Meet Areum S., a Japanese and Korean translator who lives in Seoul, South Korea. She enjoys working on gaming, IT, and marketing-related translation projects. Read more about Areum below.

What do you like most about being a part of the Lionbridge Community?

Working for Lionbridge is very special to me. It enables me to communicate with Lions all around the world. I also enjoy the way we work with each other — I'd like to describe our relationship as collaborative, flexible, and enjoyable.

How did you get into this field?

I got involved in the translation and localization industry very naturally. After graduating with a degree in English literature and Japanese tourism interpretation, I moved to Japan to study Japanese language education at graduate school. After I completed my master's degree and Ph.D. coursework, I started working as an in-house translator and interpreter for a game company. That was my first full-time career in this field, but I also took on some freelance jobs while I was studying as a graduate student. These experiences allowed me to be proactive part of this industry.

Areum S., a Lionbridge Translation Partner

What advice would you give your younger self if they were just starting out in this field?

Meet the world, and make it your own!

Tell us about some of your hobbies and interests.

I enjoy playing online and video games, and board games sometimes. I also enjoy reading books, especially mysteries and nonfiction. I also like to do yoga in the morning. I love flowers, and I am thinking about taking some flower arrangements classes when I have time.

How many languages do you speak, and do you want to learn a new one?

My native language is Korean, and my second language is Japanese. I'm fluent in English as well. Other than that, I understand German and French a bit. I'd like to keep learning and studying the languages that I can speak since there is no end to learning, but there are many beginnings.

What is your favorite word or phrase in your native language and why is it your favorite?

I’ll share my favorite words in both Korean and Japanese, since I am involved in translation and localization for both of those languages. For Korean, my favorite word is '마음(mah-eum).' There are a lot of ways of translating it — it could be interpreted as (emotional) heart, soul, feeling, mind, or interest, depending on the context. '四六時中 (shi-roku-ji-chu)' is my favorite Japanese word. It is derived from the four times of the day known as 'shi-ji' (early morning, noon, late afternoon, and dusk) in combination with the six times of the day known as 'roku-ji,' so the word itself means 'all the time,’ since 4 times 6 equals 24.