Korean Job Discussion Forums

[itiswhatitis]

Language skills have the poential to be valuable in so many ways.

Anyone working as a translator?

I'm hoping to put my Korean language studies to use in the future by doing some translation work.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Although I currently have an E-2 I hope to have an F visa in the next 1-2 years.

[modernseoul]

I've personally not meet any westerns working as translators here in Korea, as there are plenty of gyopos and native Koreans who are perfectly bilingual. This also means that pay wise you aren't going to do much better (if any) over being an English Teacher.
There are however plenty of well paying jobs out there for F visa holders who can speak a passable level of Korean.

[mike in brasil]

I do a little of it at my job, but it's mainly limited to translating simple stuff. It's also very handy for me to know Korean when helping my Korean coworkers when they doing their translations.

As Modernseoul said, there are plenty of Koreans and gyopos who can do it. I'm neither, btw.

So if it is your goal, then find a niche where you can exploit your knowledge or special skills.

[steve-o]

Yes, I've met a few westerners on E-2 visas who have transitioned into that kind of work.

It took many years of study, but they're doing pretty well now.

Here's some info on Korean translation.

[young_clinton]

If there's a choice between a native speaker Korean native English speaker translator and a native English speaker and a non-native Korean speaker translator, who is more desirable? There are tons of Koreans in the USA looking for easy jobs. The same with native American Chinese looking for jobs. I wouldn't count on the ESL or language industry in another country.