I guess I won the lottery by being born in the United States and being a native English speaker. I often wonder what I'm missing about other countries and languages.
I've finally gotten around to watching Squid Game, which was all the rage back in 2021 when I paused my subscription to Netflix. The show is native to Korea, but it offers a track dubbed in English and English subtitles. I mentioned to abrahamKim that I was trying to get used to watching a dubbed show, and he mentioned that he chooses subtitles. I thought, "Wait, isn't he Korean, and shouldn't he be watching it in Korean?" Now don't get all bent out of shape. That's not a racist observation, just an ignorant one.
I decided to turn on subtitles, and I immediately noticed that the subtitles did not match the dubbed English. The subtitles were less specific, and if you were only reading the subtitles without listening to the English translation, you would miss some meaning and nuance. You'd get a general idea of what's going on, but some of the meaning appears to be lost in the subtitles.
I wonder how I would perceive this show if I were a native Korean. Obviously, it would be the culture and language that would influence my perception. abrahamKim thinks Americans like Squid Game more than Koreans. Maybe I would appreciate the show less?
abrahamKim
