The Korean Phrasebook for Drama Lovers Abroad

Welcome to Korea!
hangug e osin geos-eul hwan-yeonghabnida! / 
한국에 오신 것을 환영합니다!

Like every international addict of K-entertainment, I’ve wondered what it would be like to go to Korea. In the unlikely event that the opportunity ever presents itself, I thought it might be advisable to create a personal phrasebook of things I’ll probably need to say.

With the help of Google translate, I give you the following essentials.*

AT THE AIRPORT

Will you take a picture of me standing in front of the sign?

dangsin-eun naegagiho ap-e seo ui sajin han jang jjig-eo jullaeyo?

당신은 내가 기호 앞에 서의 사진 한 장 찍어 줄래요?

Let’s pretend that we’re in a drama. You be the guy and chase me down the concourse.

ui uliga deulama e iss-eoyo igo . dangsin-eun geu salam ieoyahamyeo gwangjang naelyeo gasin.

의 우리가 드라마에 있어요이고. 당신은 그 사람이어야하며 광장 내려 가신.

Wait, are you really from security?

jamkkanman yo, dangsin-eun boan eseo jeongmal ingayo?

잠깐만 요, 당신은 보안에서입니까?

Oh. My passport?

o. nae yeogwon-eun?

오. 내 여권은?

I’d rather not. It’s not a flattering picture.

anhaneun geos-i ohilyeo naa. i acheom sajin anibnida.

안하는 것이 오히려 나아. 이 아첨 사진 아닙니다.

Yes, I am from America.

네, 미국에서 왔어요.

ne, migug eseo wass-eoyo.

Do I really need to call the embassy?

jeongmal daesagwan-e jeonhwa haeyahabnikka?

정말 대사관에 전화해야합니까?

AT THE HOTEL

Can I have a room where they filmed a drama?

geu salamdeul-ideulamaleul chwal-yeongbang-eul hal su issseubnikka?

그 사람들이 드라마를 촬영 방을 할 수 있습니까?

I have to pay how much extra to sleep on the floor?

naneun badag-e jam-eul eolmana chuga biyong-eul jibul haeyahabnikka?

나는 바닥에 잠을 얼마나 추가 비용을 지불해야합니까?

Whatever, it’s worth it. I’ll take the Korean-style room.

geuleolmanhan gachiga mwodeungan-e. jeoneun hangug jeog-in seutail-ui gaegsil eul deulibnida.

, 그럴만한 가치가 뭐든간에. 저는 한국적인 스타일의 객실을드립니다.

Wait! The bathroom is Western, right?

jamkkanman yo! yogsil-eun oleunjjog, seoyang ibnikka?

잠깐만 요! 욕실은 오른쪽, 서양입니까?

DINING OUT

How spicy are your spicy rice cakes?

gwihaui maeun tteog eun eolmana maeun ibnikka?

귀하의 매운 떡은 얼마나 매운입니까?

Do you have anything on the menu that isn’t spicy?

dangsin-eun maeun anin menyueseo mwolhaeyahaneun geoji?

당신은 매운 아닌 메뉴에서 뭘해야하는 거지?

Like...American not spicy?

machi ... migug an maeun?

마치 ... 미국 안 매운?

No, that’s too spicy. Way too spicy!

ani, geugeon neomu maewoyo ibnida. neomu maeun wei !

아니, 그건 너무 매워요입니다. 너무 매운 웨이!

Maybe something you would serve to children?

ama museun il-i dangsin-i aideul-ege bongsa kkayo?

아마 무슨 일이 당신이 아이들에게 봉사까요?

Yummy
mas-issneun / 맛있는

AT THE STREET VENDOR

No, nothing with intestines please. Definitely no liver or lungs.

ani, changja wa amu jusigi balabnida eobs-seubnida. mullon deo gan ina pye.

아니, 창자와 아무 주시기 바랍니다 없습니다. 물론 더 간이나 폐.

