An introduction to Korean language, history, and culture
Both the North and the South of Korea use Korean as their official language, and it is also used as a minority language in China. As a language spoken only in Korea, it belongs to the Koreanic language family. The Korean alphabet consists of two separate writing systems: the phonetic hangul and the pictographic hanja (Chinese characters).
Korean culture has existed for a very long time and is shaped by the beliefs of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shamanism. Respect for elders and a commitment to family is important to Korean culture. Probably the most well-known genre of traditional Korean art, traditional Korean dance is renowned for its fluidity and energetic movements.
The Three Kingdoms era (57 BC-668 AD) is often regarded as the beginning of Korean history, while the history of the Korean peninsula extends back far further in antiquity. Additionally crucial to understanding Korean history are the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. The Korean Peninsula was divided into North and South during the Korean War (1950–1953). South Korea is a democratic republic, whereas North Korea is a communist regime
What are the challenges of Korean to English translation service?
Just like any two distinct languages, Korean and English have many features that make translating between them quite a tricky and delicate task, but these differences can be summed up in two main aspects:
Linguistic differences
The two languages have different grammatical systems, and this is a major barrier between them. English typically follows a subject-verb-object word order, while Korean often uses a subject-object-verb word order. Because of this, expressing oneself clearly in writing is sometimes challenging. Additionally, the degrees of politeness and formality in Korean and English are different, making translation challenging. It’s not always easy to translate honorifics and deferential language from Korean to English, for instance.
Cultural variations
Idiomatic terms and cultural allusions are different, which might be a barrier. Many colloquial idioms and cultural allusions used in Korean and English do not have a straight translation in the other language, making translation more challenging. Last but not least, the morphological complexity of the Korean language allows for a great variety of interpretations of a given word via the use of inflection and a variety of morphemes.
This is why translating between Korean and English is difficult; it calls for a deep understanding of both languages and cultures.
We can answer all of your needs when it comes to Korean legal translation
The translation of legal documents between English and Korean is an important service not only for law firms engaged in multi-jurisdictional cases, but also businesses in various other sectors.
The Korean language is the official and national language of both Koreas – North Korea and South Korea – and is a recognised minority language in Russia and China. Indeed, almost 80 million people around the world are thought to speak this East Asian language.
All of this means that Korean continues to feature in many legal documents that may need to be translated if their meaning is to be fully understood by English speakers – and vice versa.
Whether you require Korean legal translation services as a law firm involved in international litigation services or arbitration across borders, or your company is overseeing a merger that necessitates the accurate translation of key contracts, you can depend on us for both speed and quality.
Why choose LingArch for your legal translation needs?
Our reputation as a provider of international legal translation services is formidable. We use only native speakers for all of our translation work, as part of our ISO-certified approach.
Catering to sectors encompassing not only law firms but also finance, healthcare, travel, hospitality, advertising and more, we undertake important legal translations on a 24/7 basis, drawing upon the expertise of our various teams based in multiple time zones. This combination of qualities helps to ensure not only the most meticulous translation, but also a swift turnaround.
Our most frequently requested Korean legal translation service is our three-stage human translation service. When you request this service, we will arrange a native speaker to perform the initial translation of the text, which will then be scrupulously checked by two other independent professionals to make sure the style and terminology are correct.
Depending on your particular requirements, however, we can also provide a machine translation and human proofreading service. This service combines automated translation services with subsequent checking and editing by a human being.
Finally, entirely automated translation is another option, with no human intervention at all. Given that this particular service exclusively uses an algorithm, we would not advise that clients use it for sensitive legal purposes; however, it does help the reader to understand the basic meaning of the translated text.
Give us a call now to request your Korean legal translation quote
Our 99% client satisfaction rate shows the high level of respect in which we are held in our industry – in short, when you need a legal document to be translated from Korean to English or from English to Korean, you can have the utmost faith in our service.
We can also provide a cost estimate within minutes, are flexible about how much we charge, and have a track record of consistently meeting even the tightest deadlines. So, why not reach out to us today for a quote and to take advantage of our knowhow in Korean legal translation?