Korean Translation: Free or Paid?

Korean Adoptees often come to expect things for free, and this can have both its pros and its cons. There are many amazing volunteer Korean translators out there who often have amazing intentions, but the problem is that you can never demand that a translation be done on a particular schedule or know what the scope of the translation might be. For example, you might submit a document for translation to a volunteer translator, and they might only translate small bits and pieces of what they consider to be the most important information. But it is often important that the entire document be translated. You might also not ever quite know with a volunteer translator when they might complete the translation, or IF they ever will. When relying on the kindness of strangers, you might not feel comfortable asking too many times for an update, or asking for too much from a volunteer translator.

We say from experience - being too cheap to PAY for a full, accurate translation can cost you YEARS of valuable time in birth family search.

Please save yourself considerable heartache and lost time, and do not be too cheap to pay for a good, complete translation of your adoption documents by a reliable, well vetted translator.

From our own experience, we have had great experiences with both paid and volunteer translators. Depending on how fast you may need a translation, or how in depth, you should determine if you want to risk not getting everything translated, or not getting everything translated on time by asking for a free translation from a volunteer, or getting everything translated within a reasonable time period by requesting a paid translation.

We really encourage you to explore both avenues - both paid and volunteer translators - but just understand that there are pros and cons to each. In your case, you may very well end up using BOTH paid AND volunteer translators, and that is totally fine.

You can easily find Korean translators for hire online - simply do a little Googling. Thanks to Zoom, the internet, and phones, your translator need not be in the same geographic area as you are. Be sure that you find a translator who honors confidentiality, and who is sensitive to adoption issues. It’s a good idea to call or email a prospective translator in advance to discuss the particulars of your needs.

For in person translation in Korea, what is often most important is the translator’s gender and age. Korean birth mothers may not be very open if they must talk through a young teenage or college aged translator who is male. Be sensitive to the topics which birth parents may not be comfortable discussing in front of strangers, or in front of those who are younger than them. Age is very important in Korea, and sensitive topics are less likely to be shared with a younger than an older translator, and the gender may matter depending on the circumstances.

If you are a Korea Social Service (KSS) Adoptee ONLY, please contact us to be referred to a paid translator whom we trust.