If I drink too much soju, will you piggyback me back to the hotel?

naega neomu soju leul masil gyeong-u, hotello jeoleul dasi hajagu su issseubnikka?

내가 너무 소주를 마실 경우, 호텔로 저를 다시 하자구 수 있습니까?

No, I don’t see any winners of the World’s Strongest Man Contest around here.

아니, 난이 주변 세계 최강의 남자 대회의 수상자가 표시되지 않습니다.

ani, nan i jubyeon segye choegang-ui namja daehoe ui susangja ga pyosidoeji anhseubnida.

Fine. Will you call me a cab then?

joh-ayo. na ege taegsileul han hu jeonhwa hae jusil geojyo?

좋아요. 나에게 택시를 한 후 전화 해 주실 거죠?

SHOPPING

What region are your DVDs?

gwihaui DVDneun eotteon jiyeog ibnikka?

귀하의 DVD는 어떤 지역입니까?

Could I buy a replica of Piggy Bunny here?

yeogi kkochdwaeji tokki ui bogjeleul gu-ibhal su issnayo?

여기 꽃돼지 토끼의 복제를 구입할 수 있나요?

Do you sell clothes for fat people?

dangsin-eun ttungttunghan salamdeul eul-wihan os eul panmaehago issseubnikka?

당신은 뚱뚱한 사람들을위한 옷을 판매하고 있습니까?

Like...American fat?

geuleonikka ... migug-ui jibang-eul?

그러니까 ... 미국의 지방을?

I don’t think you carry my size.

nae keugileul gajigo saeng-gaghaji anh-ayo.

내 크기를 가지고 생각하지 않아요.

I’ll take that hair tie, please. It seems to be the only thing here that would fit me.

geu meoli negtai halgeyo , jebal. na e ttag majneun yeogiseo yuilhan geos gatseubnida.

그 머리 넥타이 할게요, 제발. 나에 딱 맞는 여기서 유일한 것 같습니다.

AT THE BATHHOUSE

I don’t like being naked in front of strangers.

nan nachseon salam ap-e beolgeo beos-eun geol joh-ahaji anh-a.

난 낯선 사람 앞에 벌거 벗은 걸 좋아하지 않아.

That giant tub is just like in the Harry Potter books! 

geu geodaehan yogjohaeli poteo chaeg cheoleom doeeo issseubnida! 

그 거대한 욕조 해리 포터 책처럼되어 있습니다!

If you don’t put chlorine in there, how do you kill the bacteria?

geogie yeomsoleul neoh-eo haji anhneun gyeong-u , dangsin-eun bagtelialeul jug-igessseubnikka?

 거기에 염소를 넣어하지 않는 경우, 당신은 박테리아를 죽이겠습니까?

You don’t know me, but would you please scrub my back?

dangsin-eun nal moleujiman, nae jjog-eul ssisneun sigess-eoyo?

당신은 날 모르지만, 내 쪽을 씻는 시겠어요?

Can we order in noodles?

ulineun gugsu e jumunhaedo doelkkayo?

우리는 국수에 주문해도 될까요?

“Psst...what’s going on with your towel?”
"jamkkanman ... museun sugeon ege museun il-i ?"
"잠깐만 ... 무슨 수건에게 무슨 일이?"

AT THE SAUNA

Do you have an extra-large uniform?

dangsin-eun teug daehyeong yunipom-eul haeyahabnikka?

당신은 특 대형 유니폼을해야합니까?

Can I wear my street clothes, then?

geuleom, nae geoli os-eul ibgo hal su issseubnikka?

그럼, 내 거리 옷을 입고 할 수 있습니까?

Where do they sell those hard-boiled eggs?

eodi geu hadeu salm-eun dalgyal eul panmaehago issseubnikka?

어디 그 하드 삶은 달걀을 판매하고 있습니까?

How do you get the towel to stay on your head like that?

eotteohge tawol geuleon sig-eulo meoli e iss-eulgeoya?

어떻게 타월 그런 식으로 머리에있을거야?

