CEO Discusses the Future of the TC Industry at the Korean Translation Symposium

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On April 20, the Korean Association for Translation Studies Spring Symposium was held at Korea University’s Seoul campus. Professors and students from various universities, including Korea University, Dongguk University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Sookmyung Women’s University, Ewha Womans University, Chung-Ang University, Busan University of Foreign Studies, and Pyeongtaek University, joined this symposium. Participating as a member of the Industry-University Cooperation Committee and being the leading language service provider (LSP) in Korea, HansemEUG had the honor of sharing the current state of the translation and technical communication (TC) industries and provided some valuable career advice for students.

Ms. Yangsook Kim, the CEO of HansemEUG with over 30 years of TC experience, was invited as a special guest speaker. She discussed the trends of the TC industry and where she thinks it’s heading in the future.

Scripted by
Heltant
LS Div.
The Liberal Arts College of Korea University, Seoul campus

This symposium was held under the theme of “Translation and Interpretation Studies: From Local to Glocal,” and other lectures, such as the “Special Session by LSPs” and “General Session on Translation Studies,” were held in four different lecture halls.

The Symposium Program

TRADITIONAL USER GUIDES NOT ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE: FUTURE TRENDS

In the morning LSP sessions, the participating LSPs were introduced. It was a time for showing the various business areas that might be encountered and presenting self-development indicators to the students with only vague knowledge of the translation and TC business.

At the LSP industry booth, we also had time to meet with students one on one and have meaningful conversations about the translation industry. The informative materials we brought helped us introduce our company and services, as well as start conversations with the visitors.

Most student were looking for translation-related information, but there were also many students not familiar with TC who saw our TC-related leaflets and asked us about them. Our CEO’s lecture, “Future Trends of TC and the Viewpoint from Technical Writers,” in the afternoon served as a follow-up to answer these questions.

”Future Trends of TC and the Viewpoint from Technical Writers”

Since the characteristics of users have changed (represented by the millennials), the existing approach to user manuals needs to change based on the new characteristics. The new approach mainly includes more visuals and hands-on experience by adding more images/videos and applying the latest AR/VR technologies. In the lecture, she mentioned that future user guides will likely evolve to serve as a marketing tool. Therefore, it is expected that technical writers will concentrate on creating new kinds of manuals, and acquiring new skills and raising professionalism to prepare for the future should be everyone’s top priority.

Ms. Yang-sook Kim during her Presentation

The Q&A session also satisfied the audience’s questions about TC trends. The questions addressed the differences between translation and technical writing, whether there is a technical writing institute or teaching institute, and what to prepare if a translation graduate wants to enter the TC industry.

During the Q & A session with Professor Soonmi Kim of Sookmyung Women’s University
Audience Participating in the Q&A Session

It was a meaningful opportunity where we could share our experiences and communicate with the students who will become the future of our industry. HansemEUG hopes to continue its active participation in these joint industry-academia activities to promote translation and TC industry development.

About Hansem Global

Hansem Global is an ISO Certified and globally recognized language service provider. Since 1990, Hansem Global has been a leading language service company in Asia and helping the world’s top companies to excel in the global marketplace. Thanks to the local production centers in Asia along with a solid global language network, Hansem Global offers a full list of major languages in the world. Contact us for your language needs!