Writing in Korean can be quite complex when it comes to spacing (띄어쓰기), as it involves several factors like grammar, sentence structure, and even the type of words. In this article, I’ll share some of the most important rules I’ve learned with you.
1. Particles:
Korean uses particles to indicate grammatical relationships between words in a sentence. To ensure clarity, it is essential to separate these particles from the following words. Some commonly used particles in Korean include 은/는, 이/가, 을/를, 에, 에서, (으)로, 에게, 도, 와/과, and so on.
For example, in the sentence “저는 한국에서 떡볶이를 먹었습니다” (I ate Tteokbokki in Korea), there are three particles used: 는, 에서, and 를. To make it clear, it is essential to add spaces after each particle.
It is essential to note that particles are included as part of the preceding word. Therefore, particles are not standalone words and should be attached to the word they modify without spaces.
2. Independent Nouns:
In some sentences, there may be two or three nouns put together to form a noun phrase. In constructing such phrases, it is generally advisable to separate each independent noun with a space.
For example, “한국 음식” (Korean Food) and “경영 대학교” (Business University) both consist of multiple nouns that should be separated by spaces.
However, there are exceptions to this rule:
Compound Words: When words are combined to create a new meaning, they should be written without spaces. For example, “tear” in Korean is “눈물”, a compound word made up of 눈 (eyes) and 물 (water). This word should be written together as “눈물” without a space between them. The same applies to verbs such as “to visit,” which is “방문하다”, a compound word made up of “방문” (visit) and “하다” (to do).
Proper Nouns: If the noun phrase is a commonly used or official name, such “한국관광공사” (Korean Tourism Organization) or “국립중앙박물관” (National Museum of Korea), it is standard to write the entire phrase without spaces. Doing so makes it more easily recognizable as a specific entity or organization.
3. Person’s Name and Title
Korean personal names consist of a surname and a given name, both of which have independent meanings and can be used as separate words. Although it can be argued that they should be written separately, personal names are unique nouns, and Korean surnames are usually only one syllable, making them feel incomplete on their own. Therefore, it is customary to write personal names without spaces between the surname and given name.
For example, “Park Ji-min” is written as “박지민,” “Kim Min-seok” is “김민석,” and “Lee Min-ho” is “이민호,” all without spaces.
However, when titles or job names follow a personal name, they are separate units and should be written with a space between them.
For example: 박지민 씨 (Mr. Park Ji-min), 민수철 교수 (Professor Min Su-cheol), 김 의사님 (Doctor Kim) all have a space between the personal name and the title or job name.
4. Numbers and counters:
In Korean, spacing is used between every ten thousand when writing numbers. This means that if you have a number with five digits or more, you will use a space to separate the digits in groups of four.
For example:
이천이십삼 (2023)
구만 팔천칠백육십오 (98765)
일억 이천삼백사십오만 육천칠백팔십구 (123456789)
When it comes to combining numbers with counters, there are two cases to consider:
If you write the number in digits, there is no space between the number and the counter. For example, “1개” (one piece), “2번” (two times), and “3명” (three people) have no space between the number and the counter.
However, if you write the number in words, there should be a space between the written number and the counter. For example, “삼 학년” (third grade), “칠천 원” (seven thousand won), and “칠 개월” (seven months) have a space between the written number and the counter.
5. Word modifiers:
When a modifier (such as an adjective, verb, or adverb) modifies a word, it should be separated from the word by a space. This helps to clarify the relationship between the two words and make the sentence easier to read.
For example:
유나는 예쁜 여자예요 (Yuna is a pretty girl)
한국 와서 처음 먹은 음식 기억나요? (Do you remember the first food that you ate in Korea?)
저는 일을 잘 해요 (I do my job well)
All use spacing to separate the modifier from the word.
Additional Notes:
– It’s worth noting that there are certain grammatical structures in Korean that require specific spacing. For example, “(으)ㄴ 적이 있다” (have done in the past), “(으)ㄹ 수 있다” (can/be able to), “아/어 보다” (try doing) and so on. It’s important to pay attention to these spacing rules when learning Korean to ensure that your writing is accurate and clear.
– Finally, when using “이다” (to be) or “아니다” (to not be), it’s important to note that “이다” is written immediately after a noun, while “아니다” is written separately from the noun due to the particle. This is important to keep in mind when writing sentences that use these verbs.
For example:
학생입니다 (I’m a student)
학생이 아닙니다 (I’m not a student.)
