Author: Paul Dahoon Kim — Founder, MetaPret. Senior-tier Korean–English interpreter, 10+ years.
What this is: There is no public price list in the interpretation market — agencies quote a single inclusive figure and independents quote per engagement, so buyers rarely have a benchmark. This report lays out what the Seoul market broadly charges in 2026, by interpretation type, domain, and city, plus the factors that move price and how to read a quote. These are market figures, not MetaPret's prices.
Key findings
- A general business interpreter in Seoul runs roughly KRW 400,000–900,000 per day; domain-specialized work (legal, medical, finance, M&A) runs KRW 900,000–1,800,000 per day.
- Simultaneous interpretation is the most expensive mode: a 2-person booth team for one language pair costs roughly KRW 2,000,000–5,000,000 per day, plus KRW 800,000–1,500,000 for booth equipment.
- The same engagement type can vary 1.5–3× depending on five factors: domain specialization, timing, city/travel, experience level, and booking channel.
- Domain specialization alone commands roughly 30–80% more than general business interpretation.
- There is no public benchmark — which is precisely why buyers overpay or under-scope. This report exists to close that gap.
*(Figures are 2026 Seoul-market ranges compiled from market data and a senior practitioner's working experience. Market context, not a MetaPret price list.)*
Why there is no public price list
Interpretation is priced opaquely for a structural reason: agencies quote a single inclusive figure, and independent professionals quote per engagement based on type, domain, schedule, and location. Neither publishes a rate card. So a buyer commissioning interpretation for the first time has no reference point for whether a quote is reasonable — and the market stays illegible.
The ranges below are market context — what the Seoul market broadly charges, by interpretation type and engagement weight. They are not MetaPret's prices, and they are not a quote.
Rates by interpretation type (Seoul, per day)
Escort / liaison interpretation — one interpreter accompanying meetings, factory visits, dinners:
| Tier | Day rate (8 hrs) |
|---|---|
| General business | KRW 400,000–700,000 |
| Domain-specialized (legal / medical / finance) | KRW 600,000–1,200,000 |
| Senior-experience, high-difficulty domains | KRW 1,000,000–1,800,000 |
Consecutive interpretation — speaker pauses, interpreter follows (meetings, negotiations, interviews):
| Tier | Day rate |
|---|---|
| General business meetings | KRW 500,000–900,000 |
| M&A / IR / legal | KRW 900,000–1,800,000 |
| Senior-experience, high-difficulty | KRW 1,500,000–2,500,000 |
Simultaneous interpretation — near real-time (conferences, multilingual events); always a team of 2+ per language pair:
| Tier | Day rate (per interpreter) |
|---|---|
| General conference | KRW 1,000,000–1,800,000 |
| Medical / scientific conference | KRW 1,500,000–2,500,000 |
| Senior / AIIC-member level | KRW 2,000,000–3,500,000 |
A 2-person booth team, one language pair, one day: roughly KRW 2,000,000–5,000,000, with booth equipment a separate KRW 800,000–1,500,000 / day.
Whisper interpretation (chuchotage) — 1–2 listeners, interpreter beside them: KRW 1,000,000–2,000,000 / day. Cognitive load is close to simultaneous, so it is priced similarly.
Market averages by engagement (Seoul, one day)
| Engagement type | Market range (Seoul, 1 day) |
|---|---|
| Business meeting accompaniment | KRW 500,000–900,000 |
| Executive visit accompaniment | KRW 700,000–1,400,000 |
| M&A negotiation / IR meeting | KRW 1,000,000–2,000,000 |
| Medical / legal domain | KRW 900,000–1,800,000 |
| Conference simultaneous (team of 2) | KRW 2,500,000–4,500,000 |
| Whisper interpretation | KRW 1,000,000–2,000,000 |
| Factory visit / industrial site | KRW 700,000–1,300,000 |
Outside Seoul (Busan, Daejeon, etc.): the ranges above plus travel — roughly KRW 100,000 for a KTX round-trip, plus ~KRW 100,000 if an overnight is needed. Overseas: the ranges above plus airfare, hotel, and a travel-day charge customarily billed at 50% of the day rate.
The five things that move price
The same interpretation type can vary 1.5–3× with five factors:
- Domain specialization — legal / medical / finance / M&A specialists command roughly 30–80% more than general business, because fewer interpreters can carry the domain vocabulary.
- Timing — evenings add roughly 30–50%; weekends and holidays 50–100%; same-day or sub-24-hour requests 30–80%.
- City / travel — Seoul is the base; other cities add travel cost, and overseas adds airfare, hotel, and a 50% travel-day charge.
- Experience level — market price reacts strongly to seniority. (Years alone do not guarantee skill — which is the problem the market has never solved: there is no standard way to verify ability before booking.)
- Booking channel — the route matters. Booking through an agency includes a service margin on top of the interpreter's pay, which varies by agency and engagement. Booking direct, or through a platform, changes the cost structure. None is inherently cheaper or better — they trade off differently on price, vetting, and convenience.
How to read a quote
A reasonable interpretation quote names four things: the interpretation mode (escort / consecutive / simultaneous / whisper), the domain, the schedule (date, hours, overtime treatment), and the location (and any travel). If a quote is a single number with none of these specified, ask for the breakdown of *scope* — not because someone is hiding something, but because interpretation price is entirely a function of those four variables.
The one thing a quote usually cannot tell you in advance is whether the interpreter can actually do the job — because the market has no standard skill benchmark. That is the gap that produces both overpayment and quality risk.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How much does a business interpreter cost in Seoul?
A: General business interpreting runs roughly KRW 400,000–900,000 per day in 2026; domain-specialized work (legal, medical, finance, M&A) runs roughly KRW 900,000–1,800,000 per day. These are market ranges, not MetaPret's prices.
Q: Why is simultaneous interpretation so much more expensive?
A: Simultaneous interpretation runs near real-time and carries a high cognitive load, so it always uses a team of two interpreters per language pair — roughly KRW 2,000,000–5,000,000 per day for the team, plus KRW 800,000–1,500,000 for booth equipment.
Q: What makes interpretation prices vary so much?
A: Five factors move price by 1.5–3×: domain specialization (+30–80%), timing (evening/weekend/urgent surcharges), city and travel, the interpreter's experience level, and the booking channel.
Q: Are these MetaPret's prices?
A: No. These are 2026 Seoul-market ranges offered as a public benchmark. MetaPret quotes one all-in quote per project, shown before you confirm the match, and the interpreter keeps 100% of their pay.
About this report
These figures are 2026 Seoul-market ranges, compiled from observable market data and the author's direct experience as a senior-tier working interpreter and as the operator of an interpreter-matching platform. They are ranges, not fixed prices, and individual quotes will fall inside or occasionally outside them depending on the five factors above. This is practitioner market intelligence offered as a public benchmark — not a survey, and not a price list. Media, researchers, and buyers are welcome to cite this report with attribution to MetaPret / Paul Dahoon Kim. For data questions or an interview, contact cs@metapret.net.
About MetaPret
MetaPret is an interpreter-matching platform built on one idea: skill should be proven before the match. Interpreters pass a scored, per-engagement performance test for the specific engagement they're matched to — verification before booking, not a résumé after. Pricing is one all-in quote per project; the interpreter keeps 100% of their pay. MetaPret works alongside agencies and in-house teams, not against them.