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
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