The preceding explanation outlines my current understanding of the spacing rules when writing in Korean. However, I also want to point out that there might be some special cases or exceptions to these rules that I’m not aware of. So, if you have any experience with these special cases, I’d love to hear about it! Let’s share our knowledge and learn from each other.
🌸 🌼 🌻
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if you have 5 minutes...
watch a TED talk
light a candle
paint your nails
put on a hair/face mask
splash your face with cold water
walk around your house
stretch
have a small snack
make a cup of tea/coffee
clear your desk
if you have 10-15 minutes...
watch a longer TED talk
watch a youtube video on studying/something educational
do some yoga
go for a quick run
have a shower
make a smoothie
power nap
workout
organise your desk
if you have 20-35 minutes...
watch a longer TED talk
watch one short episode of a tv programme
do a longer workout
go for a longer run
go for a walk
bake something
call a friend
if you have 40-60 minutes...
watch a documentary
watch one longer episode of a tv programme
go for an even longer walk/run
have a bath
have a one hour nap to help you remember things
It's Day 5 of the 12 Days of Giving! As someone who always wishes they could read more, I thought a space to store all my owned books, finished books, to read books, etc would be wonderful. This Notion helps to add detailed info to all your books and make organising and planning your reads manageable. Included fun features are built in genre & recommendations collections, and a "reread" suggestion date!
Check back in each day for a new free item! Hopefully they're all useful and a fun way to end the year 🥰🎁
It’s August which means I’m obsessed with all of my pens and journals again 🤌🖋️
POV: You're having fun and it no longer feels like a punishment
So you want to be a translator: online resources and books for translation students. Aside from translation specific resources, there are also related materials you can look into to improve your work and knowledge. Some Interpreting material in here as well.
As a disclaimer, I have not read all of these books (yet). The most highly recommended will be bolded. Keep in mind I am entering my second year in university and have much left to discover. Feel free to suggest titles, blogs and websites for the masterpost!
I will be linking this masterpost in my sidebar and updating it often. Remember to check book ratings and reviews before purchasing!
Translation Books:
A Practical Guide to Localization by Bert Esselink
Becoming A Translator by Douglas Robinson
Companion Book for Translators and Interpreters: 100+ Key English-Spanish Medical Terms by José Luis Leyva
Companion Book for Translators and Interpreters: the 1000+ Key English-Spanish Legal Terms You Will Need to Know by José Luis Leyva
Conference Interpreting by Andrew Gillies
Experiences in Translation by Umberto Eco
Exploring Translation Theories by Anthony Pym
Found In Translation by Natally Kelly and Jost Zetzsche
How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator by Corinne McKay
In Other Words: A Coursebook On Translation by Mona Baker
Introducing Translation Studies by Jeremy Munday
Introduction to Court Interpreting by Holly Mikkelson
Is That A Fish In Your Ear? by David Bellos
Maintaining Your Seocond Language by Eve Lindemuth Bodeux
Note-taking for Consecutive Interpreting by Andrew Gillies
Os Tradutores na História by Jean Delisle
Research Methods in Interpreting by Sandra Hale and Jemina Napier
Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies by Mona Baker and Gabriela Saldanha
The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business School Approach to Freelance Translation by Judy and Dagmar Jenner
The Poetics of Translation by Willis Barnstone
The Prosperous Translator by Chris Durban
Theories of Translation: An Anthology of Essays
Thoughts on Translation by Corinne McKay
Translating Literature by André Lefevere
Translation: A Multidisciplinary Approach by Juliane House
Translation, History & Culture by Susan Bassnet
Translation Quality Assessment: Past and Present by Juliane House
Why Translation Matters by Edith Grossman
19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei: How A Chinese Poem Is Translated by Eliot Weinberger and Octavio Paz
Translation Books in Portuguese:
A Tradução Literária por Paulo Henriques Britto
A Tradução Vivida por Paulo Rónai
Conversas com Tradutores por Ivone C. Benedetti e Adail Sobral
Da Tradução Automática à Tradução Manual por Liliana Pereira
Escola de Tradutores por Paulo Rónai
Fidus interpres por Fabio M. Said
Guia Prático de Tradução Inglesa por Agenor Soares dos Santos
Línguas, Poetas e Bacharéis: uma Crônica da Tradução no Brasil por Lia Wyler
Oficina de Tradução: A Teoria na Prática por Rosemary Arrojo
O Jeito Que A Gente Diz por Stella Tagnin
O Que é Tradução por Geir Campos
Os Labirintos da Tradução: A Legendagem Cinematográfica e a Construção do Imaginário
Perdidos na Tradução por Iuri Abreu
Porque usar programas de apoio à tradução? (Download PDF) por Danilo Nogueira
Procedimentos Técnicos da Tradução por Heloísa Gonçalves Barbosa
Quase a Mesma Coisa por Umberto Eco
Sua Majestade, O Intérprete por Ewandro Magalhães Jr.
