Heonki Lee · Native Korean Translator

Your English content, made to read like a Korean wrote it.

Native Korean translation and proofing for foreign brands. Not a marketing agency — one translator, working directly with you.

Why a person

Heonki Lee
Heonki Lee
Native Korean · based in Korea

Machine translation gets the words across. It still reads slightly off to a Korean customer.

Particles, tone, the order a sentence naturally falls into — these are the parts that quietly signal “a foreigner wrote this.” AI tools rarely get them wrong in an obvious way; they get them wrong in a way only a native speaker notices, and that’s exactly the part that decides whether a reader trusts you.

You can run those tools yourself — that part is essentially free now. The hard part isn’t producing Korean; it’s knowing whether the Korean is right. And that’s the one thing you can’t check by running it through another AI — same engine, same blind spots, a confident answer either way.

I work from your English and read the Korean the way your customer will — checking the meaning still holds and nothing sounds off — then put my name to the result.

If someone on your side speaks Korean, even better — have them check it. Telling whether Korean reads right takes a minute; writing it well, post after post, in your voice, is the work you’re handing off. That quick check is how you confirm the Korean reads right.

The difference

The same English, two ways.

On the left, what a machine — or a non-native hand — typically returns: looks correct, but it reads translated. On the right, how a Korean actually writes it.

“Our platform helps teams ship faster.”

Machine

우리의 플랫폼은 팀들이 더 빠르게 배송하도록 도와줍니다.

Native

저희 플랫폼은 팀의 빠른 제품 출시를 지원합니다.

“Trusted by over 10,000 businesses worldwide.”

Machine

전 세계적으로 10,000개 이상의 비즈니스들에 의해 신뢰받고 있습니다.

Native

전 세계 1만여 기업이 신뢰합니다.

Can’t read Korean? That’s exactly the point — have a Korean speaker compare. The gap is obvious to them in seconds.

What I do

English → Korean translation and native proofing.

  • Blog posts and articles
  • Marketing and website copy
  • Product copy and UI text
  • General business documents
  • For a web page, the SEO text too — title, meta description, and social-share tags, so it reads native in Korean search and link previews, not just the body
  • Proofing of Korean you already have, by a native speaker

Out of scope: legal, contract, and certified translation.

Pricing

One rate, lower as you publish more.

Up to 2,500 words / month ~1–2 posts
$0.15 / word $40 minimum
2,500 – 5,000 words / month ~3–5 posts
$0.14 / word
5,000 – 10,000 words / month ~6–10 posts
$0.13 / word
10,000+ words / month High volume
Custom quote

No subscription, no plan to pick. You’re billed monthly for the words you actually send, at the rate your monthly volume reaches. A $40 monthly minimum applies; rush turnaround is +50%.

The first sample is free — you see the quality before any money changes hands. After that, work is prepaid by invoice (Wise or Payoneer).

Questions

Isn’t this just AI translation?
AI produces the first draft — that part is cheap now. You’re paying for what comes after: I read every line against your English, fix what sounds off to a Korean reader, and put my name to the result. You can’t catch the gap by running it back through AI — awkward Korean translates back into clean English, because it’s the same engine with the same blind spots. Whether it reads natural to a Korean is a call only a person can make.
How do I know the Korean is right if I can’t read it?
Show the free sample to anyone on your team who speaks Korean — telling whether it reads right takes them a minute. It’s your own page, side by side, so it’s easy to judge.
What if I’m not happy with it?
I revise until your Korean-speaking reader is satisfied. The first sample is free, so you can see exactly what you’re getting before anything is agreed.
Which languages do you cover?
English → Korean only. Korean is my native language, so I can stand behind it. I don’t take on directions or languages I can’t verify myself.
How fast is it?
Typically two business days per post, counted from the final English. Next-business-day rush is available at +50%.
What if I revise the content later?
You’re billed per source word on what’s new or changed — text you’ve already had translated isn’t charged again. Send me the updated version and I translate the parts that changed.

How it starts

Don’t take my word for it. Send one post — I’ll return it in natural Korean, free, and you judge.

You don’t have to trust me up front. Show the free sample to anyone on your team who reads Korean — telling whether it reads right takes them a minute. You see the quality before paying anything, and I revise until it reads right. No reviews to take on faith.

  1. 1 Send your English — paste it in an email, share a Google Doc, or just send a link.
  2. 2 I return a free Korean sample, typically within 2 business days.
  3. 3 You — or anyone on your team who reads Korean — compare it side by side.
  4. 4 If it’s a fit, you prepay and I get to work — and I revise until you’re satisfied.
  5. 5 Finished Korean comes back in a doc, ready to paste into your site.