Latin American Dubbing Uses Regional Accents... Preserving Jeju Dialect in "When Life Gives You Tangerines" [The Power of Dubbing]

Latin American Audiences Indirectly Experience the Jeju Dialect
Netflix Preserves the Series' Sentiment by Reflecting Local Culture
"Dubbing Plays a Significant Role in Content Success"

The Netflix series When Life Gives You Tangerines is receiving an enthusiastic response not only in Korea but also overseas. Netflix's localization strategy, which aims to preserve the unique sentiment of the Jeju dialect featured in the series, is drawing particular attention. The story is set on Jeju Island, and the Jeju dialect used by the characters is unfamiliar even to Korean viewers. It is often difficult to understand by ear, and even with Korean subtitles, viewers frequently find themselves questioning whether they have grasped the intended meaning. International audiences have reported similar experiences. Netflix has faithfully reflected these dialect characteristics in its dubbing as well.

Still cut from When Life Gives You Tangerines

Roberto Granados, Netflix Latin America Dubbing Director, said in an interview with Asia Economy on June 25, "To capture the Spanish spoken by characters who are not from major cities, we collaborated with studios based in Argentina and Colombia," adding, "We intentionally applied regional city accents."

This was the result of close script sharing and long-term discussions with Netflix headquarters from the early stages of production. Director Granados emphasized, "Our goal was to go beyond simple language translation and reflect the culture and sentiment of Latin America so that local audiences could feel the unique emotion and atmosphere of Jeju."

To achieve this, voice actors were cast whose tone and emotional expression closely resembled those of the original actors, carefully capturing the appeal of each character. A representative scene is the lullaby sung by Gwangrye (played by Yum Hye-ran) in episode one. He explained, "To fully convey the emotional connection between mother and daughter, we translated the lyrics directly and instructed the voice actor to sing with genuine emotion and rhythm, just like the original actress."

Roberto Granados, Netflix Latin America Dubbing Director (left), and John Demita, Netflix English Dubbing Team Senior Manager

They also avoided forcibly inserting local expressions for Latin American viewers. Director Granados said, "Even moments of silence that might feel awkward to Latin audiences were left as emotional pauses," adding, "As a result, Korean-style sorrow was perceived as a distinctive aesthetic in Latin America." This approach resonated with a wide range of age groups and contributed to the show's local success.

John Demita, Senior Manager of the Netflix English Dubbing Team, also emphasized, "Dubbing plays a crucial role in the global success of content," adding, "It allows many viewers to enjoy works without language barriers and significantly enhances the value of the content." In fact, Extraordinary Attorney Woo was also dubbed in English after gaining popularity in Asia, which helped expand its success to North America and Europe.

Netflix began actively pursuing a dubbing localization strategy in 2022. Every year, the company holds workshops for dubbing studios worldwide, establishing adaptation and lip-syncing standards tailored to each language, as well as mixing guidelines to enhance the immersion of music and dialogue. The goal is for viewers to embrace international content as if it were their own.

'Squid Game' Still Cut

Manager Demita cited Squid Game as a representative success story. He said, "The English dubbing was completed at the highest level. The lip movements matched naturally in every scene, and the translation accurately conveyed not only the meaning but also the cultural nuances of Korea," adding, "It was the result of collaboration among linguists, voice actors, engineers, and various other experts." He continued, "Only through a creative process can natural dialogue and new cultures be properly conveyed," and expressed his anticipation for more successes like Squid Game and When Life Gives You Tangerines.