Ji Hyun Shin is a professional Korean translator, who works in the Korean, English, as well as German languages. Based in South Korea, Ji Hyun has worked in translation departments in many different industries, from engineering to IT to media. Korean is a heavily nuanced language, filled with words that change meaning depending on the tone and inflection, so translation to English and vice versa can be challenging. Ji Hyun tells us about the complicated process of translating meaning from English to Korean, how the expansion of Korean culture into the global market influences translation, and more.
Jump into the episode
[01:33] About Ji Hyun and her translation experience.
[02:28] How the IT and media industries are growing in Korea.
[04:52] What are some of the biggest challenges in translating English to Korean?
[5:45] The importance of context in translation.
[07:00] Cultural differences specific to the Korean language.
[08:32] How does subtitling Korean media work?
[11:00] What is Ji Hyun’s translation process, and what tools does she utilize?
[14:00] Ji Hyun’s favorite words and phrases to translate and which are most difficult.
[15:00] How the tone in which a word is said influences the meaning.
[18:00] Understanding the background and nuance of Korean words and how difficult it can make them to translate.
[21:50] Examples of translating Korean to English.
[24:25] Ji Hyun’s best practices for ensuring inclusive translations.
[26:45] Inclusive terms that don’t exist in the Korean language yet.
[27:43] What would Ji Hyun ask for if she could to make her job easier?
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