Korean stands as one of the world’s most interesting languages. Given Korea’s position as a major player in the global economy in addition to its global cultural reach, Korean translation is of the utmost importance.
Here are five amazing facts about this great language:
1. Korean Has 82 Million Speakers
The Korean language is the 17th most widely spoken language in the world, as it has around 82 million speakers globally. The language is primarily spoken on the Korean peninsula, as well as in a few parts of China, including Yanbian and Changbai County in Jilin Province. It is also spoken among the Korean diaspora in Turkey, Japan, the United States, and Canada.
2. The Language In North And South Korea Is Different
Because of the long period of separation between the two countries, the North and South Korean languages have evolved to have distinct vocabularies, pronunciations, and even grammatical rules. One perfect example is the phrase ‘thank you.’ It is spelled 고마와 and pronounced ‘komawa’. In North Korea, while in South Korea, it is spelled 고마워 and pronounced ‘gomawo.’ Clearly, the complexity of these two dialects can prove difficult for even seasoned providers of translation services.
3. In Korean Translation, Verbs Always Come Last
English sentences typically follow a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, meaning that the word order is always Subject, Verb, and then Object. Korean, in contrast, is an SOV language, meaning that the verb is always the final element in the sentence and comes after the object. The Japanese language also uses the SOV word order.
4. Korean Translation Is Hard-To-Learn For English Speakers
This is due to the fact that the word order might be confusing to English speakers. According to the US Foreign Service Institute, Korean is one of the most complicated languages for English speakers to learn. Some of the reasons English speakers find Korean difficult include: the different word order, elaborate honorific system, and various noun and verb endings are some of the factors that make Korean challenging to learn for English speakers.
5. Hangul Is Known As The “World’s Best Alphabet”
The Korean alphabet is known as hangul. Hangul has 10 vowels and 14 consonants for a total of 24 characters, which can be combined to form thousands of different words. Hangul is often praised as the “world’s best alphabet” and it’s not difficult to see why. Unlike many other writing systems, there is no ambiguity in how the letters are pronounced. Hangul was specifically designed to be easy to learn and use.
Korean Translation Services at Language Connections
Are you looking for language translation or interpreting services? The Korean translation team at Language Connections consists of trained linguists who provide exemplary professional language services. We translate and interpret both from and into Korean. Our Japanese specialists come from diverse backgrounds and are experts in their subject areas, so we can complete projects perfectly in most industries. If you have questions about Korean medical translation, technical translation, legal translation, or others, please reach out.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
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