Honorifics, register, and the nuance machines miss

WH Woo J. Hwang December 12, 2025 6 min read

Korean encodes who is speaking to whom directly into the grammar. Here's why that trips up everything automated.

Register is not optional

The same sentence changes shape depending on the relationship between speakers.

Get the register wrong and your brand sounds either cold or unprofessional — with no obvious error to point at.

Woo J. Hwang

Lead Translator & Owner · Native in Korean and English

Sole official translator of “Dive Into Design Patterns.” 100/100 ATA quality index. I handle or personally vet every project.

Tell me about your project — I reply personally, usually within 24 hours.

Start a project

No comments yet — be the first to ask a question or share a thought.

All articles →