How often do they wash these pillow things?

eolmana jaju salamdeul i begae mulgeon-eul ssis-eo habnikka?

얼마나 자주 사람들이 베개 물건을 씻어합니까?

SIGHTSEEING

Do you know where Gong Yoo lives? I won’t bother him. Just stare respectfully and think happy thoughts.

dangsin-eun gong yu i eodi saneunji ani? geu salam-eul gwichanhgehaji anh-eulgeoya. geunyang jeongjunghi eungsi hago haengboghan saeng-gag-eul saeng-gaghabnida.

당신은 공 유이 어디 사는지 아니? 그 사람을 귀찮게하지 않을거야. 그냥 정중히 응시하고 행복한 생각을 생각합니다.

Would you please take me to the Coffee Prince?

nakeopi peulinseu e delyeoda ju sigess-eoyo?

나 커피 프린스에 데려다 주 시겠어요?

Yes, I know it’s a dump and the prices are outrageous.

ye, naneun-yugi algogagyeog bakk-ui il-ilago saeng-gaghago issseubnida.

예, 나는 유기 알고 가격 밖의 일이라고 생각하고 있습니다.

My trip will be incomplete if I don’t drink a ten-dollar mocha where Eun Chan once stood.

naneun eunhye chan han beon seoseo jeon-en dalleo moka leul an masimyeon nae yeohaeng-eun bul-wanjeon hal su issseubnida.

나는 은혜 찬 한 번 서서 전엔 달러 모카를 안 마시면 내 여행은 불완전 할 수 있습니다.

Do they have some package where I could spend the night on the cable car, like in Boys over Flowers?

geudeul-eun naega kkoch eul tonghae sonyeon eseo wa gat-i keibeulka eseo bam-eul bonael su-issneun myeoch gaji paekiji ga issseubnikka?

그들은 내가 꽃을 통해 소년에서와 같이 케이블카에서 밤을 보낼 수있는 몇 가지 패키지가 있습니까?

Oh. There’s a fine for writing your name on the wall?

o. beolgeum-eun byeog-e dangsin-ui ileum-eul jagseonghagiwihan ga?

오.벌금은 벽에 당신의 이름을 작성하기위한가?

Do you accept credit cards?

dangsin-eun sin-yong kadeuleul sayonghal su issseubnikka?

당신은 신용 카드를 사용할 수 있습니까?

“Hit me baby one more time...”
" jeoege agileul han beon deo nulleo ..."
"저에게 아기를 한 번 더 눌러 …"

AT THE NORIBANG

How do I get this thing to work?

igeo eotteohge jagdong sikilyeomyeon eotteohgehaeya?

이거 어떻게 작동 시키려면 어떻게해야?

Is there any Bon Iver on here?

yeogie geogie bo Iver ibnikka?

여기에 거기에 보 Iver입니까?

I do a killer “Skinny Love.”

nan sal-injaga eotteohge “seukini salang-eul.”

난 살인자가 어떻게 "스키니 사랑을."

Or maybe “Mad World”?

animyeon "maedeu woldeu"?

아니면 "매드 월드"?

We’re supposed to sing happy songs?

ulineun haengbog nolae geo maj-ji?

우리는 행복 노래 거 맞지?

I’m sorry. I don’t know any.

mian haeyo. nan amu molla.

미안 해요. 난 아무 몰라.

AT THE DRAMA FILMING LOCATION

Do you need any Western extras for the big scene?

dangsin-eun keun jangmyeon e daehan seoyang egseuteula ga pil-yohabnikka?

당신은 큰 장면에 대한 서양 엑스트라가 필요합니까?

In the right light, I’m almost blonde. And I speak English! Like a native! Because I am a native.

oleunjjog bich eseo, naneun geoui geumbal ibnida. geuligo yeong-eo ! neitibeu cheoleom! naneun gibon igi ttaemun-ibnida.

