Need some help with Korean

[MNW]

Hi all,

I am intending to propose to my girlfriend (who is Korean) sometime in the next month or so. I have the ring (1ct Princess F VS1 Solitaire

) and I am working on getting a custom made wooden ring box made for me. The box will be 2.5" x 1.5" and there is room for inlays on the lid of the box. My original idea was to have our chinese Zodiac symbols (dragon and Boar) inlayed on the lid. I got to thinking and I''d like to see if there was a specifically korean sentiment or an english word or phrase translated into korean that is simple enough to replicate and become an inlay on the box. Does anyone here know enough korean to help me out? The only people I know that are korean are my girlfriend and her parents and I can''t talk to them because it would ruin the surprise. Any ideas or suggestions?

Mike

 

[verticalhorizon]

You can start here: http://www.google.com/language_tools

But I suggest you keep looking for someone who speaks the language. Good luck!

EDIT: Oops... sorry, my bad... no english to korean on that page. But I'm sure there are others out there somewhere!

 

[GlitterGal]

Mike,

Congrats on your upcoming engagement and please keep us posted!

My college roomate is Korean and she and her family are very near and dear to my heart. They taught me a few phrases in Korean (phoenetically spelled here, of course: Hunya hasao= hi, how are you? and kamsam hamnida=thank you) but the one I like the most is popo hejo, which means "kiss me" (I was taught this phrase in case I met a cute guy I could practice it on

)!

Hope this helps but I'm sure there are others who could chime in with some really wonderful suggestions. Congrats again and best wishes to you both!

Kindest regards always,
Linda

 

[Nicrez]

Hee hee Glitter, When I was in Korea, that's all I learned and remembered!!

Thank you as KAM-sa HA-mi-da, as I learned it, and ahn-YA AH-sehy-o as the greeting. But I am so sad to finally learn how to say Kiss me, when I can no longer use it!!

Try this translator...English to Korean

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[VAgal13]

That idea is so sweet. I wish I knew Korean so I could help you out.

Maybe you could go into a Korean market (if you have any near you) and ask one of the workers there if they could help you out. I am sure if you told them your plan, they'd be glad to help.

Please post pics of the ring...thats our favorite part.

Good luck!
-Sarah

 

[kkeen15]

I live in Korea right now. My Korean sucks though!!! However, there are three guys at my work who are Korean who speak excellent English. If you gave me some phrases you wanted translated, I could get that done for you and then you could choose the one you like best or something. Let me know! You'd have to somehow figure out how to get hangul (Korean alphabet) to show up on your computer tho.

 

[MNW]

Thanks for all the replies and well wishes. I certainly update as things progress and will attempt to post pics of the ring and the box as well once I get it.

I know of several Korean markets and restaurants in my area. Actually I think this area Palisades Park, Fort Lee and Ridgefield may have one of the greatest concentrations of Korean people and businesses. She and I and her folks go out all the time to restaurants there for korean bbq. I think I might be able to slip away and ask someone.

Since I just began brain-storming this idea I haven't really come up with a phrase that is short enough to fit on the box and at the same time still convey a personal and meaningful message. At the risk of being sappy I suppose it would be something like "Love and respect", or "Love eternally". Sometimes things just come to me and seem perfect, this is not one of those times.

I'm kind of struggling.

I have several Korean - English dictionaries (I'm attempting to learn the language) so i maybe able to translate it into the hangul.

Nicrez, thanks for the link, I'll give it a shot.

Mike

 

[moremoremore]

what about one word.... like "forever" or "eternity" or even "love" ?

 

[MNW]

Nicrez,
That link worked beautifully and translated my english text into the korean alphabet. Hopefully the attachment I sent to the box creator will work. I'm not sure if the korean symbols will fit on the box but it doesn't hurt to ask and give it a try.

Thanks again.

Mike

 

[MNW]

MMM,

Thanks for the help, I sent out all three. Now I just have to wait to see which will work out best.

Mike

 

[MNW]

OK, so I printed out the words I chose as possibilities for the inlay on my engagement box. I used worldlingo.com (thanks again nicrez) came up with the words in the korean alphabet. Cut and pasted them onto a word document, enbolded and enlarged them and sent them off in an attachment in an e-mail to the artist working on my box.

