In a couple of recent Korean shows, I noticed that certain proper names were translated. In both instances, the translation of proper names did not improve the quality of subtitles, but rather misinform/misled the viewers. Fortunately, the CEs for those shows were very receptive and corrections were quickly made before the videos were released to OLs.
In “Love is for Suckers”, there is a conversation about a womanizer who supposedly dated 100 women. The FL compared him to “의자왕” which was originally translated to “Chair King”. 의자 means “chair” and 왕 means “king”. However, 의자왕 is a historical figure who appears in the Korean folklore “King Uija and 3,000 court ladies”. https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/topic/detail/5467
Some scholars in linguistics claim that Korean has more adages than any other language. Four character sayings comprise a high proportion of the Korean adages. With the modern decline in usage of Hanja, Chinese characters used in Korean, knowledge of the four character sayings 사자성어 has declined so many younger subbers, while very fluent in both Korean and English, do not immediately recognize the four character sayings. Matters are further complicated with the multiple homonyms in Korean which is over 60% Chinese based. Thus, it is easy to understand, and to forgive, a subber’s confusion of 전화 which has at least five homonyms in the Naver Hanja dictionary with consequent more than five very different definitions, including phone, change, Joseon dynasty, war, and television.
In my 13 years as a volunteer at viki, I’ve encountered only one subber who was a genius at the four character sayings. Would it surprise anyone that this native speaker of Korean holds a master’s degree in Mandarin and has probably subbed into English more C-drama than K-drama?
If you are intrigued by the use of the four character sayings, the K drama where I encountered the most of them was The Salaryman. Unfortunately, viki gave up the license before we could save our subtitles.
choitrio
Only a small portion of them are widely used so no need to study them.
I don’t study them per se; if by chance I see them in a drama on NTFX, Freevee, etc. since those sites don’t explain them with a short note I write them down, and later on look in that list to see if I find them there. I have found a few, but is a lengthy search so lately I haven’t had the time to look into it.
Rakuten Viki volunteers are the only site that provides a note explaining things they know most viewers won’t understand. This is very beneficial bc we become more familiarize with the Korean/Chinese language idioms (sayings).
I assume that most Kor-Eng subbers know very few, if any, 사자성어, and I don’t fault them. As a translator myself, I know how difficult it is to provide quality translation and I have been impressed how the quality has been improving here at Viki as well as other streaming services.
As a student of Korean late in my life, I was fascinated by the frequent use of adages in K drama and used to keep notes of their usage by name, episode and approximate time. For example: Sungkyungkwan Scandal --Birds can hear things in the day, mice can hear at night. Ep. 1 1:00.30 This is the Korean equivalent of the English “the walls have ears”. Nowadays one finds an occasional reference in dialogue to birds and mice everywhere.
The one who is meant to die will die by drowning even in a plate full of water.
Two weeks Episode 3 12 min.
Dragon out of a stream. Empire of Gold ep. 21 20:50
Of course I created a list with the Korean and English side by side. I did this sporadically for about six or seven years and gradually stopped doing it because screenwriters had decreased the frequency of quoting four character sayings or other adages. I think the screenwriters also are less familiar with them.
I guess you can take the person out of academia but you can’t take the academia out of a person!
cwm808
I guess you can take the person out of academia but you can’t take the academia out of a person!
Your words remind me of this quote I like so much.
cgwm808
As a student of Korean late in my life
PS. I must be confusing you with someone else because I thought you are Korean, and I was about to ask you if is true you are 80 years old. Whoever she is, I have so much admiration to see the dedication to this site. I read her name is Connie and saw some wonderful videos and interviews. Sorry about the confusion. Age is but a number. I just admire the endurance and resolve to serve here with so much love and dedication.
In a recent K-drama, there is a conversation involving golf score. The ML talks about how he plays “Around 80, give or take”. The subtitle shows “80 yards” for the particular dialogue. However, I am pretty sure “80” refers to the number of strokes not yards.
I am watching a relatively recent Korean crime show where the word “사수 (sa-soo)” appears often and is consistently translated as “shooter”. When you Google up the word, it is defined as “shooter”. However, the word has multiple definitions, and the definition befitting the context would be “supervisor” or “mentor”.
Normally, the number of strokes for the 12 holes are between 70 and 72 if you make every hole in the “correct” number of strokes. So 80 would be a good player, but totally possible. At the other end, 80 yards, it’s not that much for a golf stroke.
Episode 3, Reborn Rich, before completion of editing.
One chaebol brother warns his older brother about their smart nephew, “We have to stay frosty, Young Ki.”
I am dumbfounded.
Discussion at a film festival: “The Academy Awards tend to snuff non-English movies.” Vision dances through my head of a giant pillow over the film Parasite.
I don’t want to open another topic, but I think this subtitle is also a faux-pas… somebody missed to remove or left it as a prank before releasing the episode
cgwm808
mob 
