korean so that the original meaning is retained and not “edited out,” as happens often when editing is done by an English native speaker who does not read or write Korean . However for some specialized areas, there can be cases where the client provides me with their own edited version. In that case, I will then look it over one more time to ensure that the meaning was not completely lost in the editing process.

Q:  How do we start working together?

A:  You can either e-mail me or call me at 512-535-1812 to talk about your project, so I can give you a no-obligation quote. We can go over the details of your project and decide where to go from there.