How a Korean consecutive interpreter ended up working with top KPOP celebrities

“April is so good. There’s something charming about April’s voice,” South Korean singer-songwriter and actress IU remarks in her travel vlog. 

The April that the KPOP star is referring to? April Yunju Kim, a Korean national residing in Singapore who served as IU’s consecutive interpreter during her concert in Singapore.

Sometimes mistaken as translators – who work with written text instead of the spoken language – a consecutive interpreter conveys the message after the speaker has paused or finished speaking. 

In Kim’s case, her job is live interpreting her clients – often Hallyu wave stars – Korean words into English for their eager fans.

Since her career began, she’s worked with big names like Hwasa, Song Joong-Ki, boy group SEVENTEEN, and more.

So, the real question is, how does one begin a career as a consecutive interpreter? 

Kim (right) was Mamamoo’s Hwasa’s (left) emcee during her first Fancon tour in Singapore. Kim has previously worked as Mamamoo’s interpreter during their World Tour concert. Source: April Yun-Ju Kim

A love of languages to kickstart the journey

Born and raised in South Korea, Kim grew up watching her mother’s tireless dedication to her work and passion for languages.

Kim’s mother, a business owner and hairdresser, would wake up at 7 a.m., prepare a meal for Kim’s father, work till 9 p.m., return home to get chores done, and sleep at 1 a.m., only to repeat it all the next day. 

“There’s a fine line between being tired and unhappy and being tired but fulfilled; my mother was the latter, and that fulfilment made me want to be like her,” says Kim.

It was also her mother who pushed her into learning a new language. 

In particular, it was during the 2008 Beijing Olympics when Kim, at just nine years old, started learning Mandarin. 

Kim’s mother believed that China would rise as a global powerhouse and that mastering Mandarin would be beneficial. She was right — in 2023, China’s GDP expanded 8.1% year on year since the COVID-19 pandemic, and today, there are over 1.3 billion Mandarin speakers worldwide, making it the world’s second most spoken language.

And that was just the first of Kim’s venture into picking up new languages. 

To master English, Kim attended Korea International School on Jeju Island, where she believed that her language skills had improved due to the foreign environment. 

However, there were limitations on her ability to practice and further enhance her English skills in South Korea. So, she devised a plan. 

“My dream was to live abroad because learning a language naturally made me want to connect with the people who speak it”, she shares.

Kim first spent three months attending a summer school in Hong Kong before making her next and final move to Singapore.

“Singapore is so multicultural,” says Kim. “There are people from all kinds of backgrounds, and it took my breath away.”

It’s true – Singapore is renowned for its cultural diversity. National Geographic notes that the Chinese, Malay, Indian, and various other ethnicities coexist harmoniously in a vibrant, multicultural environment.

Of course, things weren’t always sunshine and rainbows.

In 2016, Kim enrolled in Singapore Management University’s (SMU) Bachelor’s in Business Management programme and focused on the marketing aspects of the course.

“For the first six months in Singapore, I was going through depression,” Kim shares. “Despite being extroverted and never having issues meeting new people, I struggled a lot during that time for several reasons. But that’s part of the journey of moving abroad, especially alone.”

However, Kim prevailed through her hardships and, upon graduating in 2020, embarked on a career in marketing in the country.

Her advice for those going through the same struggles? Don’t be afraid, and don’t blame yourself for being unsure.

“I want you to know that you’ll be okay and that it’s okay not to be okay,” says Kim. “You just have to throw yourself into an unfamiliar environment and ensure that you have people who care about you while doing it.”

“Learn something new in the country you’re moving to, even if it’s difficult, because, after a year, it will become your strength.”

True to her words, those difficult times are now behind her as Kim enters the newest chapter of her life – working as a consecutive interpreter.

Before diving into consecutive interpretation, Kim dabbled in emceeing during her time at Singapore Management University. Source: April Yun-Ju Kim

What it takes to be a consecutive interpreter for Korean celebrities

Towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore’s interpretation industry faced a shortage as many professionals left the country, creating a desperate need for new interpreters for concerts and events.

