Asia and the Middle East

Korean translation and interpreting services

Certified Korean translation and professional Korean interpreters for government agencies, courts, hospitals, schools, and employers, with the speech level, terminology, and name spellings your readers expect.

Get a Korean quote Call 720-325-0459

Korean, in its own words

한국어

Hangugeo

모든 인간은 태어날 때부터 자유로우며 그 존엄과 권리에 있어 동등하다.
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

Korean is written in Hangul, an alphabet of 24 basic letters grouped into syllable blocks. South Koreans call the language Hangugeo; North Koreans call it Chosŏnŏ (조선어).

What good Korean translation takes

합니다해요해
A consistent speech level
Every Korean sentence commits to a speech level. Public notices, patient instructions, and workplace policies each need one level applied throughout, and mixing levels reads as careless. We set the level with you at the start.
LeeYiRhee
Names spelled the same everywhere
The surname 이 appears in English as Lee, Yi, or Rhee, and 박 as Park, Pak, or Bak. A certified translation must use the spelling on the passport and earlier records. Korean women keep their own surnames after marriage, so spouses' surnames differ on family documents.
노동로동
South Korean or North Korean usage
Most Korean speakers in the United States come from South Korea, and materials should follow the South Korean standard. North Korea has its own standard, with different spelling and pronunciation rules; “labor” is 노동 in the South and 로동 in the North. Ask before you book for a speaker from the North.
漢字한자
Hanja in older records
Korean is written in Hangul today, but older records and some legal texts mix in hanja, Chinese characters used for Sino-Korean words. The translator must read both scripts accurately.

Korean in the United States

1 in 2 U.S. residents who speak Korean at home speak English less than “very well” (49 percent).^{[1] source}

Speakers at home: 1,150,701 people age 5 and older speak Korean at home (2024)^{[1] source}
Limited English: 565,989 of them, 49 percent, speak English less than “very well”^{[1] source}
Rank: Seventh among the language categories in the Census Bureau's 2024 language table^{[1] source}
Largest communities: California (350,520 speakers), then New York, New Jersey, and Texas (about 77,000 to 89,000 each); the largest metro areas are Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C.^{[1] source}
Korean immigrants: 1.09 million in 2024, mostly from South Korea; the top counties include Los Angeles and Orange in California, Bergen in New Jersey, Queens in New York, and Fairfax in Virginia^{[2] source}
Writing system: Hangul, created under King Sejong and published in 1446; 24 basic letters written in syllable blocks^{[3] source}

One verb, five speech levels

Korean marks the relationship between speaker and listener in the verb ending. Here is hada, “to do,” in five of the speech levels defined in the National Institute of Korean Language’s Standard Korean Language Dictionary. Pick the wrong one, and a notice sounds curt or overly familiar.

합니다hamnida · hasipsio-che, formalthe highest respect for the listener
해요haeyo · haeyo-che, informalpolite and softer; widely used where the formal polite levels would be
하오hao · hao-che, formalmoderate respect; now rare in speech
한다handa · haera-che, formalplain; lowers the listener
해hae · hae-che, informalno respect marked; widely used where the plain levels would be

The dictionary also lists hage-che, used by older speakers toward younger adults or close peers, and hasoseo-che, which is almost never spoken today. Honoring the person being talked about is a separate choice: the ending -si- can be added at any level.

Korean in Colorado

Our headquarters is in Aurora, in the Denver metro area, so we schedule on-site Korean interpreters across Colorado and nationwide, and translate for Colorado agencies, courts, hospitals, schools, and employers.

Aurora Our headquarters, in the Denver metro area

Colorado: About 16,000 Coloradans speak Korean at home (15,965 in 2024)^{[7] source}
Denver metro: About 11,000 of them live in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area^{[7] source}

Who relies on our Korean linguists

Healthcare
Consent forms, discharge instructions, and interpreters for appointments in person, by phone, or by video.
Courts and legal
Certified translation of contracts and evidence, and Korean interpreters for depositions and hearings.
Schools
Report cards, special-education documents, and interpreters for parent-teacher conferences.
Government agencies
Language access notices, benefit forms, and outreach for Korean-speaking residents.
Employers and manufacturing
Safety training, technical documents, and HR materials for Korean-speaking staff.
Immigration documents
Certified translations of birth and marriage records, diplomas, and other civil documents for USCIS filings.