오른쪽 빛에서, 나는 거의 금발입니다. 그리고 영어!네이티브처럼! 나는 기본이기 때문입니다.

No, I wouldn’t be able to understand the director.

ani, naega gamdog eul ihae haji moshal geos-ibnida.

아니, 내가 감독을 이해하지 못할 것입니다.

Yes, I might visibly drool if Yoon Si Yoon gets too close to me.

yun si yun jeoege neomu gakkai dodalhamyeon ne, gasijeog deulul su issseubnida.

윤시 윤 저에게 너무 가까이 도달하면 네, 가시적 드룰 수 있습니다.

I’d probably be able to restrain myself from tripping the female lead, though.

ama hajiman, yeoseong-ui lideuleul baesin eseo jasin-eul eogje hal su-iss-eul.

아마하지만, 여성의 리드를 배신에서 자신을 억제 할 수있을.

Pretty please with sugar on top?

yeppeun sangdan-e seoltang iss-eulkkayo?

예쁜 상단에 설탕 있을까요?

Thank you! You won’t regret it.

gamsahabnida! dangsin-eun geugeos-eul huhoe haji anhseubnida.

감사합니다! 당신은 그것을 후회하지 않습니다.

Call me noona, Yoon Si Yoon.

jeo noona, yun si yun jeonhwa

저 noona, 윤시 윤 전화

Has anyone ever told you that you’re even prettier in person?

amudo dangsin-i silmul-i hwolssin deo yeppeo issdaneun mal haessnayo?

아무도 당신이 실물이 훨씬 더 예뻐 있다는 말 했나요?

Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Because you are.

eum, nado nollass-eo hal sueobsneun geos gat-ayo. dangsin-i ttaemun-ibnida.

음, 나도 놀랐어 할 수없는 것 같아요. 당신이 때문입니다.

A HOME VISIT

I know this is totally culturally insensitive, but it took me ten minutes to get these boots on. Do I really have to take them off?

i wanjeonhi munhwajeog-eulo munjaleul gubunhaji anhseubnida al-ayo,hajiman i bucheu leul eod-eul allyeo jwoss-eum haessda. jeongmal beosgo haeyahanayo?

이 완전히 문화적으로 문자를 구분하지 않습니다 알아요,하지만이 부츠를 얻을 알려 줬음했다. 정말 벗고해야하나요?

Can I try your shower?

dangsin-ui syawoleul sido hal su issseubnikka?

당신의 샤워를 시도 할 수 있습니까?

I think I would feel extra naked, standing there in the middle of the room shaving my legs.

naneun nae dalileul myeondohaneun moseub-eul sangsanghal su bang gaunde seo , nudeu chuga neukkil geos gat-ayo.

나는 내 다리를 면도하는 모습을 상상할 수 방 가운데 서, 누드 추가 느낄 것 같아요.

Do you have to put away the toilet paper first?

meonjeo hwajangsil hyujileul chiu haeyahanayo?

먼저 화장실 휴지를 치우해야하나요?

Wow. This table is really low.

wau. i teibeul-eun jeongmal najseubnida.

와우. 이 테이블은 정말 낮습니다.

My butt is numb.

eongdeong-ie gamgag-i issseubnida.

엉덩이에 감각이 있습니다.

I don’t think I can get up.

naneun il-eonal su issdago saeng-gag haji anhseubnida.

나는 일어날 수 있다고 생각하지 않습니다.

What the number for 119 again?

dasi 119 e daehan eotteon beonhoneun yo?

다시 119에 대한 어떤 번호는 요?

ALL-PURPOSE PHRASES

No, I don’t know Korean. I just watch a lot of dramas.

ani, naega hangug moleugess-eoyo. geunyang deulama leul manh-i bwa.

아니, 내가 한국 모르겠어요. 그냥 드라마를 많이 봐.

Please take care of me.

nal dolbwa jusigi balabnida.

날 돌봐 주시기 바랍니다.

