Now that the internet is widespread and the world is becoming globalized, Korea’s TV programs and movies are spreading all around world. Therefore, translations are essential for overseas views, not only for TV programs and movies but also for social media content such as YouTube. However, translations can be falsely interpreted if the wrong word is used, so it is important to convey the correct interpretation with sensible expressions. People can experience Korea’s culture and humor in the lines of TV shows. Here are some memorable lines along with correct translations.

 Squid Game 

Korean: “무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다.” 

English translation: “Red Light, Green Light.”

 The Korean game “무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다.” translates into English as “Red Light, Green Light”. This game is similar with 무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다. When the light is red, people stop, and when the light changes to green, people run.

 Extraordinary Attorney Woo 

Korean: “기러기, 토마토, 스위스, 인도인, 별똥별, 우영우, 역삼역?” 

English translation: “Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar, Woo Young-woo, Yeoksam Station?” 

 These are the lines of the main character Woo’s self introduction. It translates to words which use the same letters at the beginning and end. “역삼역” is a proper noun, so it is translated as Yeoksam Station.

 Narco-saint (Suriename) 

Korean: “말이 계속 짧네? 몇 년생이야?” 

English translation: “I don’t like your tone. Just how old are you?” 

 This line references Korea’s honorific culture. English doesn’t use honorifics. Therefore, the English translation references “tone” instead of honorifics.  

 Decision to Leave 

Korean: “나는요, 완전히 붕괴됐어요.” 

English translation: “  I am completely shattered.” 

 The male main character, who falls in love, uses “붕괴되었다”. This means a building has crashed down, but it isn’t a simple expression in daily life. Instead, to express a feeling of eagerness, in English people may use the word “shattered”. Shattered means to receive a huge shock or be mentally exhausted.

 Interpretation is similar to translation because if one word is wrong, the sentence will be misinterpreted. Thus, proper interpretation requires precise translation. 

Korean sentence: “얼굴에 김이 묻었어요. 잘생김.” 

English interpretation: “There’s something on your face, handsome.” 

The focus is not on the Korean word “김”, but rather on the sentence’s repetition. It uses the repetition of “some” in the words “handsome” and “something”. This is a good example of sensible interpretation.

80th Reporter • KIM YU JIN • yujinkim627@gmail.com