We arrange Korean interpreters, confirmed by name before you book, for Korean engineers, managers, medical staff and visitors on energy, plant and construction projects, in technical training, at hospital appointments, in trade meetings and in lawyer or notary meetings across the UAE. We prepare with your drawings, organisation chart and name list, so titles, terms and figures come out right.
Trusted Credentials
Before You Book
Korean builds respect and hierarchy into its grammar, counts large numbers differently from English or Arabic, and has few interpreters working directly into Arabic. Three points shape a good booking.
Korean grammar has speech levels: formal honorific forms (jondaetmal) for seniors, clients and strangers, and plain forms (banmal) for close friends. In business, people are usually addressed by surname plus job title plus the honorific "-nim", such as "Kim Bujang-nim" (Director Kim), rarely by given name. As general practice, seniority shapes who speaks first, where people sit and who answers questions. The interpreter carries that respect into English or Arabic, using "Director Kim" or "al-Mudir Kim" rather than a first name, and needs the organisation chart to get titles right.
Korean names are written surname first, and a few surnames cover much of the population: Kim, Lee, Park, Choi, Jung. The same name can be romanised as Lee, Yi or Rhee, and older passports often predate the official Revised Romanization. Married Korean women usually keep their own surname, so the wife of Mr Park is not "Mrs Park". Business cards are usually offered and received with both hands, read for a moment, and kept on the table during the meeting rather than pocketed at once. Send the name list as written on passports and cards.
Korean counts large numbers in units of 10,000 (man) and 100 million (eok), so 3 eok won is 300 million won. In a price or quantity discussion the interpreter converts every figure carefully, and it helps to have the price list on paper. Korean–English is the most widely available pairing, and many UAE projects with Korean teams already run in English. Direct Korean–Arabic interpreting is on request and confirmed before booking; where it is not available we can arrange relay through English, with two interpreters, which needs more time in the agenda.
Where We Interpret
Consecutive interpreting for meetings and site work, simultaneous for training and conferences, and escort interpreting for delegations moving between sites.
Progress meetings, inspections, commissioning and handover with Korean engineering teams. Send drawings, procedures and the project glossary ahead; plant work is dense with abbreviations that differ between companies.
Site walks, coordination meetings, safety briefings and claims discussions between Korean contractors and UAE clients, consultants or subcontractors. Tell us about site induction, PPE and access passes in advance.
Operator training, maintenance courses and system handover that can run for days. We arrange consecutive interpreting for small groups or simultaneous with equipment for larger ones, keeping the same interpreter across the course where possible.
Korean-speaking patients and families at UAE hospitals and clinics: consultations, consent discussions and discharge instructions, handled with discretion. Our office can translate the medical reports afterwards.
Distributor and buyer meetings, exhibition stands, product launches and supplier visits in electronics, cosmetics, food and other consumer sectors. Send the catalogue and product names so the interpreter knows the range.
Lawyer consultations, notary signings, arbitration and police or prosecution matters involving Korean speakers. Before a hearing, check with the court, which arranges or approves the interpreter; see our court interpreter page on SWLT's exclusive contracts with the Federal Courts and the Federal Public Prosecution.
Seoul is five hours ahead of the UAE all year, with no daylight saving, so a UAE morning is a Korean afternoon. We book the interpreter for that window.
How It Works
Date, emirate, hours and setting, and whether the other side needs English or Arabic. Mention if the meeting is with senior executives.
Agenda, drawings or presentations, price lists, glossary and a name list with job titles, as written on passports and business cards.
We confirm the interpreter, the language pairing (direct or relay), the mode and the price before you commit.
After the day, our office can translate minutes, reports and Korean documents at AED 250 per page + VAT.
Where Our Interpreters Work
Transparent Pricing
Interpreting is quoted per booking, including relay where needed; rates are confidential. Korean translation is AED 250 per 200-word page, excluding 5% VAT.
FAQ
Korean counts large numbers in units of 10,000 (man) and 100 million (eok), so 3 eok won is 300 million won. The interpreter converts every figure carefully, and a price list on paper helps both sides check quantities and amounts as they go.
Direct Korean–Arabic interpreting is on request and confirmed before booking. Korean–English is more widely available. If you need Arabic and no direct interpreter is free, we can arrange relay through English with two interpreters.
Interpreting is quoted per booking and our rates are confidential. For Korean the language pairing matters most: Korean–English is more widely available, while direct Korean–Arabic, or relay through English with two interpreters, is confirmed case by case. Korean document translation is AED 250 per page + VAT.
As general practice, use the surname with a title, such as "Director Kim" or "Mr Park", rather than a given name, unless invited otherwise. The interpreter adds the Korean honorific forms on your behalf.
Yes. Tell us about induction, PPE and access passes in advance, and send the technical documents and project glossary so terms are ready.
Usually not. Married Korean women generally keep their own surname, so the wife of Mr Park is not "Mrs Park". Keep that in mind for guest lists, seating cards and documents, and send names as written on passports so the interpreter addresses everyone correctly.
Yes. For larger groups we arrange simultaneous interpreting with booths, transmitters, receivers and technicians, quoted together. For a small group around equipment, consecutive interpreting usually works better.
Follow the passport spelling, which may differ from the official romanisation, and keep the surname clear. We use one Arabic form for each name across minutes, contracts and certificates so it matches visas and company records.
You May Also Need
Certified translation of Korean certificates and company papers.
Meetings, inspections and negotiations without a booth.
An interpreter who travels with your delegation all day.
All our interpreting modes and equipment in one place.
Send the organisation chart, the agenda and whether you need Korean–English or Korean–Arabic. We confirm the interpreter and a quote on WhatsApp, and translate the documents that follow.