You see those comments A LOT 
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In Cdramas they also use âgegeâ or âgeâ for older brothers/ boyfriends / friends by both men and women. So you also encounter people in the TCs who get confusedâŚ
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It can be compared a little to the word âBroâ or âsisâ nowadays⌠people use it with their friends but the culture still probably doesnt have the same level of communal living so it still falls short in terms of a good substitute for oppa/hyung/gege/jiejie/noona/unnie. Ive seen âBroâ being used in subs, though im not sure it was on Viki
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It is being used on Viki.
Personally, I prefer using the Asian terms, though.
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Yes, bro and sis fall flat to gege/jiejie/oppa/noona etcâŚ
Thatâs why I keep my ears open when I watch dramas to listen to what the characters are saying when they address someone. Same as with if they use âxihuanâ or âaiâ in Chinese dramas. They both can be translated to love, but they are different degrees of love.
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Personally, I am okay with âBroâ or âSisâ depending on the context, if it refers to a biological sibling. However, for consistencyâs sake, I would much prefer Korean honorifics.
I think the beautiful thing about honorifics is that they show familiarity, respect, and/or social hierarchy. I feel that it is a cultural phenomenon that deserves attention. In fact, my daughter and I will be focusing on the use of honorifics in the upcoming podcast for her linguistics and computer science class project.
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Iâm still waiting to see/hear this! 
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I am dreading it since I hate public speaking. It seems that with two college kids who see me as the go-to-interviewee, I am doing far more public speaking than I care to, lol. Just last night, I did a Zoom interview for my sonâs criminal justice class.
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I agree. Its weird to others but that shouldnât stop or minimize whatâs unique or beautiful about a culture. Though I still canât remember the drama, I will always be thankful to the wonderful Viki TE who added TNs explaining the entire thing when I first got into Dramaland. Made me go check it up and I realized ahhh weâre more similar than we think, but so unique in our own way! 
One trope that really gets my heart fluttering is when one of the leads finally switches from íěěě¤ě˛´/í´ě체 to í´ě˛´âŚ its funny how the speech levels and the respect levels have been⌠internalized? Was just watching that scene in SWDBS that revolves around the speech levels, and i realized that I didnt feel confused or left out of the joke, like the first time I watched it.
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I think the biggest reason the NTFX subbers rubberstamp the full characterâs name all the way through a drama is because it saves time. They also donât pause to give their NTFX viewers those helpful cultural add-ons in brackets; like explaining ajussi, oppa, unnie etcâŚor pointing out unique features in korean social life, like explaining that a young man turns his head to the side when drinking with an elder as a sign of respect. That is viewing âgoldâ, which is what our generous volunteers give us on Viki.
So then why donât NTFX subbers do this? Because they arenât volunteering their time, they are being PAID. And likely their paycheck depends on how many episodes they finish, which doesnât encourage anyone to add in the important extras like korean context. I also think that NTFX has a policy aimed at making their foreign-subtitles more âamericanizedâ for easier understanding (like putting the surname last to mirror western speech.) I grind my teeth when I hear a guy call his older brother âHyungâ but the subtitles say "Dude!â. Switching out Korean words for american slang whitewashes the context and culture out of these dramas and turns them into âjust another american showâ. Their interference in translation can often edit a characterâs personality as well as the Scriptwriterâs original intent for the tone of the drama once it has been butchered with a subtitlers âperspectiveâ of what they think best suits the audience watching it. But NTFX is also watched by viewers around the world who donât have subs in their language and might have to depend on their basic english level to access a drama or movie, so sometimes the slang added in is even more confusing to the international viewer. I see a smattering of this on Viki but thatâs outweighed by the âextrasâ we are all treated to. Iâm watching a chinese historical drama: âLove Like the Galaxy.â A generous subber told us that âuncleâ was a term addressing men and explained that the Third Prince lives in the Eastern Castle (when it was starting to get confusing with all the princes etc.) Those are the very basics that help us all get closer to a language and the people who use it. The Viki community of volunteers is really the only reason I stick with Viki lately because of the commitment they have to ensuring these dramas get out in the world. Much respect.
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This is why I hated squid game dubbed.
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Itâs not at all the paid translatorsâ fault. Itâs the policy. In translating subtitles (or any content, really, but especially in subtitles) you have various options and, on sites where the boss calls the shots, itâs the bossâs decision.
