Squid Game: Have Korean nuances of Netflix's Squid Game been lost in translation with English subtitles?

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Dr Youngmi Kim, senior lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Edinburgh, says that while Netflix “could pay a lot more attention to translation” and the specific cultural nuances in Squid Game and Korean TV shows and films generally, Squid Game’s unique appeal and message is by no means diminished by slips in translation.

"The brutal competitiveness in the show is actually reflecting real life everywhere – not only in Korea, but in the UK, US and anywhere in the world,” she says.

"The characters in Squid Game are very varied – from the socially elite member of society with a degree from a top university who deals with large amounts of money at his financial company, to a foreign labourer who did not get paid and has been unfairly treated, to North Korean defectors.

"This variety of characters, actually reflecting every different part of society, is what makes the show so popular, I think.”