PART 1.
Government Administration

01 | Names of 20 government ministries
Yoon Suk Yeol's Government Ministries and Agencies

02 | 120 National Tasks of the 20th Government
120 Policy Tasks of the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration

PART 2.
Essential Expressions and General Knowledge for Interpreters

01 | Essential Expressions for International Conferences
Essential Expressions for International Conferences

02 | Basic Principles of Protocol
Basic Protocol Rules

03 | Press Conference Essential Expressions
Essential Expressions for Press Conferences

04 | English Expressions ① Native Idioms
English Expressions ① Phrases that Native Speakers Use

05 | English Expression ② Proverbs
English Expressions ② Proverbs

06 | English Expressions ③ Idioms
English Expressions ③ Classic 4-character Idiomatic Expressions

07 | English Expressions ④ Advanced Real-Life English, Idioms
English Expressions ④ Advanced English Phrases/Idioms for Everyday Use

08 | Verb-Based Synonyms and Expressions ① Economy, Finance, and Business
Synonyms & Expressions ① Economics, Finance, and Business

09 | Verb-Based Synonyms and Expressions ② Politics and Diplomacy
Synonyms & Expressions ② Politics and Diplomacy

PART 3.
Background Information and Terminology by Sector

01 | Economic Background and Terminology
The Economy: Background and Terminology

02 | Business/Industry Background and Terminology
Business & Industry: Background and Terminology

03 | Financial (Digital Finance) Background and Terminology
Finance (Digital Finance): Background and Terminology

04 | Political and International Relations Background and Terminology
Politics & International Relations: Background and Terminology

05 | Domestic Political Systems and Terminology
Domestic Politics: The System and Terminology

06 | Background and Terminology of Inter-Korean Relations
Inter-Korean Relations: Background and Terminology

07 | Defense and Security Background and Terminology
National Defense & Security: Background and Terminology

08 | Environmental Background and Terminology
The Environment: Background and Terminology

09 | Renewable Energy Background and Terminology
Renewable Energy: Background and Terminology

10 | Key Renewable Energy Concepts and Terms
New and Renewable Energy Sources: The Concept and Terminology

11 | Key IT Concepts and Terms
Information Technology: Major Concepts and Terminology

12 | Medical Terms
Medicine: Terminology

13 Clinical Trial Background and Terminology
Clinical Trials: Background and Terminology

supplement
Appendix

01 | Korean-English Terminology for International Organizations
International Organizations: Korean-English Terminology

02 | Military and Defense Abbreviations
Military & National Defense Abbreviations

03 | English Names of Korean Laws
English Names of Korean Laws

04 | English Names of 20 Government Agencies
English Names of Ministries and Agencies in the Yoon Suk Yeol Government

“Everyone may think that I have risen from the mud, but from now on, I will work tirelessly.” These were the first words of the then floor leader of the ruling party in Korea at a press conference after being elected president of the World Scout Parliamentary Union (WSPU: a world association of parliamentarians from a Scout background).
This was the opening sentence of my first press conference interpretation, which I did shortly after graduating from graduate school.
Since then, while interpreting countless international conferences, proverbs like “A dragon rises from a stream” and idioms like “Diligence and dedication” have always appeared at the beginning or end of speeches.

To be a good interpreter, you need to know not only the language of a country, but also its culture and customs, so that you can convey the meaning between the lines without missing anything.
We need to learn not only Korean proverbs and idioms, but also proverbs and famous sayings from other countries. Based on our understanding of culture and customs, we need to be able to express Korean expressions in terms that can be understood by people from other language backgrounds.

Interpreting is not just changing one language into another.
Even if the language changes, the speaker's intention and meaning must still be conveyed.
In interpretation, language skills are of course important, but equally important is knowledge and interest in various fields.
If you don't have the specialized terminology, background knowledge, or understanding of the topic, you won't be able to properly understand the speaker's speech, and you'll naturally end up speaking in a so-called "dialect" that no one can understand when interpreting.
Conversely, if you have background knowledge about a field, you can infer the content by considering the overall context even if you don't know the words.

I often get asked questions like, “How can I become better at English?” and “I want to speak more fluent and sophisticated English. Is there any way to do that?”
There is no special method.
Other than just being exposed to a lot of English, memorizing a lot, and using a lot of it.
Unless you live in an English-speaking country, you won't be able to acquire English naturally in your daily life.
So, learning a foreign language as an adult requires endless effort.
You need to acquire a wide range of information and expressions by reading newspapers, news, magazines, and even American dramas and English novels.
You have to memorize it repeatedly and write it out yourself to make it your own.
It may sound boring and obvious, but it is ultimately the fastest and most effective method.

I'll now explain, with specific examples, how important and valuable the efforts you're already making or will make in the future are in the actual interpreting field.
The negotiating partner tells the Korean side, “You are kicking the can down the road.”
Kicking the can down the road is a direct translation that makes no sense.
This expression means 'to push a problem away because it is a headache' or 'to postpone solving it for later rather than solving it right away'.

