London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 14, 2026

There's A Ton Of Love And Memes For The Interpreter Of "Parasite" Director Bong Joon-Ho

Sharon Choi is an aspiring filmmaker who has a legion of fans online thanks to her work translating for Bong Joon-ho this awards season.

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho was on stage a lot during Sunday night's Academy Awards ceremony thanks to his acclaimed film Parasite making history and winning four Oscars.

That also meant viewers watching at home saw a lot of a young woman on stage with him: his interpreter Sharon Choi.


Choi - who, according to the Guardian, is a 25-year-old Korean American living in Seoul - has been a staple during the awards season as the Parasite squad slowly conquered Hollywood.

"I'm just a huge fan of this film and all the filmmakers. So it's been great," she told the Hollywood Reporter last month.

She's been working with Bong since May 2019, when the film won the top prize at the Cannes film festival, according to the Korea Herald.

Bong's jokes and speeches have charmed fans and industry figures alike, but many have praised Choi for her nuanced and careful interpretation and delivery of his remarks.

"I'm always super anxious," she told the Hollywood Reporter of appearing on stage before some of the biggest stars on earth.

"She has a big fandom," the director told the same outlet. "She's perfect, and we all depend on her."

Indeed, Choi was the subject of a ton of internet love during Sunday's show.





 Lulu Wang, the writer and director of The Farewell, and Henry Golding, star of Crazy Rich Asians, are among her fans.




Fans have even made videos for Choi, celebrating her work this season.

Rachel Choi, an 18-year-old fan who lives in Georgia and who tweets at @squashgalosh, made this video because she's been struck by how well the interpreter does her job.

"Often times interpreters will translate the words but not the emotions or ideas as well, so I think Sharon’s doing an amazing job," she told BuzzFeed News. "Also as a Korean who isn’t fluent, I feel in awe every time I see Sharon do her thing. She’s so so cool."


 




"She’s also so charismatic and charming from the interviews I’ve watched and how the Parasite cast and crew speak of her," 17-year-old fan Romina Estrada of Los Angeles told BuzzFeed News.



Estrada, who tweets under the handle @rominamargie, made a video for Choi, saying she had a new respect for translators everywhere.

"This is such a Gen-Z thing, especially on Stan Twitter, where if we see someone who’s talented and popular at the moment, we make fancams for them," she explained.



Being a translator is not Choi's only job. She's studied film at college and is an aspiring director.

Bong told reporters in the press room at the Oscars that Choi was working on a script.

"She's writing a feature-length script," he said. "I'm so curious about it."



According to the Wrap, the script is about — what else? — awards season.

Choi, through Parasite's distributor, did not immediately return a request for comment. But as he and Choi walked the red carpet before Sunday's ceremony, Bong told E! he was grateful for her work — although, of course, it was Choi who spoke for him.

"It’s very embarrassing to translate,” she said, “but he said that thanks to me, this campaign has been a smooth journey."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
Wildfires Surge Across England and Wales as Fire Chiefs Report Record July
UK Nurses Warn of Heat Risks as Hospital Staff Struggle With Extreme Temperatures
Southern Water Seeks Drought Order for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amid Water Shortages
UK Heatwave Pushes West London Temperature to 38.1 Degrees as Health Alerts Continue
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Global Uncertainty
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
UK Residents Gather to Watch Rare Partial Solar Eclipse
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Faces Criticism Over Legal Threat Against Guardian Journalist
Michael Forsyth Elected Speaker of the House of Lords
Cambridge Researchers Launch £20 Million Human Organoid Drug Testing Programme
Heathrow Loses European Passenger Traffic Lead to Istanbul Airport
Households Near New UK Electricity Pylons to Receive £250 Annual Energy Bill Discount
UK Government Estimates Zero-Hours Contract Ban Could Cost Employers Up to £3 Billion a Year
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
UK Police Chiefs Urge Government to Block Early Release of Andrew Harper Killers
UK Government Holds Emergency Cobra Meeting as Drought and Heatwave Raise Wildfire Risks
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Donald Trump Warns FIFA Against Ousting Gianni Infantino Amid Revolt by Global Football Leaders
Jeff Bezos Joins Investor Group Closing In on $6 Billion Liverpool FC Stake
Police Conduct Cross-Border Raids Against Northern England Drug Network
Nicola Sturgeon Protested at Edinburgh Festival Fringe Event
Major UK Retail Chain Enters Administration With One Hundred Fifty-Four Stores Set to Close
Heathrow Renews Call for Runway Expansion After Losing Europe’s Busiest Airport Ranking
Government Condemns One Million Pound Thames Water Executive Bonus Amid Drought
NHS England Says More Than One Hundred Thousand Hepatitis C Patients Have Been Cured
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Calls for End to West Bank Settler Violence
UK Prepares for Deepest Partial Solar Eclipse Since Nineteen Ninety-Nine
UK Heatwave Triggers Amber Health Alerts as Economic Losses Reach Four Point Four Billion Pounds
UK Offers Electricity Bill Discounts to Communities Hosting New Power Infrastructure
Bank of England Expected to Hold Interest Rates at Three Point Seven Five Percent
UK Government Moves to Ban Subscription Traps and Misleading Retail Discounts
Andy Burnham Gives Councils New Powers to Block Betting and Vape Shops
UK Councils to Receive Sweeping Planning Powers to Ban New Vape and Betting Shops
Nicola Sturgeon Says She Has No Contact With Estranged Husband After SNP Embezzlement Case
Police Arrest Two Men After Aberdeenshire Defense Technology Office Break-In
Greater Manchester Councils Gain Powers to Restrict New Vape and Betting Shops
Coroner Finds Treasury Workplace Failures Contributed to Personal Assistant’s Suicide
English and Welsh Courts Ban Meta Smart Glasses Over Recording and Privacy Risks
Strait of Hormuz Disruption Could Double UK Inflation and Trigger Recession, Forecasters Warn
×