By the time the world was abuzz with conversations and general excitement about the series, some fans had begun to pick up on a troubling aspect of the show – and it wasn’t the brutal violence. Many who were able to understand both the original Korean dialogue and the English subtitles noticed that the latter were much more condensed than the former, forgoing nuance and detail in favor of a blunt literal that conveyed the plot and not much else. Some character information was completely left out, while at other points the translations appeared sloppy and inconsistent. Some have complained that the poor translations turn the show’s discussions of the pressures capitalism puts on individuals, and the impossible choices it makes them face, into hour-long episodes of excessive violence. By flattening the depth and meaning of the narrative, much of the original intent is lost. Alongside the problems that translation errors cause to the plot, phrases and cultural idiosyncrasies are said to have been misinterpreted or just plain wrong. Idioms and the like are clumsily given English equivalents, removing any sense of poetry: thus Netflix expects its viewers to be so dumb that they are unable to understand an unfamiliar phrase from time to time. Even “untranslatable” words and phrases are given meanings that only partially represent their spirit. With the plot of Squid Game often being specific to Korea, this again detracts from the plot and feels like a ‘dumbing down’ for international audiences. Translating is not an easy job. Communicating meaning along with the tone and nuances of the original dialogue, while keeping the subtitles vivid enough to maintain audience immersion, is always a challenge. But when a service like Netflix is the one calling the shots, it should go without saying that they invest in translation and translators, giving them financial support and enough time to do their jobs well. Although audiences are only beginning to complain en masse about the disappointing quality, the audience’s judgment will only get worse if action is not taken.