Episode 6 of Netflix original entertainment show “Super Rich in Korea,” which was released on May 7, showed wealthy people making kimchi.
In that episode, the subtitle of kimchi was “辣白菜,” which means spicy pickled vegetables in Chinese. In 2021, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has already revised the Guidelines for the Translation and Qualification of Foreign Languages in Public Terms to specify that kimchi in Chinese notation is “辛奇.”
Professor Seo Kyung-deok from Sungshin Women’s University said he immediately sent an email to Netflix to complain about the subtitles. He emphasized: “As the issue of China trying to claim kimchi as their own is still ongoing, the subtitle should be corrected as soon as possible as they might use it as an excuse,” adding “Last year, Netflix already caused a stir when it translated kimchi as ‘泡菜’ in several Chinese subtitles. I think a global company should pay more attention to such sensitive issues in the countries where it offers its services.”
On this matter, Netflix told TV Daily: “To help foreign viewers who know Chinese characters understand, we translated it as ‘辣白菜’, however, we have decided to mark kimchi in Korean content as ‘辛奇’ in the future to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings,” adding “We have already changed the controversial subtitle to ‘辛奇’.”
This is not the first time Netflix has faced criticism for its subtitles. Previously, in the German subtitle of the film “Time To Hunt” and in the French subtitles of the drama “The Bride of Habaek”, the East Sea was translated as the Sea of Japan, sparking controversy.
Despite being criticized several times, Netflix continued to repeat the mistake in the Spanish subtitles of its recent series “The 8 Show.” After receiving reports, Netflix responded, “We are reviewing our subtitles”adding “We will check for similar cases and make sure to correct the translation.” Due to the ongoing problems with subtitles, Netflix’s credibility has gradually declined. Some have even raised suspicions that Netflix intended to do so.
(tags to translate)Netflix
