#squid game translation

There are many translations within Squid Game which don’t do justice to the original script, and this is one of the most significant for me. After the first game, where the players have realised that losing the game results in their death, player 271 steps forward and pleas ‘우리가 빚을 졌지, 죽을죄를 지은 건 아니잖아요!’ There are two significant phrases here, the first being 빚을 지다 (to be in debt), and the other 죽을 죄를 지었습니다, which has many connotations attached to it.

Firstly, focusing on 죽을 죄를 지었습니다, this is likely a phrase which you have heard before even if you don’t recognise it. 죽을 죄 means unforgiveable sin/crime, and 지었습니다 means to commit. This is a common phrase in historical dramas where someone has to bow down to a member of the royal family or a army general to express their guilt at their actions in the hope of a lenient sentence (even if they’ve done nothing wrong). Someone of a lower class or place within society may also be forced to say it by someone above them as a way to demonstrate power and ‘put them in their place’. 

If we look at the phrase as a whole, then, we have ‘yes, we’re in debt, but we haven’t committed some unforgiveable sin/crime. You know that.’ Whilst the translation in the subtitle is similar (we may be in debt, but that doesn’t mean we deserve to die), I feel that this translation points more towards the games being unfair and immoral, rather than the writers’ intention of highlighting the players as good people. Yes, some of the players, such as Jang Deok-su have committed crimes, and are in debt due to their own immoral lifestyles, but many are just unfortunate victims of an unjust society. Seong Gi-hun is an example of this. His character provides a reference to the real-life 2009 Ssangyong Motor strike, where nearly 2,600 workers who occupied the plant for seventy-seven days to protest layoffs were violently beaten down by police. Many of these protestors went to jail, which may be the reason that Gi-hun struggles to find and hold down a good job. As a result, he is desperate for money, especially since he wants to give his daughter expensive gifts. He gambles, and this causes his debt. Ultimately, Gi-hun did nothing wrong. He is a victim of his circumstances, and this is what the writers wanted to highlight - that almost all of the players are unfortunate victims of society, who are victimised yet again through the games. Therefore, ‘we haven’t committed some unforgiveable crime/sin’ is much more fitting to me, even if it isn’t a very natural phrase in English. Maybe the subtitle translator should have gone with something like ‘yes, we’re in debt, but we were pushed into it through no fault of our own. Does that really mean that we deserve to die?’. This highlights the innocence of the players much more.

Themes of unjust society, and the widening of the income gap are incredibly important to Squid Game’s narrative. Some great articles to read to learn more about these themes can be found here:

❥Squid Game lays bare South Korea’s real-life personal debt crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/08/squid-game-lays-bare-south-koreas-real-life-personal-debt-crisis

❥Squid Game’s Strike Flashbacks Were Modeled on Our Real-Life Factory Occupation
https://jacobinmag.com/2021/11/squid-game-ssangyong-dragon-motor-strike-south-korea

All of these particles can be used to show that something is being done or given to someone. The difference between these three particles is:

❥ 에게 is used mainly in written communication or formal situations (although it may also be used conversationally sometimes).
❥ 한테 is used mainly in conversation.
❥ 께 is used when talking to or about someone who requires respect (eg. elder/teacher/boss).

These particles come after the recipient, rather than before as they do in English. Here are some examples of their usage:

I gave a present to my friend yesterday.
어제 친구에게 선물을 줬어요.

I send a birthday card to my friend every year.
저는 매년 언니에게 생일 카드를 보냅니다.

My friend gives a watch to their boyfriend.
동생이 남친한테 시계를 줘요.

I want to ask (to) my friend.
저는 친구한테 물어보고 싶어요.

I call (to) my grandma.
할머니께 전화 드려요.

I will give this book to my teacher.
이 잭이 선생님께 드릴 거예요.

Something that is important to note with this grammar is that although it means ‘to’, it can also be used to mean ‘from’. Obviously, this can be confusing, and it can be difficult for learners to figure out how to use this in conversation. When listening to others, however, you can understand which meaning is intended by the context. By listening to native speakers, it becomes easier to understand and use this grammar.

