Many of these translators got involved because they noticed incorrect or incomplete English transcripts online, but also because they saw an opportunity to participate in the rise of a group they wanted to see succeed.

At the first BTS concert the 20-something fan Jiye Kim (who posts as @doyou_bangtan) attended, she saw the band wanted “the concert to be a way for us to share in our joys and pain, just as humans walking alongside each other,” she said in a phone interview. She left the show thinking, “I’m really happy that I exist in this world and these people do too.”

Each translator account has different areas of expertise and interest. Bangtan Translations is one of the largest, posting comprehensive, authoritative interpretations of lyrics, tweets and long videos. The six-person Peachboy team does social media posts, lyrics and letters from the subscription-based Fancafe platform. Spotlight, which has four members, has a special knack for live interpreting. For in-depth looks at lyrics, @doolsetbangtan and @doyou_bangtan offer heavily contextualized, almost academic deep dives.

Translating for one of K-pop’s biggest groups comes with pressures. The sheer amount of content requires some discernment, even as a growing English-speaking market demands more, and wants it faster. Some translators have experienced burnout, especially those working alone at the mercy of an incredibly active and devoted fan base. The person behind the popular account @cafe_army shared a letter to followers on June 27 announcing an “indefinite rest” to focus on their personal life, which had been “compromised” by so much time translating. Others can relate: Kim averages more than a thousand phone notifications a day. Katie H., who runs @doolsetbangtan, took a short break last year after realizing she felt “guilty” when she didn’t have time to translate everything.

“People think we’re machines,” said Rachel, whose Korean name is Yejin, about her work helping run @SPOTLIGHTBTS as a busy 20-year-old college student in the United States. She said Twitter fans will tell her, “I don’t know how you balance your life with all of this.”