Some useful Korean apps and websites still show important information mainly in Korean. When that happens, your phone’s built-in translation tools can often help you understand the screen without changing the app itself or copying Korean text into a translator one phrase at a time.
Because I live in Korea, I normally use Korean-language apps without thinking much about the language. For an international visitor, however, a screen full of Hangul can make an otherwise useful local service difficult to navigate, especially when you are trying to check a store, product, promotion, or reservation.
I will use the Korean Olive Young service as the main example because it is something many travelers may want to use while shopping in Korea. The same methods also work with many other Korean apps, product pages, event screens, and local websites.
Why the Korean Olive Young App Can Be Useful
Olive Young operates a separate Global service for international online shoppers, while its Korean domestic service is more closely connected to local stores, inventory, and promotions. During a trip in Korea, the domestic service can be useful when you want to find a nearby branch or check whether a particular product may be available there.
The Global and Korean services are not identical. For example, Olive Young Global’s OY MEMBERS program applies to the Global service rather than purchases made at physical Olive Young stores in Korea. If your goal is simply to browse in a store, you may never need the Korean service, but it becomes more useful when you are searching for something specific.
If you are mainly interested in choosing a branch, finding products, understanding promotions, or using a tourist tax refund, my Olive Young Shopping Guide covers those topics separately. This article focuses on the language problem: how to understand Korean information that is already on your phone.
How to Translate the Screen on Android
On supported Android devices, Circle to Search can translate text while you remain on the screen you are using. According to Google’s current Circle to Search instructions, you can open it by holding the Home button with three-button navigation or the navigation handle when using gesture navigation.
You can select a particular piece of Korean text and choose Translate, or use the Translate option for the entire visible screen. This works well on an Olive Young product or store page because you can read the translated information and then continue using the same screen.
Google also offers Scroll and translate on selected devices, which can continue translating while you move through a longer page. Since that feature is still limited to supported devices, it may not appear on every Android phone.
If Circle to Search is unavailable, taking a screenshot and using an image-translation tool is a simple alternative. Either method lets you translate what is already displayed instead of depending on the Korean app to provide its own English interface.
How to Translate the Screen on iPhone
On an iPhone, a screenshot and Live Text provide a straightforward way to translate Korean text inside an app. Capture the screen you want to understand, open the image in Photos, and use Live Text to recognize and translate the text.
This is particularly convenient for longer product descriptions or promotion conditions because you can keep the screenshot and compare the original Korean with the translation. Automatic translation can still sound awkward with brand names, abbreviations, or expressions that do not have a simple equivalent in another language, so the surrounding information on the screen is useful too.
According to Apple’s current Live Text support information, availability depends on the device, language, and region. Live Text is supported on compatible iPhones beginning with the iPhone XS and XR generation when running the required iOS version.
What to Translate in the Olive Young App
For travelers, the most useful information is usually connected to a specific task: finding a store, checking product availability, reading a price or promotion, or seeing whether an item may be stocked nearby. You do not need to translate every menu before the service becomes useful.
Olive Young currently uses terms such as “매장 재고 조회하기“, meaning “check store stock,” and “구매 가능한 올영매장 찾기“, meaning roughly “find Olive Young stores where this product is available.” The wording may vary depending on the screen, but both relate to checking whether a product can be found at a physical store.
You may also see short terms such as “쿠폰” for coupon, “증정” for a promotional gift, and “세일” for sale. Another useful word is “올영“, a common shortened form of Olive Young, so “올영매장” simply means an Olive Young store. These short Korean expressions are sometimes less obvious when translated literally.
Product images, prices, store names, and stock indicators can help you understand the screen when a machine translation sounds strange. When I once shopped from a long product list my daughter had sent me, having exact product names and images on my phone made it much easier to compare similar packages on the shelves, which is one reason I think screenshots are especially useful when you are searching for a specific item.
Translation Helps With Language, Not Account Requirements
Screen translation helps you understand what a Korean service says, but some functions may still require a Korean account, phone verification, membership, a supported payment method, or other conditions. Promotions can also have specific dates, purchase requirements, or membership rules that remain the same regardless of the language in which you read them.
For most travelers, this distinction is not a major problem when the goal is simply to check a store, product, price, or promotion before visiting. Even without using every domestic feature, translating the information on the screen can still make the Korean service useful.
Using the Same Method With Other Korean Apps
The same approach works with many Korean-language screens you may encounter while traveling. Restaurant notices, product pages, event information, reservation screens, store promotions, and local websites can often be understood with Circle to Search, Live Text, or a screenshot translator.
If a service already provides the information you need in your language, that version is usually the simplest choice. When useful local information appears only in Korean, however, translating the screen can help you understand enough to decide what to do next without learning an entirely new app system.
I use the same principle when choosing travel apps in Korea: start with tools that solve an actual problem rather than downloading everything commonly used by Korean residents. My Korea Travel Apps Guide explains which local apps are especially useful for visitors and where an international alternative may already be enough.
About the Author 🇰🇷
I live in South Korea and write about the small details of Korean life and culture that I experience and observe firsthand.
English is my second language, so I sometimes use tools such as Gemini and Google Translate to help with translation and editing. The experiences, observations, opinions, and cultural perspectives in my articles are my own, and I personally review and edit every article before publishing it.
My goal with Korea Core Info is simple: to share everyday Korea from a local perspective and help international readers discover things they might not always find in a typical travel guide.
I hope my stories and guides help you understand Korea a little better — not just as a place to visit, but as a place where people live their everyday lives.