* This post, like Google translate, is intended for entertainment purposes only. The author is neither legally nor morally responsible for anyone who attempts to use these phrases in the presence of someone who actually speaks Korean. You have been warned.

A Dictionary of Kdrama Words to “Borrow”

While watching Korean dramas, I often come across words American speakers of the English language are tragically lacking. Sure, we have bon mots like kerfuffle, mooncalf, and onomatopoeia. But what about selca, CF, and skinship?

It’s clear that Korean has borrowed many words from the English language; as far as I’m concerned, it’s high time the English language returned the favor. Here’s a list of Kdrama terms and concepts essential to life in the modern world, wherever you are.

Gong Yoo unveils his chocolate, Big

Chocolate abs

Meaning: Chiseled abdominal muscles that stand out like the segmented pieces on a chocolate bar

As seen in: Big, and every single drama that includes a gratuitous shower scene (Thank you, Korea!)

American parallel: Six-pack abs

While America does have an exact equivalent for this term, it’s not nearly as wonderful. Sure, abs can look like a six-pack of beer as seen from above, but why associate something so marvelous with cold, hard, metal? The Korean conception of chocolate abs is much more appealing. Who can say no to a nibble, after all?

Yoon Eun Hye and Lee Seung Gi sure make a cute couple. 

You should get on that, Drama Overlords.

CF

Meaning: Commercial film

As seen in: Greatest Love

American parallel: Commercial

Like so many entries on this list, CF is actually a short version of an English phrase that doesn’t even exist in English-speaking countries. Why CF evolved in Korea and not on American shores isn’t clear, but I suspect it has something to do with the frequency of celebrity appearances in ads: it seems as if every big Korean star shills for a list of products approximately as large as my town’s phone book.

This abbreviation allows the arty word film to be appended to something we Americans see as slightly crass—celebrity endorsements. Somehow, this tiny addition manages to class up the concept to the point of making it sound like an art form. It’s all about positioning: a commercial is something you fast-forward through; a commercial film is a work of art that just happens to be shilling a kimchi refrigerator or foundation for men.

Maybe someday we Americans will start talking about CFs, too. After all, “serious” actors like Brad Pitt are now appearing in television ads, which seems to indicate that a change is brewing. (Who can blame him for that bizarre Chanel ad, anyway? He’s got a lot of kids to put through college.)

If Jan Di had spent more time fighting in Boys over Flowers and less time
 saying Fighting! it would have been a much better drama

Fighting!

Meaning: An expression of encouragement

As seen in: Boys over Flowers, and every other modern Kdrama romantic comedy

American parallel: You can do it!

Along with its distinctive arm gesture, Fighting! started off as a cheer used during Korea’s 2002 World Cup matches. If the (many, many, many) Kdramas I’ve watched are any indication, it caught on big time and is now an indispensable part of communication in Korea.

It’s no great surprise that Fighting doesn’t really have a direct equivalent in America. If Fighting is Korea’s cultural keyword, America’s is Cool; we rarely offer expressions of encouragement and support. (The horrible, dated expression “You go girl!” might once have worked, but nowadays it’s exclusively used for the purposes of mockery.)

Ironically, this word that the English language is sorely lacking is actually an English word in the first place. If we adopted it in its new, Korean form, it might just make us better people. All I know for sure is that I’m always encountering situations tailor-made for Fighting!, but its effectiveness is diminished by the need to explain what it means before I can say it.

I’m sorry, but I can’t write a caption for this picture. I’m too busy
 restraining myself from making naughty jokes about eating ramyun.
Suffice it to say, these are the boys from Flower Boy Ramyun Shop

Flower boy

Meaning: Pretty, pretty boys who aren’t afraid to put some effort into how they look. (Did I mention that they’re pretty?)

As seen in: Practically every Kdrama made since the 2009 airing of Boys over Flowers

American parallel: Metrosexual

Like many Western fans of Kdrama, Boys over Flowers was my first exposure to Korean television. But when I started watching it on Netflix streaming, I had literally no idea what the title meant. Boys? Flowers? In America, those two concepts rarely go together.

