Univoca:South Korean-North Korean Translator

Background

After more than 60 years of separation, different forms of the Korean language have evolved in the two Koreas, with the South incorporating many words from English. For example, when playing football, South Koreans simply use the English term "penalty kick", while in the North they use a Korean word that translates as "11-meter punishment". According to language experts, the two Koreas’ vocabulary are 30 - 40% different in daily life, while more than 60% different in business or professional settings, presenting North Korean defectors a big challenge when they try to adjust to their new life in the South. According to a 2012 study by the National Institute of the Korean Language, North Korean defectors understand only half of the Korean language used in the South. In particular for the North Korean teen defectors, who are more sensitive to cultural differences, the language issue is considered a first priority to solve when settling down in South Korea. 

Idea

In order to tackle such communication issues, Cheil Worldwide partnered with DreamTouchForAll, a non-profit education organization, and Community Chest of Korea, a charitable organization, to develop the app “Univoca: South Korean-North Korean Translator”.Working like a digital dictionary, the app includes 3,600 words used in Korean language textbooks for high school students. In addition to meanings of South and North Korean words, example sentences are also shown. When user scans an unfamiliar word with smart phone camera, the translated text appears. Users can also manually input text for translation. They can even request what words should be added in the app for future update.  What makes the app even more meaningful is that North Korean defectors themselves participated in the development process. University students, originally from North Korea, chose difficult-for-North-Koreans vocabulary from high school textbooks and did basic translation, based on their own experience. Then an advisory committee composed of teachers and doctors from North Korea worked on professional level proof reading. Cheil’s art directors created images for words which are not easy to verbally explain. 

Results

The first target of the app is North Korean teen defectors in South Korea - the number of them is 2,183. For an app development, this is quite a small number. In the first three weeks since the launching of the app. It appears South Korean people have also downloaded the app, which is all the more encouraging. More than 2,000 downloads were logged. More than 47 PR coverages both inside and outside Korea.