Korean interpreters and translators for companies, universities, hospitals, solicitors and public services anywhere in the UK, with face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Korean and English, and bookings taken 24 hours a day. We cover negotiations and factory visits as readily as clinic appointments.
- 8,000+ linguists
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Korean interpreting services
Almost all interpreters work from the Seoul standard, which every South Korean hears on television and learns at school. Regional speech still shows through: the Gyeongsang and Jeolla accents are easy to follow once tuned in, while the traditional speech of Jeju Island is hard going even for other Koreans. Speakers raised in North Korea use the Pyongyang standard, with native coinages where the South borrows English, so mention it when booking.
Negotiations, interviews and medical appointments are interpreted consecutively. A conference or a board presentation running for hours may call for simultaneous interpreting, which needs planning, equipment and more than one interpreter; talk to us early if that is what you have in mind.
Face-to-face interpreting
The interpreter comes to you: a hospital ward, a courtroom, a council office, a home visit or a business meeting. It is the best choice when people need to read expressions as well as words, or when the conversation is long or sensitive.
Telephone interpreting
The quickest option to set up. It works well for short calls, triage, appointment reminders and quick checks with a client.
Video interpreting
A Korean interpreter joins by video for remote hearings, consultations and meetings, which helps when there is no interpreter near you.
We also provide medical interpreting and conference interpreting.
Certified Korean translation
Since the old family register was abolished in 2008, South Korea issues a set of separate certificates in its place: a Basic Certificate, a Family Relation Certificate, a Marriage Relation Certificate and others, each describing one part of a person's status. UK bodies often need two or three of them, certified in English, for visas, marriage or probate. Korean dates run year, month, day, often with full stops between them, and we write them out in the British order with the month in words so nobody misreads them.
Korean women keep their own surname after marriage, which regularly puzzles UK forms, and our translations say so plainly where it matters. Every translator works into their native language: Korean documents go into English with a native English speaker.
- Certified translation of birth, marriage and death certificates, passports, driving licences, degree certificates and bank statements, for the Home Office, courts, universities and employers.
- Legal translation: witness statements, court bundles, contracts and immigration papers.
- Document translation of medical reports, letters, leaflets and patient information.
- Urgent translation when a deadline is close.
- Transcription of Korean audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Korean translation
For readers in Britain, write in South Korean standard spelling unless you know the audience comes from the North. Choose the speech level deliberately: the formal ending suits contracts, official letters and signs, while the polite everyday ending reads better in patient leaflets and school letters. Chinese characters are almost never needed. Readers from North Korea may stumble over English loanwords, so plain native terms travel further.
Korean court and police interpreters
Korean cases in UK courts range from commercial disputes involving Korean companies to criminal matters and family proceedings. Register is the difficulty to watch: a witness who answers in the deferential style can sound evasive or hesitant if rendered word for word, and blunt if flattened. We choose Korean interpreters who have legal experience and, where interpreters holding them exist for Korean, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI).
How to book a Korean interpreter
- Tell us about the assignment: the date, time and address, or that you need telephone or video; how long it should last; and what it is for, such as a hospital appointment, a hearing or a business meeting.
- Tell us about the speaker: their country or region and, if you know it, their dialect. Mention any preference for a male or female interpreter.
- Get your quote. We email you a quote, with no obligation to book.
Call 0800 2425 125, email info@uklinguisticservices.co.uk or request a quote online.
About the Korean language
Korean is a Koreanic language, usually treated as an isolate. It is spoken mainly in South Korea and North Korea. Korean is the official language of South Korea and North Korea.
Korean is written in Hangul, an alphabet created in the 15th century.
At the 2021 Census, 12,117 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Korean as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (2,113 people), the London borough of Merton (828) and the London borough of Sutton (443). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: South and North Korea share the script but differ in some vocabulary and spelling. Names can be romanised in several ways (Lee, Yi or Rhee), so send the passport spelling for certified translations.
| Name in Korean | 한국어 |
|---|---|
| Language family | Koreanic language, usually treated as an isolate |
| Where it is spoken | South Korea and North Korea |
| Writing system | Hangul, an alphabet created in the 15th century |
| Language code | ko |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 12,117 people |
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Korean interpreters near you
We send Korean interpreters to appointments across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and telephone and video interpreting work wherever you are. Choose a town for its local page.
Korean interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Korean interpreter?
We take bookings 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Telephone and video interpreting are usually the quickest to arrange. For a face-to-face appointment, give us as much notice as you can: same-day cover is often possible, but it depends on where you are and how many Korean interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Korean interpreter cost?
The price depends on the type of interpreting (face-to-face, telephone or video), how long the appointment lasts, where it is and how much notice you give. We quote before anything is booked, and quotes are free: call 0800 2425 125 or use our online quote form.
Can you certify Korean translations for a UK visa or immigration application?
Yes. We translate and certify documents such as birth and marriage certificates, passports and police certificates for visa, settlement and citizenship applications. UK Visas and Immigration asks for each translation to confirm that it is accurate and to show the date and the translator's full name, signature and contact details, so tell us when you order that the document is for an immigration application. Because Korean is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Korean interpreters for courts, tribunals and police interviews?
Yes. Tell us the setting when you book, for example a Crown Court trial, an immigration tribunal hearing or a police interview under caution, so we can match a Korean interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Korean in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 12,117 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Korean as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (2,113 people), the London borough of Merton (828) and the London borough of Sutton (443). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Korean at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