In Korea, though, flower boys are all the rage. Heck, there’s even a series of television shows created specifically to take advantage of their appeal: tvN’s “Oh Boy” dramas, which includes Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Shut Up: Flower Boy Band, and the eagerly anticipated Flower Boy Next Door.

Key traits of flower boyhood are a slender body, a delicately lovely face, and fastidious personal grooming habits, sometimes even to the point of wearing makeup. Being a pretty boy is something Korean men actively aspire to, which is why in 2011 they were responsible for a quarter of worldwide sales of cosmetics made specifically for men.

Mainstream American culture would probably consider most flower boys too feminine to be attractive, but we in the know realize that life without flower boys is barely worth living.

Kim Ji Won, you were so cute in What’s Up that I completely
forgive you for To the Beautiful You.

Fourth dimensional/4D

Meaning: Someone odd or spacey

As seen in: Endearingly goofy Park Tae Hee from What’s Up and dreamy Yoon Ji Hoo in Boys over Flowers

American parallel: Space cadet; weirdo

Regular human beings live life in three dimensions. But some people seem to exist on a different plane, never quite thinking or acting like anyone else. They’re easily distracted, whether by pretty things or big ideas, and prone to misunderstanding what seems obvious to those around them.

I suspect that people in my life would be especially grateful if this phrase entered the English language: they’ve probably spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to describe me, after all.

You know it’s true love when a flower boy dyes his hair gray for you, as Kim Bum’s
character has done in this scene from The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry

Noona Romance

Meaning: A story focusing on an woman’s relationship with a younger man

As seen in: The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry and I Do, I Do, among many others

American parallel: Anything involving the icky, condescending word Cougar

When I first started watching Korean dramas, words like noona and oppa were stunningly exotic; as a speaker of English, I’ve spent most of my life calling everyone I know by their first name. Koreans, on the other hand, have at their disposal a complicated network of words indicating almost every kind of relationship, from your father’s older brother (keun aboji) to the youngest person in your group of friends (maknae). There’s a case to be made for either of these approaches: the American way of doing things emphasizes equality, while the Korean way emphasizes interconnection.

But lacking a similar classification system, we Americans don’t have have an easy way to describe a romantic relationship between a woman and a younger man. (Not that we have much call to do so, anyway: As long as an age difference isn’t enormous, it probably wouldn’t be mentioned at all. And if it is enormous, in the post-Demi-and-Ashton world it’s almost certainly a relationship between a older man and and a younger woman.)

On other hand, Korean dramas glory in older women dating younger men. There are a number of sensible reasons for this: It’s a good source of narrative friction in a society that values age-based hierarchy. Plus, mandatory military service in Korea means that it’s harder to pair actresses with their peers—until they’re safely in their thirties, a chunk of the male population is otherwise occupied at any given time.

As genres go, the noona romance is probably my favorite. So what happens when similar plotlines appear in Western entertainment, like the upcoming Hello, I Must Be Going? I spend a lot of time explaining to my friends that “noona” doesn’t indicate a matinee showtime, that’s what.

Lee Hyun Woo, you were so darling in To the Beautiful You that no forgiveness is necessary.

Selca

Meaning: A photo you’ve taken of yourself

As seen in: Cha Eun Kyul’s selca diaries in To the Beautiful You

American parallel: To the best of my knowledge, there isn’t one

Fifty percent of the profile pictures on the Internet are probably selcas, yet we Americans have yet to realize that it would be handy to have a word to describe them. When we finally do catch on, the Korean version will fit right into our language: it’s a mashup of the English words self and camera, after all.

I don’t think they waited for marriage in Can We Get Married, btw.

Skinship

Meaning: Affectionate touching, often involved with romantic relationships

As seen in: Most cable dramas, including the currently airing Can We Get Married? 

