Korean Translation

Modern-day Korean translation uses the Hangul script, invented in 1445 by King Sejong to replace the Chinese characters which had been used by scholars until then. With only 14 consonants and 10 vowels, Hangul is so easy to learn that its critics called it Achimgeul (morning letters), angered that it could be learned by the uneducated in a single morning of study.

It was not until the 1950s that Hangul replaced Chinese characters as the dominant script in published materials. Despite the geographical proximity, Korean has few similarities with Chinese and Japanese - Korean is a member of the Altaic family of languages (which includes Manchu and Mongolian). There is, however, a notable similarity between the three - like Chinese and Japanese, Korean translation to and from English is notoriously difficult. When compared with the European languages they pose greater challenges culturally and linguistically, and top quality Korean translation is a test even for individuals who have been bilingual from childhood.

Despite the simplicity of the alphabet, Hangul characters are double-byte on computer systems because each character is a syllable formed by a combination of a consonant and a vowel. Production of materials for print or on-line publication therefore involves similar processes to those used for Chinese and Japanese, and double-byte enabled software is required for most output options. Asian Absolute offers a variety of typesetting and electronic publishing techniques for clients requiring Korean translation services - contact us if you would like further information.

We offer Korean translation services for all types of material, including:

Financial translations by our team of linguists familiar with corporate and investment banking, markets, financial research and insurance issues.

Legal translations by experts familiar with civil and criminal law, including corporate law and intellectual property rights practice.

Marketing copy from our team of experienced copywriters for corporate marketing, public relations, design and branding.

Medical translations by linguists with in-depth experience of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, practice, research and also veterinary issues.

Technical texts produced by and for industry specialists in fields ranging from aerospace to zoology, defence to machine tools.

We are always happy to manage long-term or multi-language projects, and to discuss your translation requirements in person.

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