A Family Separated by Multiple Borders
Private client in Canada
One of our recent clients was a Korean family that had family members living separately in three different countries. Canada, the United States, and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Each member had gone abroad to complete their education, for business ventures, or other reasons. Finally, they decided that they wanted to permanently settle in Canada. They contacted us after realizing they needed to have their immigration supporting documents translated into English.
This was a unique request. First of all, since there were multiple countries involved, there was more than one set of documentation that needed translation. One member lived in the United States; however, all their financial, medical, and other documentation was all in Korean. Another family member lived in the Republic of Korea, but their parents were born in a region that is now considered North Korea. So, they had some common certificates that are issued in the Republic of Korea, in addition to some refugee documentation. They were able to obtain the records with little difficulty. However, some of them were photocopies of handwritten text. In fact, some of the documents contained Chinese characters and Japanese loanwords, which further complicated the translation request.
We were able to handle the translation of every type of supporting documentation this family had to obtain, making the process easy for them. They were able to find a few other providers that gave them a quote for some of the support documents. However, they were not able to locate any certified translators who would take on the handwritten text.
Even though the members of this family were sending in their applications electronically, they also required physical copies. We were able to ship hard copies to all three countries in a timely manner. Since we handled the translations of all their documents, everything was consistent, unified, and organized. There were no discrepancies between how phrases were translated, spellings of names or places, or anything else.
This was a particularly unique case, with multiple countries involved and a mixture of modern and archaic Korean. We had to combine the skills of both native Korean and English speakers to produce an excellent result. We also had to reach out to one of our trusted external consultants – an expert in the Chinese characters used in Korean documents many decades ago. In the end, we were able to complete everything, and provide this family with translations of all the supporting documentation they required.
Not every Korean immigration translation request is as complex as this one. However, with all our experience we are confident in avoiding all of the common mistakes that other translators make. If you, your family, or clients are in the process of immigrating from Korea to Canada or the United States, please contact us for assistance with your Korean certified translation requirements.