Method one is so-called âlocalizationâ: They typically use that a lot in dubbed cartoons. Everything is brought to the local level, as if the characters belonged to the same country as the viewer. In Disneyâs âAristocatsâ, the protagonist in Italian had become âRomeo, er mejo del Colosseoâ (Romeo, the best in the Coliseum neighbourhood) and made to speak in Roman dialect. It was hilarious, by the way. In Asian dramas, ramen becomes noodles, tteokboki become rice cakes (confusing Other Language subbers, which sometimes translate them with the corresponding name for cake the dessert), Asian names are written backwards, with the surname at the end, Western way, teachers instead of Teacher X are called Mr. / Mrs. X and names are used instead of appellatives. Chinese proverbs are substituted with corresponding Western ones without any notes. Things that cannot be understood are replaced with generics.
Method two is absolute respect, sticking to the original as if your life depended on it. You keep Hyeong, Eonnie, but also âEat a lotâ, âI have eaten wellâ, âYou have worked hardâ, âI will go firstâ and everything in-between. This is excessive, in my opinion, and is okay only for die-hard fans in specialistic sites.
I am rather for a middle way. Keeping cultural aspects, but donât make the language weird. Why are people told to eat a lot, even when they are obviously fat and full of appetite? Why do inferiors tell their superior in the office that s/he has worked hard? Isnât this completely out of line? Who are you to assess whether the CEO has worked hard or not?
And what on earth does âIâll leave firstâ mean anyway?
Notes are a good solution, but if there are too many of them, it becomes tiresome. A balance is needed, you donât want to overwhelm viewers. In âLovers of the Red Skyâ there were notes almost on every other subtitle, and as an editor (with the permission of my Chief Editor with whom we discussed this beforehand) I removed many, many of them, just incorporating the meaning/explanation inside the subtitle, to make for smoother reading and understanding. You also donât want subs to get to 3-4 lines, people might not even have the time to read them, and having to pause while watching a drama is extremely annoying.
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I agree with this. I have also watched dramaâs which had notes every other subtitle. Most of the explained notes/expressions werenât even relevant to the story.
Sometimes, it seems like the subbers underestimate the viewerâs intelligence. There was this drama in which the subbers used an English expression (not sure if there was one in the original language) and then they provided a note explaining that expression. I donât really like this type of âdouble translatingâ. Either decide that people will understand the expression or decide that they wonât and translate normally.
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I HATE the subbing on Nfx! There is no comparison with our Viki subbers when it comes to comprehension of the scene. They also tend to use a lot more foul language (although Iâve been seeing it creep in to current dramas on Viki also).
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On viki the language is kept to what is in the original. I personally donât neuter curse words if the original is not neutered for example.
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Exactly! And thereâs a character limit and that must be followed without fail. And obviously when getting paid one have to follow whatever they say!
I donât know much on this topic, but as a deaf person who depends on subtitles wanted to add a point from my view. On Viki a deaf individuals depends on just subtitles provided in their language. On Netflix many shows, as well movies there are 2 options. English subtitles, and English CC. English CC is specific subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing which are more detailed. Unfortunately, I noticed that when I watch dramas from different countries many donât follow those requirements that leaves me guessing at times who is speaking if their backs are turned, or why a character is behaving a certain way. However, I must say Viki has some amazing subtitles, yes sometimes miss certain things, but I have enjoyed many dramas due to these subtitles. Some subtitles have gone beyond what is expected so detailed that leave me in awe. I also like how Viki subtitles might include in bracket info based on culture to explain what the character is saying. As always a big thank you for taking time to provide subtitles, it is much appreciated.
I am not sure if explaining right, but for those not fully understanding or wanting more information on difference between subtitles and captions I am referring to. This link is a good start:
Also a example of difference between subtitles and captions can be seen on Netflix Korean Movie which provides both options of English and English CC: âSpace Sweepersâ with actor Song Joong Ki
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Iâm really sorry that there is no option for those as well. Of course we cannot include character name and descriptions of sounds in the âregularâ English subtitles because it would be super-annoying for the majority of viewers. But Viki, if they wanted, could add another âlanguageâ, English CC, to the existing ones and Iâm sure that there would be dedicated volunteers who would convert the existing English subs to those suitable for the deaf and hard of hearing. Itâs not a difficult thing to do, once you learn the rules, and definitely something to suggest to them.
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Imar, no need to apologize I canât complain on Viki subtitles, I think they do an outstanding job already. I love how detailed Viki is. I just finished watching Eve, and I give The Revenge Team a standing ovation on subtitles. The reason I shared my views, is because I seen in other topics, and comments during dramas where many complain subtitles are not up to fast, too long, too short, etc. not realizing those who contribute to subtitles take time out of their personal life to volunteer here on Viki. As a deaf person, I am grateful and appreciate it because not only are they connecting/educating me to another culture, but to the hearing world as well that I can not hear. Yes, some dramas might be less or more subtitles than others, but the fact that they even have subtitles that is enough for me. To me, you guys are some of our silent superheroes in deaf community.
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Your research is amazing, congratulations!
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