Lagos-based polyglot Esther Nneka Nnanna started her journey in 2017 to becoming a professional translator from her love for popular Korean actor Lee Min Ho. Now, she is a beacon of inspiration particularly to Nigerian women who love Korean pop culture and has already achieved feats in the short amount of time she started.
She’s currently working with a Korean government agency as a research analyst. In this interview, Nneka, discusses growing up in Ebonyi, how she landed her first job as a translator in KBS, translating on a Nigerian-Korean movie with Mummy Wa and how she handles Nigerians’ negative perception about her work.
She is also rewriting the script on global perceptions by being a Nigerian woman who is excelling in Asian language.
“I am a translator, learning coach who helps busy people learn both French and Spanish in addition to being an influencer for Korean hair products and skincare brands.”
Read the full interview below:
Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you were like growing up?
I grew up in a village called Ndubia Igbeagu, Izzi in Ebonyi State. So it was my six siblings and I growing up together as part time farmers. I lost my dad when I was ten, so it was just our mom with us, balancing civil service work and farming. However before we lost our dad, he was a teacher and also a part time farmer while my mom, who was a trader and farmer, tried to balance that with civil service. I spent all my early years in Ebonyi actually.
I was a very stubborn and curious child who loved exploring, my dad had a library where I would go and read both children and adults books. I started reading when I was little so I would read every book I could find. My dad did his best to make us love literature. I remember that if we wanted something, we always had to write a letter and so on.
Where did the journey from being a Lee Min Ho fan to becoming a professional Korean translator start from? At what point did you realise your hobby could become a career?
I started watching Korean dramas in 2012/2013 through my best friend’s roommate’s influence, when I was in university. The first Korean series I watched didn’t have Lee Min Ho in it, but they obviously piqued my interest. But the next one I watched, which was City Hunter, made me fall in love with him. From there, I started to watch all the series that Lee Min Ho starred in that I could find. I became an active member of the Lee Min Ho fan community on Twitter, connecting with so many people.
It was from there I found out that Lee Min Ho couldn’t speak English. I felt like when I met him and he couldn’t speak in English, how would we communicate? I started speaking small greetings in Korean language with my friends while at the university, but we never took it seriously. Until 2015-2016, when I got into an argument with my friend Somto over the correct translation of a statement in a Korean series. [This] made me start using Google to translate the respective words I wanted to say to Lee Min Ho when I met him but I couldn’t read [the] Korean alphabet.
I met a Chilean girl working in South Korea who sent me a website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) [showing] countries that were in a working holiday visa agreement with the Korean government. Nigeria wasn’t among them obviously, but the main takeaway from that website for me was the Korean alphabet which looked very intriguing to me. So I officially started learning Korean from the MOFA website before moving to textbooks, I even gave up Twitter for a whole year.
Meanwhile, in 2020, the Korean Cultural Center in Nigeria organized a competition like a Korean speech contest in the beginner and intermediate level. Funnily enough, I competed in the intermediate level and won several prizes as the best speaker in the country including a trip to South Korea. But I couldn’t go because of COVID restrictions. That competition catapulted me from a random person learning Korean to someone actually serious about it.
After that, I got a lot of teaching requests, from there I wrote a guidebook on how to learn foreign languages and then I fully got into teaching the language. I also had a ten minute conversation where we spoke in Korean with two Korean men working at Samsung Nigeria.
I also make videos where I give Lee Min Ho birthday wishes as I share my journey with him. I am a translator, learning coach who helps busy people learn both French and Spanish in addition to being an influencer for Korean hair products and skincare brands.
When you started learning Korean, what resources and steps did you use?
The first resource was Google. The next step was the Ministry of Korean Affairs, YouTube, Duolingo, textbooks, podcasts, apps and websites online. One essential thing I did was to make sure I learnt something in Korean everyday. When I had learnt it at a particular level, I also downloaded language exchange apps where I met with Koreans I will practice with sometimes.
What challenges did you face as a Nigerian learning Korean and how did you overcome them?
During the process of learning the language, buying textbooks or hiring a teacher was too expensive so I had to settle for free materials. This wasn’t easy because they were scattered all over so I had to put in extra effort. When I was also reaching out to Koreans, it took a while for them to get rid of the bias they had towards Nigerians and practice with me so it was very difficult to find genuine people to practice with.
The main one I had however was with Nigerians who found out I was learning Korean. They even would mock me for learning the language, most recently ‘woke’ Black Americans tell me I am making a bad choice because Koreans are racists. But racism isn’t just synonymous to Korea, it happens in popular countries all over the world and people still travel and survive there.
