Squid Game is slowly becoming one of Netflix’s most popular releases with global fans of the Korean drama uniting over its unique storyline and dramatic twists.
Now some Korean speaking fans of the show have said that for those watching the series in dubbed English, the narrative may be taking on a different meaning than intended.
In a viral TikTok which now has close to five million views, comedian Youngmi Mayer told viewers that some of the translations were leaving important details out of the story.
In the video, Youngmi analyses the translations of Han Mi-nyeo in particular as aspects of her characterisation were lost in translation.
Mayer tweeted, “Not to sound snobby but I’m fluent in Korean and I watched Squid Game with English subtitles and if you don’t understand Korean you didn’t really watch the same show. Translation was so bad. The dialogue was written so well and zero of it was preserved.”
Several TikTok users agreed and offered their own observations about the mistranslations.
Explaining further on Twitter, Youngmi wrote, “i want to point out that the reason this happens is because translation work is not respected and also the sheer volume of content. translators are underpaid and overworked and it’s not their fault. it’s the fault of producers who don’t appreciate the art. “
(Image Credit – Youtube – Netflix)