Dear Colleagues,
It is my great honor to serve as President of the Korean Society for Translation and Interpreting (KSTI) beginning in February 2026.

When our Society was first established in 1998, and when Translation and Interpreting Studies (TIS)was officially registered with the National Research Foundation of Korea in 1999 as a distinct academic field, the notion that translation and interpreting could be subjects of serious scholarly inquiry beyond professional practice was still unfamiliar to many. Under those challenging circumstances, numerous pioneering scholars devoted themselves to establishing translation and interpreting as an independent discipline rather than a subsidiary branch of other fields. They created doctoral programs, opened pathways for future researchers, introduced foundational concepts from preceding scholarship, and fostered venues through journals and academic societies where knowledge and experience could be shared. Thanks to their dedication and vision, our Society has steadily grown and endured over the years.

Twenty-seven years have now passed since those formative days when an entirely new academic discipline was taking shape in Korea. Today, Translation and Interpreting Studies is no longer an emerging field. Graduate programs dedicated to translation and interpreting research have been established at numerous universities, and the intellectual scope of the discipline has expanded significantly.

With deep gratitude to the teachers and senior scholars whose efforts laid the foundation for our field, I would like to make a few modest commitments during my tenure.

First, I will strive to cultivate a dynamic and collegial academic society that encourages open dialogue and intellectual exchange. Rather than focusing primarily on expansion in size or refinement in form, I hope to foster a scholarly community where constructive criticism and meaningful discussion can flourish.

Second, I will work to make our Society a valuable source of support for emerging scholars. Not because senior researchers necessarily know more, but because those of us from the first generation of researchers have benefited from the collective efforts and support of this academic community. I hope to contribute, even in a small way, to easing the path for new scholars entering the field under increasingly challenging circumstances.

Third, I will endeavor to broaden participation from individuals with diverse academic backgrounds. While Translation and Interpreting Studies has thus far invested considerable effort in establishing its disciplinary identity and defining its boundaries in relation to other fields, the future calls for greater openness and collaboration. I hope to help create opportunities for scholars from a wider range of intellectual traditions and research backgrounds to join and enrich our community.

I look forward to working together with all of you as we continue to advance our discipline and strengthen our academic community...

Sincerely,

Hyang Lee
President
Korean Society for Translation and Interpreting