▶ ‘Work-Life Balance Guarantee’ Emerging as a Top Profession Realizing Work-Life Balance: ‘Translator’ on the Rise
Following last year, the keyword ‘Work-Life Balance (WLB)’ has been rapidly gaining attention across all media outlets in South Korea since the beginning of this year. Reflecting the public sentiment that values work-life balance, various laws and systems of the government, including the President’s New Year’s address, are focused on realizing the nation’s WLB. In fact, the top condition for a good workplace chosen by millennial employees is the guarantee of WLB (49.9%), followed by financial satisfaction (48.9%), indicating that the majority of South Korean workers desire WLB, although it is realistically considered a difficult condition to achieve simultaneously.
As jobs guaranteeing WLB gain spotlight, the translator profession is being re-evaluated as a lifelong stable career that offers optimal conditions to achieve WLB without job stress or retirement concerns, while also providing financial satisfaction. According to the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education & Training’s 10-year future job outlook, translators scored higher than the average of other professionals such as professors, judges, and doctors in employment status, development potential, professional expertise, and employment equality. Translators are also identified as highly suitable for short working hours, flexible working hours, and high-income professional jobs, making it an ideal profession for WLB.
Consequently, many people show interest in the translator profession, but most do not know what preparations are needed to engage in translation activities, what kind of translators are preferred in the field, or which translators earn well.
▶ Severe Shortage of Experienced Translators Despite Rapidly Increasing Demand for Industrial Translation
In the domestic translation market, industrial translation accounts for over 90% of the total translation volume, and the volume continues to increase annually despite economic downturns. However, the reality is that there is a severe shortage of translators who can work in the field compared to the growing demand.
Translators who can work in the field are defined as those familiar with industrial translation and having at least three years of translation experience, which is a consistent qualification requirement across all domestic translation sites. Therefore, general translators without industrial translation experience find it difficult to engage in translation activities regardless of their impressive credentials.
Moreover, to officially recognize translation experience, a translation experience certificate submitted to clients or client companies must specifically state verifiable details such as activity period, client, translation field, translation volume, and translation fee. For this reason, general translators without experience strive to build translation experience, but it is difficult to have their experience recognized in the translation market with general translation work, and the advancement of AI translation engines has made long-term translation activities more challenging.
▶ Korea Translation Development Institute Supports Translators’ Translation Activities Based on 「NCS National Competency Standards」 and 「ISO17100 International Translation Standards」
Recently, among prospective translators without translation experience, the Korea Translation Development Institute’s translator talent development program has gained fame as an alternative for gaining experience. It is the only and first program in Korea that can substitute translation experience through translation field training and actual translation activities, attracting significant attention for its rarity and value.
The Korea Translation Development Institute is the only large-scale government translation company in Korea with 30 years of experience, consistently participating in various national events and government projects such as the Asian Games and OECD, and holds major clients including public institutions, public enterprises, and large corporations.
It is the first company in Korea to obtain ISO17100 international translation standard certification, standardizing industrial translation processes and translators’ performance capabilities according to international regulations, thereby supporting fundamental and long-term translation activities of experienced translators so they can handle any translation work. Additionally, translation experience management is conducted according to the National Competency Standard (NCS), the domestic standard for occupational activities, and in line with the mandatory NCS recruitment, it is the only company in the industry that provides translation experience certificates to all clients, recognizing the professionalism of experienced translators in knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to job performance.
The translator talent development program was developed based on these diverse independent initiatives, aiming to unify translators’ competencies, qualifications, and experience to consistently maintain the quality of translation demanded by clients. It substitutes the three-year translation experience required to guarantee translators’ translation activities, with training courses consisting of one year of prospective translator course, one year of junior translator course, and one year of field training.
After undergoing training focused on cultivating practical skills in various delivery standards, quality standards, and quality control required by clients through actual translation materials in different industrial fields, trainees proceed to ‘field training by specialization,’ which develops practical skills and sensibilities in the translation field according to actual translation processes. Subsequently, through ‘practical work,’ actual translation activities, the translation performance recognized in the translation market is completed. While theoretical education is important, translation education required in the field must be based on actual translation activities, which are equated with experience.
No matter how good the education is, if it does not guarantee translation work leading to translation output, independent translation activities by prospective translators become very difficult, and the effectiveness of education significantly decreases. From now on, translation ability cannot be recognized in the translation market by education alone. Career development and management for translators’ translation activities can only be provided by translation companies.
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