American parallel: Long strings of words like “physical displays of affection,” but nothing as short and catchy

There’s an urban legend that the Eskimo language doesn’t include a word for snow. Instead, the legend states, there are words for “heavy, wet snow,” “snow that’s falling slowly,” and “hard, crusty snow.” The theory is that in a world where it’s almost always winter, specific, descriptive terms for snow are more useful than the general word.

And that, my friends, is why there’s no American version of the word skinship. Physical intimacy here isn’t a big deal; we’re prone to casually touching those around us and displays of affection happen all the time. For example, consider my favorite recess game during elementary school: Kiss Tag. This is exactly what it sounds like—the person who was “it” had to kiss whomever they could catch, at which point the kissee became the new “it” and repeated the process. By the end of the first game, I had the kissing experience of the average thirty-year-old Kdrama heroine. (I was a slow runner, by fate or design. I’ll never tell which.)

Even in America, it’s hard to imagine the word Skinship not coming in handy: It’s shorter and more concise than most of our descriptions of physical intimacy, so why not use it?

Coffee Prince: One Scene Two Ways

Being a complete nerd, I’m acutely aware that any Kdrama I watch is a secondary source, not a primary one. A cadre of subbers will stand between me and the dialogue’s true meaning until I decide to learn Korean (which is unlikely, barring a massive, lightning-strike-induced increase in IQ).

In most cases, this distance from the original doesn’t prevent me from enjoying the drama: as long as the translation isn’t spectacularly botched, the subtitles and the actors working together get the point across. But obsessive viewing of Coffee Prince episodes from many different sources has opened my eyes to another issue: no matter how high-quality the subtitles may be, the subber’s work inevitably colors the meaning of the scene.

In my explorations, I’ve found three distinct sets of subtitles for Coffee Prince: The first is the official MBC version, which appears on the DVD box set and legit streaming sites such as Dramafever and Crunchyroll. The second set are the Viki fan subs, which are almost an exact match with the official version. And the last of the three was fan-subbed by WITH S2 and is available streaming on Kimchidramas and Dramacrazy.

While the differences between the official version and Viki’s subs are minor, Viki’s work is actually superior: it does a better job with English grammar, nailing issues of pluralization and verb tense that are cringe-inducingly wrong in MBC’s subs. But the best of all three sets of subtitles, I would argue, are the WITH S2 subs. They’re more fun, with sharper and wittier dialogue that brings to the forefront story currents only obliquely suggested in the other sets of subtitles.

My initial assumption was that the WITH S2 subs were also the least accurate of the three, because they’re so different from the other versions. But now I’m not so sure—both the official and Viki translations seem to have been cleaned up to make everyone speak in something close to complete sentences. On the other hand, the WITH S2 subs are full of fragments and exclamations that trail off into nothing, which makes them feel much more genuine and compelling. They also retain Korean relationship words like hyung, rather than translating them into their improbable English forms. (“Han Gyul wants Eun Chan to call him ‘bro’? What is this, an episode of In Living Color from 1992?”) Fidelity to the original helps WITH S2’s subbers to bring the drama to life, conveying both the genuine meaning of the words and the skill of their delivery.

Take, for example, the moment in episode 5 when Min Yeop discovers Eun Chan’s gender. It’s a perfect example of what I love about Coffee Prince—it effortlessly serves a number of storytelling functions, and is just plain fun to watch. A lazy writer and director could have produced a flat, textureless version of this scene that would have served the plot just fine. But from beginning to end, it’s clear that this drama is different: I get the feeling that the people who created it were just as much in love with it as I am, and lost no opportunity to turn it into something special. In this scene, multiple story threads and character motivations all interplay, furthering the overarching plot while adding dimension to the relationship of the show’s third leads. Add an everyday, real-world location and some gross-out humor, and you’ve got prime Coffee Prince wonderfulness.

This scene was what initially clued me in to just how varied subs can be—all because of some confusion between chicken and pig’s feet. (Based on the video, it’s clearly chicken feet. But two out of the three subs specify pig.) To make it easier to figure out the differences between them, I’ve transcribed the official subs and WITH S2’s version below the jump.

