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UK Music Grad Breaking Language Barriers for Horse Buyers
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 3, 2012) — Going to another country with a different native language than your own could make purchasing horses impossible; lucky for some Korean buyers they have Yoonie Choi, a 2010 graduate of the University of Kentucky School of Music.
Choi works as a translator for the Korean bloodstock purchasing group K.O.I.D., where the musician has been able to use her native language as a way to assist others in their purchasing decisions. K.O.I.D travels the world purchasing horses for the Korean Racing Authority, which serves a growing market in Korea.
As an interpreter for K.O.I.D., Choi’s job has developed into translation and communication at the major horse auctions across the U.S. She has overcome the language barrier that was a challenge when she first arrived in the U.S., and is now able to assist South Korean clients who want to set up arrangements with U.S. quarantine farms and shipping companies to get their newly purchased horses back to Korea. Although she does not make any of the buying decisions, she is an integral part in helping the owners understand the features of each horse.
Choi came to the U.S. from South Korea at the age of 13. Before receiving her doctoral degree in music from the UK School of Music in the UK College of Fine Arts, she attended the Manhattan School of Music. During her time at UK, she was the principal cellist in the UK Symphony Orchestra and she also performed with the school's Niles String Quartet.
Choi's work with K.O.I.D. was recently featured in the article "Changing Tempo" by Natalie Voss in Business Lexington.To read Voss' full story visit Business Lexington's website, www.bizlex.com/2012/09/changing-tempo/.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, (859) 257-8716
or whitney.hale@uky.edu