Kim, who had gained emceeing experiences at SMU and had a professional working proficiency in English, received a referral for the role.

“At SMU, there was a co-curricular activity that offered courses on becoming an emcee,” she says. 

She had even participated in an emceeing competition where she advanced to the finals – an event that helped Kim realise her knack for emceeing as well as a genuine enjoyment of it.

Through that experience, Kim, who sought to develop her skills further, met a tutor who guided her through an advanced emceeing course.

On top of that, she also credits the kind-hearted individuals she has met who were willing to refer her for consecutive interpreter roles.

As of today, Kim has worked with many popular Korean idols such as IU, Mamamoo, FTISLAND, Girl’s Generation’s Yoona and Taeyeon, CNBlue, Babymonster, Astro’s Cha Eun-Woo, EXO’s Sehun, Chanyeol, and D.O, and Seventeen.

She has also worked with Korean actors and actresses, including Lee Je-Hoon, Song Joong-Ki, Woo Do-Hwan, and Park Eun-Bin.

Her client portfolio is proof that Kim’s good at her job, and well-liked too – just take the viral clip of her interpreting for CNBLUE’s concert in Singapore.

 

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While translating CNBLUE’s Jung Yong-Hwa’s words to the audience, she mimicked his tone by rapping or singing the way he was to the fans.

“I try to mimic everything that the artist has said, even if they were to sing or rap their sentences. I follow suit,” Kim shares. 

“I have a bias in KPOP as well, so, I understand how it feels to be a fan at that moment. As fans, we want to know, hear, and feel what the artist has said. So being able to be in the fan’s shoes and feel empathetic towards them and the artist helps a lot to tune in and perform my best as a consecutive interpreter.”

Again, it’s undeniable that Kim was born to do what she does, and IU agrees, even inviting Kim to work as her consecutive interpreter for her Malaysia and US concerts.

Kim had the opportunity to tour with IU (in white) for her H.E.R. World Tour Concert in Singapore, Malaysia, and the US. Source: April Yun-Ju Kim

The ups and downs of being a consecutive interpreter

While it may seem like a glamorous job, especially getting to meet and interact with celebrities, many often forget that working with your idol is just that – work.

“You must always remember that you’re on the job,” Kim advises. “It may be exciting to work with a celebrity, but we’re not fanboys or fangirls; we’re there to work, so you need to stay professional.”

“Interpreters are shadows; we don’t talk to the artist first. Taking photos and videos on the job is unprofessional and should never be done.”

Plus, being an interpreter isn’t an easy job, and Kim can attest to that.

FTISLAND was one of the few idol groups Kim had the honour of working with as an interpreter. Source: April Yun-Ju Kim

Despite having several emceeing experiences, Kim still faces stage fright during her job.

“I go haywire, and I end up not remembering what I said,” she says. “My limbs would go numb and start shaking, and my heart would start beating very fast. I would get stage fright during the events, but I try to hide it. Each event is different, so I’m still getting used to it.” 

Mastering a language can be a difficult task for interpreters too, especially speaking a language that is not their mother tongue, as it often affects one’s self-confidence.

“Code-switching between languages is hard when learning and mastering a new language. I’m learning Mandarin right now, and it’s a big challenge. As it’s my inferior language, speaking it in front of people is hard because I want to save face and not embarrass myself,” says Kim.

But over time, Kim has learned to give herself grace, especially when speaking Mandarin – one of the hardest languages to learn.

Ultimately, Kim’s advice to aspiring consecutive interpreters is to be thorough in your research.

“You’ll need to set aside time to learn everything about your artist,” she says. “Knowing their birthday, MBTI, favourite food, hobby, what they do not like, or latest interest will help you greatly while being their interpreter.”

“It may seem like minor things, but you need to remember they are still human and having you know who they are as a person will make the interaction better.”