Teorias Contemporâneas da Tradução por Edwin Gentzler
Tradução, Ato Desmedido por Boris Schnaiderman
Tradução e Adaptação por Lauro Amorim
Tradução e Cultura por Cynthia Ann Bell-Santos
Tradução e Dialogismo por Heber de Oliveira Costa Silva
Tradução e Multidisciplinaridade por Marcia A. P. Martins
Tradução de Humor: Transcriando Piadas por Marta Rosas
Tradução Para Dublagem por Ana Carolina Konecsni
Traduzir com Autonomia por Adriana Pagano, Célia Magalhães e Fabio Alves
Vocabulando - Vocabulário Prático Inglês-Português por Isa Mara Lando
Translation Books in Italian:
Dire Quasi la Stressa Cosa di Umberto Eco
Online Reading:
Endonyms and Exonyms by Mabel Duran Sanchez
The Subtle Gap Between Being Bilingual and Being a Translator by Jacobe
Translation of Geographical Names by Gilberto Castañeda-Hernández
Recommended Reading List:
Course In General Linguistics by Ferdinand de Saussure
Getting Past No: Negotiating in Difficult Situations by William Ury
How To Do Things With Words by J. L. Austin
Mastering Services Pricing by Kevin Doolan
Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution by Michael Hammer and James Champy
The Culture of Collaboration by Evan Rosen
Time Management for Freelancers: A Self-Paced Course for Freelance Translators and Other Solopreneurs by Nicole Y. Addams
Recommended Reading List (PT):
O Corpo Fala: A Linguagem Silenciosa da Comunicação por Pierre Weil e Roland Tompakow
Blogs:
A Arte da Tradução (Portuguese)
About Translation (English)
Adventures in Freelance Translation (English)
All In Portuguese (Portuguese and English)
Blogging with Swedish Translation Services (English)
Brave New Worlds (English)
BTS Blog (English)
BTS Blog (Portuguese)
Ecos da Tradução (Portuguese)
Ewandro Magalhães (English)
Fidus Interpres (German)
Musings from and overworked translator (English)
Naked Translations (English)
Pribi (Portuguese)
Tecla SAP (Portuguese)
Thoughts on Translation (English)
Tradução Via Val (Portuguese)
Transblawg (English)
Translation Client Zone (English)
Translation Times (English)
Translation Tribulations (English)
Translator’s Digest (English)
Trusted Translations (English)
Want Words (English)
Websites:
American Translators Association (English)
Associação Brasileira de Tradutores (Portuguese)
Céline Graciet (English to French)
Ewandro Magalhães (English to Portuguese, maybe more)
International Medical Interpreters Association (English)
Jill Sommer (German to English)
Karen Tkaczyk (French to English)
Marketing Tips for Translators
Marta Stelmaszak (English to Polish)
Petra Schweitzer (English to German)
Thomas Bosch (English to German)
Podcasts:
Marketing Tips for Translators (English)
Speaking of Translation (English)
TradCast (Portuguese)
Presentations:
Comparable Corpora for Terminology by Stella Tagnin
Presentations in Portuguese:
Convencionalidade e Tradução por Stella Tagnin
Corpora e Tradução por Anne Frankenberg-Garcia
Informática Aplicada à Tradução por UCP Pós-graduação em tradução
Linguística de Corpus e Tradução por Stella Tagnin
Memórias de Tradução por Universidade de Aveiro
Software:
MemoQ
Microsoft Office
ProMT
ProMT English <> Portuguese
SDL Trados Studio
Systran
Wordfast
On Freelancing:
Freelancing as a Stay-at-Home Parent
How I Built My Direct Client Base (Without Using Translation Portals)
How to Retain Freelance Clients
Make A Living Writing
Using LinkedIn Efficiently to Find Translation Clients
Yearly Events:
ATA Annual Conference (USA)
IAMIA Annual Conference (USA)
International ABRATES Congress (Brazil)
ProfT (Brazil)
TRADUSA: Encontro Brasileiro de Tradutores Especializados na Área da Saúde (Brazil)
Other:
Fluxo de trabalho para integrar ProMT e MemoQ
Localization and Translation Resources
dec 1st which means november memories (╹◡╹)♡