The subs vs. dubs debate is back in full blaze, thanks to Netflix‘s explosively popular Squid Game. The show — which has done all but cause the great Facebook outage of 2021, with a Korean internet provider suing Netflix over traffic and a wild story about a random man receiving thousands of calls over the series — is already a widely discussed topic online, but the English translation debate is in full throttle. So, is it better to watch Squid Game subbed, dubbed, or with closed captioning? We can’t tell you the definitive answer, but we can certainly guide you on how to switch on Netflix and which option most Korean language speakers recommend. Show
The discourse began after a TikTok user posted a video criticizing Netflix’s subtitles on the show, which she calls “botched.” According to the post, the series sterilizes Han Min-yeon’s gangster character and misinterprets the meaning of “gganbu.” On the other hand, one Twitter user cited this as false information, saying the subtitles get better if you turn off the closed captioning option. So, Squid Game fans are reasonably confused over which option to select. From subs to dubs, CC and beyond, here are the ins and outs of watching Squid Game in the English language. Can you watch Squid Game with an English dubbing? How to watch Squid Game with English dub:If you’re not looking to watch Squid Game with any English subtitles, Netflix does offer an English-dubbed version of the show. It’s a pretty easy switch. You’ll want to hover over the screen, and select the quote button at the bottom left of the screen. Then, under “Audio,” choose English.  In a nutshell, if you want "substantially better" English subtitles, use the setting, "English." The other English language option is "English [CC]," which many have pointed out doesn't provide a nuanced translation. What's the difference? English Closed Captions subtitles are specifically intended for those who are deaf and hard of hearing. "Captions not only display words as the textual equivalent of spoken dialogue or narration, but they also include speaker identification, sound effects, and music description," according to the National Association of the Deaf. Basically, the difference between English and English [CC] is that the closed-captions setting provides descriptions of sounds, such as gasps, and prompts as to who is speaking. They're often autogenerated and, in Squid Game's case according to one viewer, a closer match to the English dub than the English subtitles. Lost in translation: 'the character's purpose'Squid Game is centered on a contest where 456 desperate players from different social classes compete for a life-changing 45.6 billion won prize. A viral thread on Twitter dove into how the closed-captions translation went as far as changing the meaning of the show. Youngmi Mayer, who co-hosts the Feeling Asian podcast, wrote last week, "not to sound snobby but i'm fluent in korean and i watched squid game with english subtitles and if you don't understand korean you didn't really watch the same show. translation was so bad. the dialogue was written so well and zero of it was preserved."
Mayer presented a scene breakdown on TikTok to illustrate some of the lost meanings. In one scene, the character Han Mi-nyeo, a woman who claims to be a poor single mother, tries to convince people to play the game with her. The closed-captions translation says, "I'm not a genius, but I still got it work out. Huh?" Mayer says the correct translation is: "I am very smart. I just never got a chance to study." Mayer added, "That is a huge trope in Korean media. The poor person that's smart and clever and just isn't wealthy. That's a huge part of her character. And almost everything she says is being botched, translation-wise... The writers, all they want you to know about her is that... [It] seems so small, but it's the entire character's purpose of being in the show."
'Wildly different'In response, one Twitter user provided Netflix's English subtitles, which differ to the closed captions. "You have to change your Netflix settings to English not English CC. Here is a screen grab of that scene with English. (Screen is black cause they don't allow grabs but the subtitle comes through)," wrote @ADeVonJohnson.
Another Twitter user found that the closed-captions translation matched the English dub. "I found you got different subtitles depending if you chose English or English Closed Caption (with the latter matching the dubbed dialogue and the former being wildly different)," wrote @MrTimCat.
Mayer has reportedly since clarified that the English language subtitles are "substantially better" than the closed-captions ones. Although, Mayer added, "The misses in the metaphors -- and what the writers were trying to actually say -- are still pretty present." Is it better to watch Squid Game in Korean with subtitles or English?“Please watch the subtitled one. If you don't see the acting, the performance from the real actor, then you're not seeing anything. You are missing most of the 'Squid Game' fun.”
Does Squid Game have Korean subtitles?“Squid Game was laughably bad in English until turning on Korean with subtitles,” one fan tweeted. If you've recently browsed Netflix or spent any time on social media, chances are you've heard of Squid Game or seen the many TikTok theories about it, though you might not know what the show exactly is.
How can I watch Squid Game in Korean drama?So now that you know what Squid Game is about, where can you watch the popular series? It's only available to stream in one place. Squid Game is a Netflix original show, so it's exclusive to the platform. That means you'll need a subscription if you're planning on checking it out.
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Can I watch squid game in Korean with English subtitles?
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