People Who Are Fluent In Korean Point Out Inaccuracies In The Squid Game Subtitles

Our love for the show might be the same but the inaccurate translations puts up a wall between those who can understand without it and those who rely on it

Chelsi

• Published in Film & TV
• April 3, 2022

There’s been a hype that’s going around because of a well-done Netflix show called ‘Squid Game’. All over the world, it garnered audiences that would binge the show for hours because they couldn’t stop watching.

The show is intense to put it simply. The challenges would make your heart race and there are plot twists ready to jump at you around the corners.

One of the most important things though that added to why it’s been talked about so much is the topics they put into light. The game in the series involves more than four hundred players that are in serious debt, ready to fight it out to win the grand prize.

It’s not as easy though, as losing means losing your life as well and the challenges are all but merciful. Throughout the story, they show glimpses of the main characters’ history and their origins.

Their hardships in life are highlighted and so is the grasp of modern capitalism in society. All the elements come together and for those who want to jump in and watch it, Netflix offers various subtitles for it.

But here’s the thing, those who have already watched it and are also fluent in the Korean language, sparked a discussion about how certain translations are very different. And although you would still be able to enjoy the series, here are some examples of why some thoughts are better expressed if the translations are accurate.

Youngmi Mayer tweeted that she was someone that was fluent in Korean and pointed out that the dialogue was well written but the subtitles didn’t do it justice

She switched to doing a breakdown on TikTok with some scenes to make viewers understand what she meant

She started with a dialogue from Han Mi-nyeo

She's someone that speaks in a more unfiltered manner

The first example was when Mi-nyeo faced one of the guards and asked him what he's looking at

Which got translated to 'Go away'

The translations of what she says aren't accurate and lessens the impact of the color of this character's values

Another big example is when she tries to convince people to team up with her

The translation for her dialogue was actually deeper than what she said

The translation said that despite not being a genius, she could work it out

In reality, what she said was that she knows she's smart but she never had the chance to study

The TikTok user made people aware that people who are smart but not having the opportunity to study is a common trope in Korean media

The inaccurate translation disrupts the intentions of how writers want the characters to be perceived

It might just be sentence or two but there's a boatload of meaning behind them

The players with the contrasting numbers which are 001 and 456 also have some mistranslated dialogues

The saying has been reduced to something simpler

The line that they miss to accurately translate, contributes to the overall tone of the episode

And although in some cases that would be better, in this case, the original saying holds bigger meaning for the show

This is the original TikTok video of OP

There are a lot of translators that are undercompensated

Youngmi also shed light to the way people who aren't fluent not only with their language but also their culture, heavily criticize their art and such

There are people who shared their opinions in the comments

Another TikTok user explained more misunderstood scenes in the movie

This is the TikTok video with the explanation of the game

This would seem like an ordinary dramatic scene

But it actually shows a common way of suicide done in Korea

Koreans also have honorifics that western countries do not practice, the significance of their use would be hard to grasp for those who do not know them

If you are off to watch the show, you'll get better results with the 'real' captions rather than closed-captioning

Someone showed how to change your settings to English(CC)

But sometimes, whichever it is, there aren't good subtitles available at all

Might as well rewatch it again

The more Korean shows are making their way in big platforms such as Netflix, the more they should work on better translations to get their message across

It's not too late to add or edit the translations

When you've only known better translations, it's hard to watch ones that aren't as well made

Translators are important to break down that wall of misunderstandings. Not only that but they also play a big part in making sure that they understand the message and purpose of the characters.

In the show Squid Game, the culture of Korea is very much incorporated, from the way it affected the characters to the way their society works. It's the darker side of reality but it's a reality that exists along with the good.

Chelsi