Subtitles of 'Squid Game' change the meaning of the show? Fans are divided on this
Still from 'Squid Game'.
Korean series 'Squid Game' is garnering a lot of attention worldwide. And while people are loving the show, few fans have pointed out that some of the English subtitles change the meaning of certain sections of the show's dialogues.
The Korean drama is currently one of the most popular shows on Netflix andthe biggest show in the UK for the streaming service. The show revolves around people in debut competing in a series of dangerous games to win a jackpot.
English- speaking audiences have multiple options for the nine-part series. There is an English language audio dub version with subtitles or with closed-caption subtitles, which are intended for people who are hard of hearing and are often automatically generated to include descriptions of audio sounds as well as dialogue.
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A user, who speaks Korean, pointed out last week that 'Squid Game's' English closed caption subtitles are 'bad' and that the meaning of the original dialogue is often lost in translation.
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In a post on Twitter, she wrote, “If you don’t understand Korean you didn’t really watch the same show. the translation was so bad. the dialogue was written so well and zero of it was preserved.
“Such a shame. Translation is extremely important.”
She also added that English subtitles were 'substantially better' than the closed-caption ones, but added, "The misses in the metaphors - and what the writers were trying to actually say - are still pretty present."
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Her comments though sparked a debate online when another Korean speaker said," 'Perfect’ translations don’t exist, particularly between Korean and English, which are two completely different languages that come from such different cultures." They also added that English subtitles were "actually well made."
The user also added, “If it preserves as much meaning/intent of the original language as possible and delivers it in a way that the target audience can understand, it is a good translation. the eng subtitles of Squid Game achieved this and there were no glaring errors/mistranslations.”
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Some viewers have pointed out that the English dubbing track was near-identical to the closed-caption subtitles and added that English subtitles with the original dialogue may be the most authentic way to enjoy the show for those who are able to.
Netflix in fact plays the English dubbing track on non-English language titles by default and many users don't realise they have the option to watch something in the original language coupled with subtitles.
It was earlier reported that the OTT platform had found that users in the US are more likely to finish and series or film while watching with a language dub, rather than opt for subtitles.