By analysing the Game Administrator’s words, we can grasp which version he is intending to use. He begins with 다시 말씀드리지만 (let me explain again), then states 여러분에게 기회를 드리는 겁니다 or 여러분에게(to you)기회를(an opportunity)드리는(to give) 것입니다(this is). By context, we can understand that he is using the ‘to’ usage. He is saying to the players ‘we are giving you an opportunity’ or ‘this is an opportunity’ with an emphasis on the charitable aspect. Here, 에게 is being used instead of 한테 to indicate the formality of the situation, even though it is being used in spoken conversation.

In this scene, I find that the translation is a little off. ‘Let me remind you’ comes off as passive aggressive and indicates a kind of hostility towards the players which I feel isn’t present in the Korean version. The Game Administrator is still using honorifics, and although his tone is always cold, he actually speaks very politely towards the players. I feel like this would have been translated better as ‘please understand, we are giving you an opportunity’, as this carries the same tone as the Korean version, although it strays slightly from the exact meaning.

는 것

In Korean, when describing a noun with a verb, you always use the core structure V+는 N. For example:

A student who studies.
공부하는 학생.

A flower which blooms.
피는 꽃.

A woman who walks.
걷는 여자.

Describing a noun with a verb allows you to then use this more detailed noun in a sentence, where you can add on a verb, adjective, or end it in 이다.

Students who study frequently get good grades, right?
자주공부하는 학생들이 좋은 성적을 얻죠.

The flower which blooms hugely is pretty.
크게피는 꽃이예뻐.

The girl who walks fast is young.
빨리걷는 여자는어려요.

는 게

The name of the grammatical principle used above is 는 것, with 것 meaning ‘thing’. Any noun can be substituted in for 것, as shown in the examples above. However, if using the basic form, 것, there is an additional rule which is important to learn. When 것 is used with the subject marker 이, this can be shortened to 게. Because of this, you may see 는 게 used alongside phrases such as 좋다, 싫다, and 아니다.

This is how 는 게 is used in this scene. The whole clause ‘여러분을 해치거나 돈을 받아 내려는 게 / To hurt you or take your money to pay your debts’ is made into a noun with 는 것이 so that 아니다 can be added in order to negate the whole clause. Again, the translation is accurate here, with the only thing missing being the nuance of respect that the Game Administrator is talking to the players with.

는 게 아니라

Using 는 게 아니라 between two clauses allows you to negate the first clause and instead propose the second clause as the truth. You may sometimes see this as 는 것 아니라, but the shortened version 는 게 아니라 is much more common and natural. Again, because this includes the 는 것 principle, this version of the form is used for verbs. Other versions of this form are A + 은/ㄴ 게 아니라 and N+ 이/가 아니라.

It’s not that I don’t like them, we just don’t get along well.
제가 그 사람을 싫어하는 게 아니라 우리는 그냥 잘 어울리지 못해요.

I’m not eating, I’m studying.
저는밥을먹는 아니라 공부하고 있어요.

The most delicious Korean food isn’t kimchi, it’s samgyeopsal.
가장 맛있는 한식은 김치가 아니라삼겹살이에요.

뭔

This particle is a shortened version of 무슨, meaning what / which one / what kind of. This is a contraction which sounds very informal, even when used with a formal sentence structure such as 습니다. It will sound rude if said to anyone older or anyone who you don’t know very well. Because of this, it’s fairly uncommon to hear this grammar being used unless you happen to be around a group of very close friends. Here are some examples of how it can be used:

What do you mean?
무슨말이야?
뭔말이야?

What jealousy?! / I’m not jealous!
무슨질투?!
뭔질투?!

뭔가

This grammar principle is actually a combination of 3 different forms: 무엇 (what / something), 이다 (it is / there is), and (으)ㄴ 가(요). 

For a quick overview of (으)ㄴ 가(요), this is a sentence ending where the speaker is indirectly asking about something which they are curious about. It’s a softer, less direct way of asking a question and is best translated in English as ‘I wonder’. For example:

I wonder, how much is this?
이건얼마 인가요?

I wonder, will you come tomorrow?
내일도오실 건가요?

Combining these principles then, we have 무엇 + 이다(there is something or it is something), and then 무엇 인가(요) (I wonder if there is something, or I wonder if it is something). 무엇 인가(요) is almost always shortened to 뭔가(요).

I wonder…it’s something that you cant figure out, right?
뭔가모르겠지?

