Buzz
Since its premiere on Netflix in September, the Korean survival thriller Squid Game has taken the world by storm, becoming a cultural phenomenon. This surge in popularity has also led to a heightened curiosity about mastering the Korean language.
According to Reuters, the U.S. saw a 40 percent rise in new users signing up to learn Korean on Duolingo within two weeks of the show's release. The UK experienced an even more dramatic increase of 76 percent. With over 7.9 million learners, Korean has become one of Duolingo's fastest-growing languages, trailing only behind Hindi.
“Language and culture are deeply intertwined, and trends in media and pop culture often drive interest in language learning,” explained Sam Dalsimer, a spokesperson for Duolingo, in an interview with Reuters. “The global appeal of Korean music, films, and TV shows is fueling a growing demand for learning Korean.”
Over the past few years, Duolingo isn’t the sole platform witnessing a surge in Korean language learners. In 2007, South Korea’s King Sejong Institute had only 740 students across three nations. By last year, this number skyrocketed to 76,000 students in 82 countries. Milica Martinovic, a Russian student, shared with Reuters that her motivation to learn Korean stems from wanting to enjoy Korean dramas and K-pop music without relying on subtitles or translations.
The immense popularity of Squid Game as a catalyst for learning Korean might be tied to the debates over its English subtitles. Korean-speaking viewers have pointed out how much cultural and emotional depth is lost in translation. Comedian Youngmi Mayer, co-host of the Feeling Asian podcast, highlighted this on TikTok. She illustrated how a character’s line, “I am very smart; I just never got a chance to study,” was translated as, “I’m not a genius, but I still got it [worked] out.”
“This is a recurring theme in Korean media,” Mayer noted. “The idea of a poor yet intelligent and resourceful individual is central to her character.”
However, attributing subtitle inaccuracies solely to poor translation would be misleading. Denise Kripper, a professional translator with experience in TV subtitling, explained to NBC News that strict guidelines—dictated by streaming platforms or channels—govern aspects like profanity, cultural references, and character limits.
“Subtitles typically can’t exceed two lines—fewer characters than a tweet,” Kripper stated. “Even the most precise translation must be adjusted or condensed to fit these spatial constraints.”
Ultimately, to fully appreciate Squid Game, understanding Korean is key—a compelling reason that has driven many to download the Duolingo app.