My biggest challenge was people around me who mocked me and they couldn’t understand the importance of learning a language for either career purposes or for fun. I haven’t overcome it but sometimes I try to educate.
Can you describe your first professional translation job? How did you land it?
My first professional job was with Kona Bio Nigeria, a consultancy/ distribution company that imports authentic Korean products to Nigeria- all kinds. They also help Koreans coming to Nigeria navigate the country easily. The company is owned by a Korean woman named Lee Young, who works with Nigerians and she needed an interpreter.
She probably found me through my friend, Grace, then called me for a series of interviews. At the end, she complimented me on my Korean, professional outlook and punctuality. That was how she chose me. Funny enough, the job was an interpretation job for the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), one of the main players in Korean entertainment. They came to the country to make a documentary.
Can you share a memorable moment in your career that made you realise you had truly succeeded in this field?
The most memorable moment will be a recent one. I got a job with a Korean government agency. It’s crazy that I am literally working for the Korean government. I had worked with them earlier as an interpreter so when there was an opening in their office they sent emails to interpreters who had worked with them before.
So I went for the interview and I was chosen due to professionalism and experience. That was when I realized that I have really succeeded in this. Another highlight would be when I worked as an interpreter for the Customs Training Institute for Kona Bio Nigeria where I was sent as a representative.
Talking about the Korean movie you worked on, how did that come about and what was the experience like?
This was actually a series with Kemz Mama Entertainment popularly known as Mummy Wa. Its release date is for October 4th. So it is a Korean high school inspired Nigerian movie. Mummy Wa is a big fan of Korean dramas so she got the inspiration for a Korean series starring Nigerians also tailored for the Nigerian audiences. We did a mix of Korean and English. I worked with two other translators to translate part of the script into Korean and vice versa.
The experience was really cool. It was fun as it challenged me in various ways, for instance when the director just changes something in a spot and you have to translate it to Korean immediately. It was very tasking but a good experience. It hasn’t gotten a release date yet.
Can you describe the reactions and attitudes of your family members and social circle towards your unique career path?
Most of my adult life was spent away from my family but with my aunt. When I won the competition in 2020, I was in a car with my grand aunt. So she got to know from my joyous reaction, and she was very impressed. Everyone in my big family is beaming with pride because they love my new job. My mom can’t believe it, while my siblings call me a celebrity.
How has the demand for Korean translators in Nigeria changed since you started your career and what opportunities do you see for Korean-Nigerian cultural exchange through language?
I would say that the demand is increasing a little. Koreans aren’t the exploring kind of people, they are mono-cultural, they like themselves so much. With the world becoming a global village and Korean products like skincare, entertainment taking over the world, they are also seeing business opportunities. So now they are trying to explore, with their government’s encouragement.
Meanwhile, when Koreans see foreigners who can speak their language they are usually impressed and happy. With that being said, for Nigerians to be speaking Korean and vice versa, I see a great opportunity for cultural exchange. Koreans prefer their mother tongue and it heavily influences their accent so they shy away from English.
If there are less language barriers and more people who speak Korean, then there is a good chance of collaboration because they will feel comfortable bringing their products to sell or just to experience their respective cultures. It can even shine a light on pressing issues on both parts of the government in relation to diplomatic relations.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to turn their passion for a foreign language into a career?
There are people who have learnt other languages like French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and co but they are struggling to land any jobs because they aren’t putting themselves out there.
I get requests from fellow translators to connect them with jobs, I tell them to learn branding, marketing- how to present your skills. I think what helped me is that while I was learning Korean, I was taking a digital and financial marketing course and I followed experts in digital marketing.
What skills, beyond language proficiency do you think are crucial for success in translation?
Brush on other skills like branding, marketing, professionalism. I personally think one of the main reasons I get hired over some of my colleagues is due to my presentation and professionalism. Most of these Koreans coming to Nigeria are VIPs and Diplomats and the Nigerians they work with are VIPs too.
So you need to learn how to carry yourself in the midst of VIPs. You should be sharp and competent both in the language and knowledge of your clients. Hard skills are important, but soft skills are also very important.
Lastly, what is your favorite Korean food?
Bibimbap; mixed rice, veggies and meat with sweet and savory sauce.
As the demand for foreign translators increases due to the world becoming a global village, people like Nneka continue to serve as a reminder that your dreams and passion fueled by consistency, will take you very far in life, especially in your career.