If it’s not that, I wonder what it is?
그게 아니라면 뭔가? 

뭔가 Additional Meanings

Alongside the explanation above, there are two other ways in which 뭔가 can be used. Firstly, it can be used as a filler word when you are trying to pad out your speech or are struggling for your next word. Secondly, 뭐 and (으)ㄴ 가요 can sometimes simply mean ‘something’ without any nuance of indirect questioning, like in these examples:

I feel like something sweet.
뭔가 단 것이 땡긴다.

Yuseok, you have something on your face.
유석 씨의 얼굴에 뭔가묻었어요.

This second usage is what is being used in the example from the Game Administrator in this scene. He is saying that it seems (것 같다) that something (뭔가) has been misunderstood (오해가 있는것). Obviously then, the translation here is very accurate to what is actually being said.

거든(요) in a second clause

This grammar principle is placed at the end of a clause to indicate the reason for something or provide an explanation. Most of the time, you’ll see 거든(요) used at the end of a fragment or incomplete sentence as a tag on explanation to what has previously been said. Here are some examples of this:

These days, I go to bed too late. It’s because I have so much work.
저는 요즘에 너무 늦게 자요. 일이 많거든요.

Come to our house this Friday night. We moved house recently (so we’re having a party).
이번 주 금요일에 우리 집에 저녁 드시러오세요. 얼마 전에 새집으로 이사했거든요.

Will you come to our house for dinner tomorrow? It’s my birthday.
내일 저희 집에서 식사 함께 하실래요? 내일이 제 생일이거든요.

It is also possible to use 거든(요) in full sentences, like so:

It’s because if I get the chance, I’d like to try working at a Korean company in the future.
나중에 기회가 되면 한국 회사에서 일해 보고 싶거든요.

거든(요) in a first clause

거든(요) has a slightly different meaning when used in the first clause instead of the second clause of an explanation. If used at the end of the first clause, 거든(요) indicates that you are providing information which will help the listener to make sense of the next clause. Here are some examples of how this can be used:

I haven’t done the work yet, so I’ll probably have to go to the office to do it.
일을 아직 안 했거든요. 그래서 오늘 회사에 사거 해야 될 것 같아요.

I marked it in our calendar. Don’t forget, and make sure that you come on the day.
우리가 언제 달력에 표시했거든요. 깜빡하지 말고 그 날에 꼭 와야 돼요.

This is the way in which Han Mi-Nyeo uses 거든(요). She is telling the Game Administrator that she has a baby to allow her to then explain that she hasn’t named it yet so she couldn’t register the birth of her baby. This is one of the first scenes that hints towards Han Mi-Nyeo’s intelligence and manipulative abilities. She most likely doesn’t have a baby, but pleads desperately with the Game Administrator to let her go to be with her child. This is very smart, considering that Korea has a very low birth rate. The rarity of children has caused people to value them a lot, and you will often find people trying to interact with childrenandgiving them freebies like sweets or yakult drinks wherever they go. In normal circumstances, Mi-Nyeo would have been sent away immediately.

선생님

As beginners, Korean learners are told that 선생님 is a formal way to refer to a teacher. So why is Han Mi-Nyeo calling the Game Administrator 선생님 when obviously he isn’t a teacher? 

선생님 actually has an additional meaning that is used quite frequently and is very important to understand. It can be used to address someone in a formal way, and is used often when you need the attention of a stranger, or someone whose name is unknown. Here are some examples of how it may be used:

Excuse me, you can’t be in here.
실례합니다,선생님 여기 계시면 안 됩니다만.

Excuse me, what’s happening?
실례합니다,선생님 무슨 일이야?

Excuse me, is there a problem?
선생님 무슨 문제 있어?

Here, Han Mi-Nyeo is calling the Game Administrator 선생님 because she doesn’t know his name, but also because she wants to put herself in a position far below him and show respect in the hope that she can appeal to him and be released from the game. This is also why she is kneeling down and clasping her hands together. Her body language and speech in this scene all highlight that she is trying to show to the Game Administrator that he is a highly respectable person, whilst lowering herself in an attempt to gain his pity. Here, the translation of ‘please, sir’ is actually fairly good. It expresses her desperation and desire to appeal to him by showing respect well.