Lost in Translation

I took three years of French and two years of Latin in high school. Here’s the sum total of what I learned during that miserable time:

1. If a menu item includes the word “fromage,” I should order it immediately.

2. Togas look like they’d be kind of drafty.

3. I could never create subtitles for a television show.

Being obsessed with Korean drama when you don’t speak Korean turns you into connoisseur of subtitles in short order. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad, but it’s always amazing that they even exist in the first place. A number of the dramas I’ve watched on official sites use subtitles provided by the show’s television network, but most of the subs out there seem to be created by fans, working for no personal benefit. How is it that the world is full of people who are both smart and motivated enough to make this happen for us poor suckers who speak only one language?

Keeping this in mind, I try not to get too critical about subtitles. I’m absolutely willing to overlook the fact that the “defected” construction discussed in Prosecutor Princess should actually have been “defective.” (Or maybe I misunderstood and the buildings had moved to North Korea?) As long as the subtitles are clear enough for me to follow what’s going on, I’m a happy girl.

There are, however, some things subbers do that make me crazy. And weirdly, most of them are probably done specifically for the benefit of people like me.

• Reversing Asian names to follow Western standards. By virtue of watching Korean drama, we Westerners have proven ourselves to be open-minded and interested in the world around us. So why do subbers think we can’t figure out that speakers of Asian languages put family names first and given names second? I promise you it’s just as affecting for us to watch Choi Han Gyul and Ko Eun Chan fall in love as it would be for us to watch Han Gyul Choi and Eun Chan Ko do the same.

• Replacing relationship terms or honorifics with names. Ajusshi, oppa, and sunbae may take a little getting used to, but that’s no reason to ditch them altogether in favor of someone’s full name or something like “Mr. Choi.” This isn’t true to the source material and actually works against our understanding of the character speaking—even the greenest of kdrama newbies knows it’s a different thing to call a man “oppa” than it is to say his name.

• Translating basic relationship names. One of the boys in the drama Heartstrings is always referring to girls he goes to school with as “unni,” which the Dramafever subtitles helpfully translates as “sis.” It is absolutely unthinkable that an Western boy would say this word to someone he’s unrelated to, so why not just leave “unni” untranslated? I think it’s safe to say anyone watching this show wouldn’t be put off by the use of Korean—it’s a better option than the English, and the definition is a quick Google search away, after all. (If you do Google it, you’ll even find explanations for why he’s saying unni, a term normally used by girls when talking to other girls. Per the geniuses at Dramabeans, it’s slang for boys to say unni, and probably intended to make the character seem cute and approachable.)

• Not translating written things. I understand that it’s impossible to translate everything, but some subbers really kill me by not bothering to sub text messages, signs, and letters (or, in the case of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, numerous elaborate diagrams that seem guaranteed to be packed with sources of amusement).

After about six months of watching Kdrama to the exclusion of all else, I could probably carry on a decent drama-level conversation in Korean. (As long as that conversation involved apologizing, confessing my love, and begging someone not to leave, anyway.) But this old dog is unlikely to ever really learn the new trick of speaking Korean, which much to my dismay means that I’ll never be able to fully appreciate the shows I’m watching.

The subtleties of formal versus informal speech in particular seem important when it comes to understanding drama relationships. (See, for example, Dramabeans’ basic discussion of jondaemal and banmal and Electric Ground’s fascinating-but-terrifying explanation of the 7[!] levels of Korean speech.) It's hard to imagine how much intensive study would be needed to even begin to understand the complexities of Korean hierarchical language, especially for a native speaker of English like me. Sure, I don't use the word "dickhead" around my boss (no matter how much I may want to), but beyond that my native tongue doesn't distinguish between individuals by their rank.

So what to do? For now I think I’ll stop complaining borrow a line from the standard plucky Kdrama girl: Please take care of me, subbers!