Korean translation services

Our Korean translators work into and out of English and other languages, following an ISO 17100 process: translation by a qualified linguist, then revision by a second linguist before delivery. Certified translations include a signed statement of accuracy, and files move through our encrypted client portal.

Document translation Localization Transcription

What we translate in Korean

Birth, marriage, and death certificates
Diplomas, transcripts, and immigration documents
Contracts, court filings, and legal evidence
Medical records and patient materials
Technical manuals and safety documents
Websites, software, and training content

Korean interpreters

Our Korean interpreters work in person, by phone, and by video, in consecutive and simultaneous modes. We match each assignment to the setting, with court-certified or credentialed interpreters where the work requires them, send briefing materials ahead so interpreters arrive prepared, and assign a team for long or simultaneous sessions. Every Korean interpreter is background-checked and bound by a confidentiality agreement.

Why agencies choose us for Korean

Our Korean team carries the credentials courts, hospitals, and agencies ask for.

Court-certified interpreters
Korean interpreters certified by the Colorado Judicial Branch, for hearings, depositions, and attorney–client meetings.
CCHI-certified medical interpreters
Medical interpreters nationally certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters.
ATA-certified translators
Korean translators certified by the American Translators Association.

Everything went GREAT! The interpreters were very professional and accommodating. The translators were very engaged and interested in our conference as well.

Peter PiehResearch and Communications Specialist, World Council of Credit UnionsSpanish, Portuguese, and Korean interpreting and translation, Colorado Convention Center

More Korean services

Korean simultaneous interpreting and equipment
Korean interpreters plus receivers, headsets, and booths from our Denver hub for conferences, delegation visits, and trainings.
Korean interpreters by phone and video
Korean interpreters for benefits calls, claims interviews, and attorney meetings anywhere in the country, at the speech level the setting calls for.
Certified translation of Korean records
Birth and marriage records, diplomas, and transcripts for USCIS, courts, and schools, with names spelled as on the passport and a signed statement of accuracy.

Our Korean work

Selected Korean projects for our clients.

Federal agenciesOn-site Korean interpreting.
Medical practices and health systemsOn-site Korean interpreting.
World Council of Credit UnionsKorean translation and simultaneous interpreting at a conference of more than 3,100 participants at the Colorado Convention Center.
University of ColoradoKorean translation for Boulder Student Services.
Agren Blando Court Reporting and VideoKorean interpreters for a court reporting and legal video firm.
Colorado Department of Labor and EmploymentKorean phone interpreting for the Unemployment Division.

Korean translation and interpreting FAQs

Which speech level will our Korean translation use?

The one your reader expects. Official notices and customer materials usually take the formal polite level; friendlier outreach can use the casual polite level. Tell us the audience, and we apply one level consistently.

How do you spell Korean names on certified translations?

Exactly as the person spells them on their passport or earlier U.S. records, when you provide those. Otherwise we follow the spelling on the source document and flag any name with common variants, such as Lee, Yi, and Rhee.

Can your Korean translations serve readers in both the United States and Korea?

Yes. We write to the South Korean standard, which Korean readers in both countries use, and adjust vocabulary for U.S. programs and terms that have no exact counterpart in Korea.

Do you provide Korean interpreters for medical and legal settings?

Yes, on-site, by phone, and by video, with court-certified or credentialed interpreters where the work requires them. Tell us the setting so the interpreter is prepared for its terminology and the speech level it calls for.

Do you provide certified Korean translation?

Yes. Certified Korean translations include a signed statement that the translation is complete and accurate, the format courts, schools, and immigration authorities such as USCIS require.

How much does Korean translation cost?

Price depends on the word count, subject matter, deadline, and whether you need certification. Send your files for a fixed quote and delivery date, with no obligation.

Sources

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