The Australian Prime Minister said "punch above our weight" in his opening remarks at the Korea-Australia Economic Cooperation Committee, and then suddenly called for congratulatory applause.
A direct translation would be 'throwing a punch above your weight class in boxing', but just hearing this might make it hard to understand what we're celebrating.
This expression meant that "the relationship between the two countries has grown by leaps and bounds and has achieved results beyond expectations," and was intended to celebrate the two countries' remarkable trade growth and the elevation of their relationship to a comprehensive partnership.

For another example, in Korean, when we say something to mean we will review it, we can use various expressions such as 'I will actively review it,' 'I will give it a positive review,' and 'I will consider reviewing it.'
However, if the subtle nuances of these expressions are not accurately expressed during interpretation, positive meanings can be transformed into negative ones.
What happens if you fail to properly convey the nuance of the expressions being expressed at a press conference? This can lead to the dire consequences of a misinterpretation being published and circulated widely.

Did you know that there are over 25 words related to death in Korean? Honorifics include "byeolse," "destiny," "jeok," "bungeo," and "tagye." Religious expressions include "seonjong," "socheon," "ipjeok," and "nirvana." Death for the nation includes "jeonsa," "martyrgyo," and "seonguk." Other common expressions include "hwaksae," "gaeksa," and "golro gatha." These words have varying uses and nuances.
Interpreters must learn as many different words as possible so that they can properly understand and convey sentences containing those words.

“What if I recommend an interpreter who can’t say ‘Fair Trade Commission’ in English?”, “We’re talking about economics right now, and he’s interpreting WTO as the tourism organization.
"I trusted you and asked you for a recommendation, Professor. How could you recommend an interpreter who doesn't even know the WTO?" I've even heard complaints and resentment like this after recommending an interpreter. The WTO mistranslation was a mistake, as the interpreter misinterpreted the World Trade Organization as the World Tourism Organization. This was due to a lack of background knowledge about the existence of two organizations using the same abbreviation, WTO.
Anyone can make mistakes.
No matter how good your English is, you may not know the abbreviations for government departments or international organizations.
But your customers are not generous.
The reality for interpreters is that if they don't know the language properly, they can't interpret accurately, and a single mistake in terminology can make them incompetent interpreters.

Terminology and background knowledge are absolutely essential in interpreting.
This time, it's a case I experienced.
At a symposium on the Korea-U.S. FTA, a Korean speaker said, “We need to go on a trip too.”
If you don't know the context, you might easily interpret it as 'We should go on a trip too.'
However, 'trip' here does not refer to travel, but rather to TRIPS (Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights), and the intention was to join TRIPS to resolve trade friction and disputes.

There are many different fields of interpreting, but the most difficult and highest level of interpreting is that of simultaneous interpreting at international conferences.
International conferences cover a wide range of in-depth topics, including international politics, finance, economics, education, IT technology, science, and the environment. Therefore, specialized knowledge is required. Simultaneous interpretation is also a challenging task, requiring both listening and speaking in another language.
For example, in a field like international politics, missing a single adjective can misrepresent the speaker's intent and send the meeting off in the wrong direction.

Sometimes we may make mistakes in direct translations due to not knowing the terminology.
Just as you shouldn't translate Cloud Computing as "cloud operation" or Big Data as "big data," if you don't know the technical terms used by experts, you may end up using incorrect terms when interpreting, which the audience may not understand.


Let me give you an example related to politics.
When translating the expression "Chinese Dream," which Chinese President Xi Jinping once again declared after his third term was confirmed, into English, it can be understood as the dream that ordinary Chinese people have.
If there is no exact English expression for the Chinese Dream, we must interpret it with explanations to convey its meaning.
If we interpret the Chinese Dream knowing that it means “an offensive foreign policy that promotes the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” we should be able to say “Chinese Dream which is the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”

To be a good interpreter, just being fluent in English and Korean is not enough.
Perfect interpretation is only possible with perfect preparation.
You must thoroughly study the background knowledge of the field you will be interpreting in and memorize all the terminology in that field.
The secret to my ability to interpret for numerous world leaders and successfully complete difficult and important meetings over the years isn't because my Korean and English skills are exceptionally superior to others.
It is all thanks to thorough preparation and constant study.

The more I do professional interpretation, the more I realize the importance of content and background knowledge.
The process of searching for necessary information, finding terms, and organizing them is arduous and tedious.
But it is a process that you should never give up on to become a great interpreter.
During my 32 years as an interpreter, there was a time when I constantly studied to provide accurate, error-free interpretation.
And in the process, I have organized and included in this book the terms, expressions, and background information I have collected one by one.
I would like to share my humble assets with my precious juniors who will join me on what can be a arduous journey as an interpreter.