The Impact of Pivot Subtitling on the Filipino Subtitles of Squid Game

• Published in: 통번역학연구 Vol. 29; no. 1; pp. 179 - 206
• Main Authors: Cassandra Tasic, 조성은
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 통번역연구소 28.02.2025
• Subjects: 통역번역학; Netflix; Hallyu; 피벗 번역; Squid Game; 한류; audiovisual translation; 영상번역; 넷플릭스; 오징어 게임; pivot subtitling
• ISSN: 1975-6321; 2713-8372

Pivot subtitling, a form of audiovisual translation, involves translating the source text into the target text using an intermediary language. This study examines how pivot subtitling—translating through an intermediary language—affects the Filipino subtitles of the Korean series Squid Game when English serves as the pivot language. It analyzes how using an English pivot text influences the transfer of linguistic and cultural nuances across languages. The qualitative analysis in this research focuses on three categories of data, namely politeness markers, address terms, and cultural references, all rich with socio-pragmatic meanings. The findings reveal significant omissions and distortions of the original Korean cultural nuances in the Filipino target text, compromising the depth of character relationships and cultural resonance. This may affect the Filipino audience's interpretation of the story and characters and their emotional engagement. This research underscores the limitations of pivot subtitling in multilingual contexts by highlighting specific examples. It also emphasizes the urgent need for improvements in the translation process to enhance linguistic accuracy and cultural fidelity, filling in research gaps in translating Korean content into Filipino and applying pivot subtitling in this context.