I specialize in translating Korean cultural heritage, and, more broadly, pre-modern Korean history and traditional culture.
My interest in editing and translation began in my high school journalism class, where I learned the fundamentals of style guides and page design. I then spent three years on the school newspaper, gaining experience while serving as a page and section editor.
During my time as a graduate student at the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS), I have served as the lead editor of the Korean Cultural Heritage English Interpretive Text Compilation Team at the Center for Digital Humanities, which was designated in 2020 as the supervisory institution for the Cultural Heritage Administration’s “Cultural Heritage Information Panel Improvement Project.” In this role, I have personally written, translated, and/or edited over 5,000 English-language interpretive texts on a diverse range of cultural and natural heritages for nearly 200 local governments across South Korea.
Apart from this, I have worked as an editor and/or translator at institutions such as the National Museum of Korea, the Seoul Museum of History, the Association of Korean Buddhist Orders, the Institute of Confucian Philosophy and Culture (Sungkyunkwan University), the Korean Studies Promotion Service (AKS), and more.
For complete lists of my work, please see the links below:
Languages
I am a native English speaker and have received Level 6 on the TOPIK exam. Although I am not fluent in classical Chinese, I am familiar with Chinese characters (hanja) and have significant experience cross-referencing original classical Chinese texts to ensure that translations are accurate.
Guidelines
By default, I follow the Chicago Manual of Style and use the Revised Romanization of Korean. However, I am also familiar with McCune–Reischauer Romanization and can adjust to other style guidelines as needed.
I am also closely familiar with the Cultural Heritage Administration’s official English naming guidelines and English-language interpretation guidelines, as I have acted as a consultant on these guidelines over the years.
Beyond Translation
As part of my editing and translation services, I also provide feedback regarding content and formatting to ensure that it is easy for English speakers to understand.