Netflix’s latest hit series Squid Game is taking the world by storm, but for English speakers who can’t enjoy the show in its original Korean, are subtitles or the English dub the better way to watch? Over the past few years, Netflix has substantially stepped up its international and non-English production efforts, many of which have yielded success across language barriers. Squid Game is the latest in that trend, following other hits like Money Heist and Lupin.
The question of dubs vs. subtitles is often a point of contention for popular foreign-language movies and shows. Some viewers prefer to take in the story without having to read subtitles because it allows them to focus more on the action and body language on the screen, while others prefer to hear the original actors deliver their lines. The Squid Game cast is packed with talented stars both young and old, so the decision of how to enjoy their performances is significant.
So, what’s the best option for English-only speakers to watch Squid Game? In most cases, the subtitles preserve more of a foreign-language series’ initial intention and are therefore a better option for those seeking the least-altered experience. That said, Squid Game may be one of the rare occasions where going with the English dub is best option, as significant issues with botched subtitle translations have been pointed out. While it's entirely possible the dub has the same problem, thus far it's the subtitles that have been held up as examples of the translation being flubbed. For that reason, Squid Game may best be enjoyed by watching the English dub version instead of the original Korean dialogue with English subtitles.
Unfortunately, neither option is the optimal way to watch Squid Game on Netflix. For as great as the show still is after being run through an English translation of any kind, a lot of the nuance and complexity of the story is lost along the way. In a series of tweets that have gone viral, podcaster and fluent Korean speaker Youngmi Mayer pointed out a number of glaring differences between the two versions since Squid Game became so popular, highlighting how whole character arcs are notably less interesting and more cliché in the English translation.
Does that mean Squid Game isn’t still worth a watch for those who don’t understand Korean? No. The show is spectacular in many ways, and a lot of the story’s best parts continue to shine in the English translation. It would be a fallacy, however, to say that the show is as complete in English as it is in Korean. The design, tone, pacing, and stars of Squid Game are still stellar with subtitles, but no version can compete with watching and understanding the series in its unadulterated form.