I would like to study translation and interpretation in Korea someday like your post stated though I'm just beginning my journey with Korean as a freshman in college. How did you become fluent in Korean? What did you study in college and how did you get to where you are now? I'm curious and would like to try and figure out my way and path.
I did all of my learning through classes. I took Korean classes at my university in the States for 3 years, and for 1 year in Seoul. I attented the language programs at Sogang University (3 months) and Yonsei University (9 months.)
My major was film/screenwriting, so my language studies were completely unrelated to that, but a fun hobby that I later decided to pursue as a career. My first year learning, I watched a lot of Korean TV shows without subtitles (~2 hours day) and I think that really helped my pronunciation. Studying in Seoul gave me the biggest boost by far, just hearing and using the language on a daily basis.
I got a scholarship from my US university to study in Korea, so my first recommendation would be to see if your school has any exchange programs, grants, or scholarships that could get you here, or to consider taking a gap year and coming on your own if your financial/personal circumstances allow. I’ve talked about this before if you search my learning korean tag, but utilizing websites like Talk to Me in Korean, iTalki, HiNative, Memrise, DuoLingo (the Korean course is not up yet, but on the way) and Naver English Dictionary; reading articles online from Korean news sources like Chosun and Joongang; and listening to podcasts (Korean app 팟방) can help you in your journey. Best of luck to you.