Driving towards dreams: Our partner 1-StopAsia
We might be one of the world’s largest translation companies in Asian languages but this may be the first time you hear about us, so let us tell you a story…
“It all started from the single dream of a Korean boy, who didn’t want to be like the rest of its peers and work for the same company during his entire life. His biggest dream was getting to travel all over the world…”
This is the story of how 1-StopAsia was created and that of the man behind it – Don Shin.
After Don got his BA degree in Korean Language & Literature, for a few years he worked for the largest broadcasting company in the country. However, this wasn’t enough to change his life. His true desire was to create something that would leave a mark on the world.
With the experience he gained working with the English language during his time in the army, he managed to start working as a freelance translator part-time – which he eventually turned into a full-time job.
A Golden Opportunity
Due to the economic crisis in Asia, back in 1997 there was a time when Don was left struggling to feed his family. Since work was difficult to come by, he had a lot of spare time on his hands. That was when he found his golden opportunity: he discovered that since many Korean didn’t understand English, they rarely used the internet. This prompted Don to build his own website, on which he offered his translation services. By the end of the 80s, if you happened to type the words ‘English to Korean’ in Yahoo, you would see two recommended websites – one of which was www.donshin.com
And so it started…
The first milestone reached after the creation of 1-StopAsia was a peculiar one – it was earning his first 100 USD. At the time, it was illegal in Korea to possess more than 50 USD in cash, so Don was forced to open a bank account. This laid the foundation of our company.
Staying true to his dreams, the first 4000 USD he saved was used for the initial company website, www.onestoptr.com, as well as for buying license for the only CAT (Computer Aided Translation) tool that supported Korean at the time – SDL Trados Studio.
A desk and a chair
A few years passed, and in 2000, Don bought his first desk and chair. The chair was second-hand and around 60 years old. Until this very day – almost 20 years later – Don used the same desk and chair in his home office, to remind himself of his humble beginnings. 1-StopAsia’s headquarters are located in Los Angeles, USA. Don lives nearby, even though most of his time is spent traveling across the world, paying visits to our many offices throughout Asia, Europe and the United States of America.
Inspired by this story, we’ve kept the company values that Don set in the very beginning at the forefront, focusing on his and our vision.
Love and pride for the languages and cultures of Asia
Continuous dedication to our clients
A long-term strategy to build a company that lasts a millennium
We are looking forward to attending TEDxPlovdiv and use the chance for networking. For us there is no small dream or opportunity. Our company history inspires us that anything is possible and all you need is a single dream. From there you can start building. We are here to show the future.