Idk why but the new translators are taking away the cultural differences that people are able to learn through subtitles, especially in K-dramas. When I started Viki in 2017 they didn’t do that, you could enjoy and learn cultural difference when watching a K-drama but now they’ve Americanized it all so no more learning for newcomers.
I am afraid it has a lot to do with the already pre-subbed English dramas that viki is bringing to us lately.
Let me be honest and tell you that it was much better when our viki volunteers translated EVERYTHING from 0. It was so special and detailed, it surely made a huge difference among other internet sites. But now everything feels the same somehow. I guess it is something so precious that viki is losing every time a pre subbed English project comes licensed to us.
Nothing volunteers can do to change things the way they were before. I’m afraid it has to do with the licenses acquired recently.
Some conversations that took place outside Viki in those old days, I thought others would love to go through these and know about opinion of people we don’t quite usually see.
It depends on the drama that you are watching – the drama may be uploaded already subbed in English, or may be heavily subbed by paid subbers because viki staff thought the volunteers were not fast enough. The dramas may be edited by people who only consider the English sub and are unable to refer to the original Korean to consider alternative, more appropriate translations. Or there may be translation editors who are not completely fluent in both English and Korean. And yes, there often is a tendency to Americanize/ vanilla-ize in the pre-subbed dramas or ones with high percentage paid subber lines. For example, there is a Korean saying “If I had ten mouths, I couldn’t say anything” will be subbed as "I’m speechless. Or a Korean saying “trying to hide the sky with your two hands” results in "I’m embarrassed.“It’s darkest under the lamp” becomes “It’s obvious.”
I find the same being done in the Chinese dramas, it’s so difficult to enjoy a show when it’s riddled with such poor levels of workmanship.
Ha! My fingers is always ffwding.
These posts expresses my view also ! - Such a pity the thread is closed. Joongkijunkie’s
Thank you for all you do in subbing. I have learned so much about the culture and language from watching dramas translated by VIKI. I have noticed a difference in subtitles recently and was sad about it. I am sorry that your hard work was written over.
It’s @cgwm808’s work, yes, it is such a terrible thing happening to the work done by passionate volunteers, of over the many years.
I am currently on episode 2 of Woori the Virgin. The first episode, kind of thrashed around to find it’s footing, but part way through it picked up traction, and I’m not only enjoying this drama, the subtitles are educational, I just learned that Woori sounds like uliui 우리의, ulileul 우리를 in Korean, meaning our, or us! Thanks to The Unexpected Surprise volunteer team.
is always ffwding. 
! - Such a pity the thread is closed. 
The Unexpected Surprise volunteer team.