It is not easy to be a Korean translator to understand Korean. Using Google Translate might help a little to get the desired Korean to other language translation content. But to get a complete and correct understanding of the technical material in Korean, one must work with a professional Korean translator who can translate Korean well.
Before choosing someone as a Korean translator, pay close attention to the qualities of the translator.
1. Thoroughly understand the Korean writing
The first criterion that you must find in a good Korean translator is that he can speak Korean fluently. With a thorough understanding of the Korean language, translators will be able to capture general messages as well as find messages that are implied in an article so that the details and themes of the writing can be conveyed properly.
Ask the translator if he has passed the Korean Language Proficiency Test (TOPIK) and at what level he is able to complete it. Whether the translator continues to study Korean and if he has academic papers published in Korean will further enhance his quality.
2. Write the translation language clearly and fluently
Most Koreans are of course able to understand Korean at the level of a native speaker so they definitely qualify for the first criteria. But knowing Korean is not enough. A good translator must also be able to write and speak perfectly translated languages.
There is a rule of thumb in the translation industry that a translator should only translate into their native language. So if you need a Korean-to-English translator he should be an American or good in English who is proficient in Korean and has perfect english writing skills.
3. Understand the material of the content to be translated
In the field of technical translation, language skills alone are not enough. One must also have knowledge in the area of the translated material.
In other words, an ideal translator is someone who is a subject matter expert (SME), and who has knowledge of general topics as well as basic terminology.
Even so, a Korean to another language translator will never know everything about every specific topic he or she is asked to work on.
But a solid knowledge base in the field allows translators to research and evaluate terms, understand difficult concepts in Korean, and translate all their meanings into other languages well.
4. Always meet deadlines
A good translator must have a high sense of discipline and a strong responsibility to always complete the task according to the time set.
In order to work professionally, translators have to do the job quickly and keep a schedule, and know how long it will take to complete tasks.
He also has a contingency plan to deal with any distractions and tries to keep the commitment to the client at all costs. There is no room for procrastination and excuses when clients rely heavily on work completed on deadlines.
5. Do not consider work as a side
Good Korean translators are people who don’t position translation jobs as part-time jobs and of course, have a lot of translation material waiting to be completed.
A busy translator is one of the characteristics of a good translator even though it takes time to wait to be able to accept new requests. Translators who can check email or answer the phone quickly are those who are able to work professionally.
6. Communicate with clients proactively
A professional Korean translator does not assume that the client understands the process. Instead, he will continue to strive to notify the client throughout the process, ensure conditions are met, and let the client know that work will be completed on schedule. Translators also receive necessary further revisions after the work is submitted to the client.
7. Approach work with a perfectionist mindset
A Korean translator should always try to do a better job from time to time. With a perfectionist mindset, translators will try to find the most appropriate words to communicate each word and phrase in the translated language.
A Korean translator should also check his work, re-reading through the translation of the first draft to rework parts that sound awkward, or that might have been misunderstood on first understanding.
8. Worked more than 10,000 hours on original translation expertise
To attain expertise in any specialized field, one must spend at least 10,000 hours studying and working in it. Translating is a complex process, and novice translators are usually still unfamiliar with the different methods and techniques to improve efficiency and quality.
Did the Korean translator you wrote qualify for these categories?
Finding a good Korean translator is not as easy as one might think. But it is not impossible to do. If you can find all of these categories in a translator then he or she is the perfect choice to work with.
