In several sectors of Korean society, from education to the civil service, women prevail. The interpretation profession is another such field, if not one of the most notable ones.At local graduate schools specializing in interpretation and translation, female students have far outnumbered male ones for a long time, which has contributed to the female dominance in the field. For example, women account for some 80 percent of students at the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation at Hank

Kim Sung-jun, a 30-year-old translator, relies more on the Internet than before to translate technical documents for military equipment. Tasked with books as thick as a dictionary, his trick to quick translation is to run the document through the Internet translation first before tackling the job himself.“Internet translation service saves time and efforts. Although the quality is not as good as that of translation by humans, it would have consumed twice as much time to translate the whole docum

While translation of different languages is one of the most commonly known forms of interpretation, there are other unique types of interpretation that serve to protect the people or connect societies that otherwise remain poles apart.　They range from sign language translators who act as the gateway to the outside world for the deaf, to soldiers missioned with a crucial role to deliver military information in the world’s last-remaining divided country.　In Korea, there are about 1,200 sign langua

Nation's delivery culture keeps evolving

Thanks to the unique “Ppalli Ppalli (hurry, hurry)” culture and one of the best logistics networks in the world, Korea’s delivery industry is thriving, with its range widening and services getting even more specific. From garments and books to groceries and even breast milk, nearly everything can be delivered for a bargain, and the time has reduced to nearly the blink of an eye, offering real-time services. Anything you wantThe most iconic item in the delivery market is food. Whether you call fo

Drones are widely expected to become a game-changer in the future delivery market. Tech firms like Amazon, Google and Alibaba have announced their intentions to use drones for delivery in recent years, and are working on pilot programs. German logistics giant DHL was the first to start a regular drone delivery service, under the project name Parcelcopter 2.0, operating since September last year.  Even though drones are all the rage globally, Korea -- the second nation to develop its own unmanned

Food delivery apps bring zest to restaurant industry

A young man hitting the road on a high-speed motorcycle is the typical image of delivery drivers here, but recently Korean consumers’ growing demands for safer services has been changing the scene.  Park Jae-yeol, 69, delivers some 180 packages spread over three days each week to his apartment neighbors in Eungam-dong, Seoul, using an electric handcart. He is one of some 470 senior deliverymen, aged over 60, working for the country’s largest logistics firm CJ Korea Express.“For the firm, the ‘Si

Global hit animations boast intricate, layered plotlines for all ages

Few may have anticipated the tremendous impacts of smartphones and mobile applications on conventional businesses from taxi operators to brick-and-mortar retailers when the market began adopting smartphones in earnest less than a decade ago.Now few can dismiss the striking tech development under which previously dominant business sectors, including financial services, are going through disruptive changes caused mainly by the versatile telecommunications devices.The mobile payment market, in part

In the early 2000s, Korean tourists to Turkey saw a foreign exchange rate of 1 million won to about 1.3 billion lira.When it comes to South Korea’s economic scale, its won-denominated gross domestic product is estimated at about 1.6 quadrillion won last year, or 1,600,000,000,000,000 won. Its outstanding household debt, fully written out in the local currency, is 1,100,000,000,000,000 won.Inbound tourists can sometimes get confused by the multiple-unit conversions such as thousands of dollars to

Hwan-denominated notes, issued in 1953. (Bank of Korea)King Sejong, whose portrait is printed on South Korea’s 10,000 won banknote, was a key figure of the 15th century in the Joseon era (1392-1910).　Other historical figures on the three other denominated bills (50,000 won, 5,000 won and 1,000 won) and the 100 won coin lived during the 16th century.　While the figures lived in the Joseon era’s earlier half, during which historians say currency usage was rare, their counterparts in the latter half

A virtual currency is shifting the idea of a centralized, corporeal currency while debates -- with their pros and cons -- on its safety and efficacy matters are underway.Bitcoin is a digital currency that was created in 2009 by an individual or group called Satoshi Nakamoto, whose identity is still unknown.One of bitcoin’s biggest features is that it is decentralized -- not managed by typical monetary policymakers including central banks and finance ministries.Instead, it is managed by groups or

Korean companies are fast establishing themselves in the growing Central Asian market as the region undergoes economic development. Local construction firms made a name for themselves in carrying out large-scale projects in the Middle East, and they are now proving themselves again in Central Asia. Although Central Asian nations are rich in natural resources and manpower, they are only now focusing on establishing basic infrastructure, presenting a huge market for those with the construction cap

South Korean train-maker Hyundai Rotem, owned by Hyundai Motor Group, is seeking to become a bigger global player by stepping up efforts to bring its railway vehicles and systems to developing markets overseas.“Having established a presence in 35 countries, our core strategy is to use the positive reputation we have built up in the industry to enter new markets in countries with aging or no railway infrastructure in Central America and South America, such as Peru and Colombia,” said a Hyundai Ro