Korean Job Discussion Forums

rnrpaulsen · Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Location: Cheongju, South Korea

Anyone done any of it? How do you get this kind of side-job? Finally, is it illegal? It's unrelated to teaching, so the hagwon shouldn't have a problem with it (unlike privates, which "rob the school of students" or something) but is there something visa-related that would cause problems?

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Manner of Speaking · Joined: 09 Jan 2003

One of the problems I find with proofreading technical papers is, even after you have corrected the bad grammar and writing, you don't know if the translation was properly done or whether your changes correctly communicate the technical details of the original document.

Homer · Guest

I see your point manner of speaking but when doing proofreading, the way the paper was translated before you got it is really none of your concern!

I do some proofreading sometimes. The job there is to check the document to ensure the English is correct. It is not to check if the translation from the original language (Korean here) was well done as this is a completely different job that requires completely different skills!

So, in short, you should not worry if the translation was properly done or will be properly done after you are done proofreading the document as this beyond your control or the scope of your task here.

ladyandthetramp · Joined: 21 Nov 2003

Speaking of proofreading...

A couple weeks ago a woman walked into my classroom during lunch with a few pages of some technical documents. I asked if she had a question, and she proceded to try to hand me these papers, says she would like me to proofread them. Mind you, she didn't even introduce herself or her company. I was polite at first, thinking maybe she worked at my school, but after asking her company's name I realized she wasn't a coworker. I couldn't believe that she was just handing me documents without an introduction or any talk of pay. Wouldn't common sense tell you to introduce yourself to people before trying to get free labor out of them?

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

The other day one of my adult students (nicknamed "the stalker" by the Korean staff long before I arrived here) was asking me bizarre hard to answer english questions after class, so I (truthfully!) told him I didn't have time then as I had a lunch appointment.

So he said ok and I left. 2 minutes later I realised I'd left my bag in the room, and walked briskly into the room to grab it and leave again. He then stops me, tries to hand me a piece of paper and a pen (which I skillfully block) and requests that I write a comparison of the British and American university systems for him then and there, on the spot. I said no.

-HE

ladyandthetramp · Joined: 21 Nov 2003

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Yeah proof reading/editing is a lot of word of mouth. Make friends with Koreans in media. You should actually have some editing ability, of course. I suppose you could hang up little signs around universities offering proof reading services.

Is it legal? No. I think your E2 Visa qualifies you to teach only, not run a business on the side.

And it can pay far less than you think it might, depending on who you're working for and how much they're used to paying, say, a Korean to English translator (who get paid less than Lotteria employees).

simone · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: Now Mostly @ Home

Done tons over the years. Despised it.

With technical proofreading work, you either care or you don't, to check and see the "original idea" when the translation is unclear. So it's either unpaid perfectionism, or passing off knowingly shoddy work. Both can eat your soul over time.

Editing on-site means that the author is usually sitting with you, and over time, the ones with the poorest writing just start to HATE you. Also a drag.

But, much like voice acting work, if you want it, good work always comes back to you. Two things if you're going to be in Korea for a while:

1) Make up a ton of biz cards (with a fake surname, or that old favourite, using the middle name as the surname) and hand them out everywhere.

2) Never never change your handphone number.

Even after I'd left Korea to go back to school, the friend of a friend who ended up with my phone kept getting calls to do dubbing work at KBS! Lucky break for someone only two weeks in country....