Cultural Nuances in Web Novel and Subtitle Localization

The demand for international content is on a steady rise. One new and viral TV show after another, the global audience is constantly captivated by fresh and intriguing content from all over the world. Squid Game (2021), How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024), and Satan’s Slaves (2017) are only the tip of the iceberg. Non-English content is taking the world by storm, and content localization is at the heart of it.

Not only through TV shows and films, web novels are also a popular form of content that is growing an international audience rapidly. Some of the most popular ones are South Korea’s Solo Leveling (나 혼자만 레벨업) (2016), which has been localized to English, Japanese, and Spanish; China’s The King’s Avatar (全职高手) (2011) which has received high praises for its detailed gaming terminology localization; and Japan’s Reincarnated as a Sword (転生したら剣でした) (2016) which gained even more popularity after being adapted into an anime.

All these great localization examples stem from the ability to nail the cultural nuances of the original work, smoothly transferring them into the localized version for global audiences. Web novel and subtitle localization is more than translation—it is a delicate task to preserve cultural nuances that give the original work some depth and emotional reactions. What is the importance of cultural nuances in localization, as well as its challenges and techniques? Read on to find out.

What Are Cultural Nuances in Localization?

Content localization, be it web novel or subtitle localization, has one main focus to achieve: smoothly conveying all cultural nuances and emotions from the original work to the target language, ensuring its relatability remains present. Cultural nuances here are the subtle but significant elements of culture, such as humor, idioms, gestures, traditions, food references, etc. – it is everything that influences how the content is perceived.

In some cases, cultural nuances play a big part in storytelling and are a catalyst that drives the story forward. One thing for sure is cultural nuances are the bridge that connects the target audience to the story, which provokes emotions and relatability and hence enhances the overall viewing experience.

The focus is not only on making the audience connect to the story but also on ensuring the intended message is conveyed well. This makes web novel and subtitle localization an intricate process that involves more than translating words. More often than not, certain words do not have a direct translation to English, such as “Jeong” in Korean, which means an emotional connection. How the localization process conveys this word in English can affect its depth and emotional impact on the global audience.

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Why Capturing Cultural Nuances Is Important

Immersion is one of the essences of consuming web novels or movies – which can only happen if the localization process is done right. Missing cultural nuances in localized works is detrimental to the overall viewing experience, especially if the cultural nuances are crucial to the plot. Audiences focus on cultural nuances to feel connected to the characters and story, hence if the localization is wrong, immersion goes out the window and the audience gets confused or detached.

For instance, the use of honorifics in Korean web novels, such as “sunbae” (senior) plays a huge part in portraying how a character views another character, hence affecting how they act around each other. Omitting this term can leave the audience confused as the context is not there, but translating it directly can take away the cultural significance. Finding a creative workaround for details like this is what localization is all about – be it through using footnotes or finding culturally relevant and neutral substitutes that keep the essence of the original.

Netflix’s popular show, Squid Game, received criticisms in its subtitle localization for being oversimplified or even mistranslated. This caused some of what could have been impactful and strong dialogues to become flat and lose their emotional meaning. An example of this is a line about “faith in humanity” that was rephrased and lost its emotional resonance. This localization decision diluted the original dialogue’s intent and altered its impact. The bottom line is: that content localization must focus on preserving the story’s intent and cultural depth to ensure an immersive viewing experience.

Common Challenges in Preserving Cultural Nuances

Humor and Wordplay

Humor, puns, and idioms are highly intertwined with culture. They often rely on linguistic similarities or cultural references that often do not have any direct equivalents in other languages. The challenge to deliver the same impact and creatively find the best alternative for humor, puns, and idioms is one that takes a lot of research and knowledge of language.

Collaborating with cultural experts is probably the best way to go about this challenge. They are equipped with deep knowledge of the culture and hence can provide the best options to localize such jokes and puns. This ensures the intended impact is delivered, and that it does not fall flat.

Taboos and Sensitivities

Every culture comes with its own taboos and sensitivities, such as with gestures, phrases, or themes, and what is a positive gesture in one culture can be offensive in another. This is a challenge in web novel or subtitle localization because if certain cultural taboos and sensitivities are localized as is without considering what it may mean in the target language, it can create controversies, leading to losing the audience’s trust. Working with knowledgeable cultural experts, doing research, and finding creative solutions are some ways to face this challenge. The most important thing when it comes to cultural taboos and sensitivities are knowing what each gesture/phrase/theme means in the target language and using it as a consideration in how to deliver and localize such cultural taboos and sensitivities.

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Untranslatable Words Some languages often have their own styles and words that cannot be directly translated. Usually, these words have a whole history behind their creation and are heavily impacted by the respective culture – making localizing these words a challenge. For example, the Japanese term “wabi-sabi” (侘び寂び) is a whole concept of acceptance of imperfection, and if not localized well, it loses its significance and intended essence.

The more one understands the target culture and language, the higher the chance one can nail the localization process. This is why, working with a team of localizing professionals of cultural experts and translators is crucial in ensuring high-quality localization results.

The Growing Demand for Culturally Accurate Localization

Culturally accurate localization has become a need, not a want anymore, with the rapid development and production of global web novels, movies, and shows. Localization serves a very big market nowadays since 72.4% of global consumers prefer to use their native language when shopping online, as found in a study by Common Sense Advisory.

Major content platforms such as Netflix, Webtoon, and Wattpad have been paying more attention to their content localization, making every single one more accessible to millions of audiences worldwide. However, basic and direct translations are not enough anymore – and this is where localization comes in.

Localization is more than translation – it is about accessibility and building genuine connections between the content and the audience. When done right, global audiences start growing trust and continuous interest, ensuring long-term viewership and giving an upper hand in a competitive global market.

Conclusion

Cultural nuances are the heart of content localization – they shape how the audience relates to and connects with the characters, story, and themes. Localizing cultural nuances in web novels and subtitles can be a challenge, and to face it, cultural expertise and understanding are crucial. When done right, web novel and subtitle localization can build trust with global audiences. With cultural nuances in mind, localization can be a beautiful challenge. Investing in a team of localizing professionals helps ensure the stories transcend global borders without losing their essence. At the end of the day, it is more than a necessity; it is a celebration of cultural diversity that makes storytelling powerful.