I got a return message saying that she didn't have the same fonts as I do and that I would have to send them in a jpeg format. While I do know a little about computers and programs I am at a loss as to how to go about this. I was thinking that I would print the images really large and then take a picture of them with my digital camera hoping that the resolution would be good enough for her to use.

There is no real rush on this and once the artist get all the information ready it will just take week to complete and be shipped.

Again any and all advice or help wpuld be greatly appreciated.

Mike

 

[Nicrez]

Do you have a Photoshop like program that you can just work on, and save it as a .jpeg?

What is the font name?

 

[MNW]

Nicrez,

I have Dell Image Expert on my laptop I guess it's the same thing. I just corresponded with the woman crafting the box. I sent the digital pics of the enlarged print out of the korean words. She said that "love eternally" and other two worded phrases were too long and the only one that would fit is simply the word "love" She did make the suggestion the I use the word "love" in a dark wood and then she can craft an eternity symbol out of a lighter shade of wood and do the rest of the box in a light colored wood. It sounds perfect so i had her go ahead with the project. Should be ready in a week or so. I can't wait to see the finished product. I put almost as much work and research into the box as I did the diamond and the setting, which incidentally will be ready tomorrow.

Things are shaping up. I'll keep you all posted.

Mike

 

[derekinla]

Ahn Young Hah Seh Yo,

Glad to hear your custom ring box worked out! Can't wait to see the pixs. ....... One of my neighbors that I grew up with in Connecticut married a Korean girl (he was Italian) and he actually did an entire toast in Korean at the wedding reception! We were all quite impressed and it was very well received by the bride's family.

 

[Heaven Sent]

So when do we get to see a picture of the box?

I'm anxious... Sounds fantastic!

 

[MNW]

I received an e-mail on tuesday, from the artist who said that she was putting the finishing touches on the box on wednesday and "hopefully" it will be shipped out on thursday. To this point I haven't heard any different so since it's not here today and assuming it went USPS Priority, I'd say it'll be here on monday or tuesday.

She sent me a jpeg of the inlay that is going on the lid of the box and assured me that the finished product will look a lot nicer in person. I can't wait to see it.

Here's a pic of the inlay:

Although I am dying to see the finished product it's not a rush since it will be another couple of weeks till I propose.

Once I get the finished product I'll post a pic.

Mike

 

[MNW]

OK, that came out a little small for some reason. Unfortunately I can't figure out how to make it larger. It doesn't show on such a small picture but there is an outine of the infinity symbol as a backround for the word love (in hangul). Once I get the finished box I'll take a picture of it with my own camera and it will show up a lot better.

Mike

 

[MNW]

Well the ring box finally arrived in the mail today!!

I couldn't be more pleased at how it turned out. She said it looks much better in person than it does on the screen or on paper and she was right. I'll include a couple of pictures but it really does need to be seen to be fully appreciated.

Here's a couple of pics. I hope they come out OK

 

[MNW]

I'm not sure why they came out so small

I 'll try to fix them later.

 

[Superidealist]

I recognize the artist from the pictures you posted. It's Jane Burke of Greentree Creations. She made my wife's engagement ring box. In fact, my wife's was the first hexagonal ring box she made. I knew you wouldn't be disappointed with her work.

Say hello to her for me.

 

[hoorray]

They look beautiful, even with the small pictures. What a thoughtful thing to have done.

 

[Superidealist]

If you'd like to see my wife's ring box, I just noticed that it's the one pictured on the main page of her site (the ring pictured is not my wife's).

 

[MNW]

Superidealist,

You are correct, I got it from Jane, she does great work and I would highly reccommend that if anyone wants to add another personal touch to a proposal to get in touch with her.

The box is 2 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" so it's rectangular, you can have one done as a square, a circle, and like superidealist say's it can be done in hexagonal. There are any number of symbol's, letters and images you can do for an inlay. There are limits due to the size of the box but Jane will work with you until you come up with something you will be happy with.

In the top picture you can see the word love in hangul and you can barely make out the infinity symbol. A larger picture will show it better. I'll see what I can do.

Mike

 

[MNW]

Let's try one more pic: