Korean culture, like K-pop and cuisine, is drawing a rising number of foreign visitors to the country.
It can be tough sometimes if you don't speak the language, but for almost 20 years there's been an interpretation service by phone and nowadays by smartphone app.
Our Won Jung-hwan reports.
What if you aren't fluent in Korean, but you still need to arrange a contract in a local mobile phone service center?
"I'll hand it to her, give me a second."
When a speaker is struggling to understand the language, they can dial BBB Korea to ask for an interpretation,… through a device everyone carries, a mobile phone.
From asking for directions to getting medical information in emergencies, the volunteers of BBB deliver important messages in real-time 24-hours-a-day.
A person who is currently in charge of running the service explains how BBB Korea has been helping people for more than 17 years.
"We have some guidelines in which we block people who intend to use our service for their own profit. Our existence is purely for the people who need urgent help, and for those who cannot afford an interpretation in real-time due to the cost or situation."
According to BBB, a call is received every 10 minutes. Over the course of a year,... more than 100-thousand calls are fielded by over 4-thousand-5-hundred volunteers who can speak 20 languages.
Since 2013, a smartphone application has also been available.
The combination of digital technology with analog sensibility is what led BBB here today. By incorporating technology with the knowledge and thoughtful minds of the volunteers, BBB has been able to create a bridge to connect speakers of different languages in Korea.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.
