The Big Picture

• The decision of whether to watch Squid Game dubbed or subbed ultimately comes down to personal preference and how you value different aspects of the viewing experience.
• Watching the subbed version allows you to appreciate the original performances and dialogue without alterations, giving you a closer connection to the story and cultural nuances.
• On the other hand, choosing the dubbed version may be more suitable if you prefer a more relaxed viewing experience or if you prioritize understanding the story over individual performances and language nuances.

Every time a TV series or movie not in the English language like Squid Game manages to break out of its country of origin and become popular internationally, you can always predict the type of discussions that will pop up all over the Internet. From “I liked this country’s films before this one was cool” to “why exactly is this getting so popular?”, there is one argument that also invariably comes out: should you watch it in the original language with subtitles or go for the dubbed version in your native language?

With Squid Game, this was no different. The extremely popular South Korean hit series follows a group of people who are deep in debt, and they agree to participate in a high-stakes competition that may either kill them or turn them into gajillionaires. As people started talking about it, dissecting it, and making tons of memes, the discussion of how it should be experienced popped up again. This time, however, it became more heated because not only did Squid Game turn into the most popular Netflix series ever, but because massively popular filmmaker Taika Waititi, who directed blockbusters such as Thor: Ragnarok and Oscar winner Jojo Rabbit, tweeted this in 2021 shortly after Squid Game premiered:

The affirmation is, of course, categorical, but there are many nuanced aspects of dubbing versus subbing that you should consider when you are making a decision of how you are going to watch a particular TV series or film. The most basic answer to a question like “should you watch Squid Game dubbed or subbed” is: whatever you’re comfortable with. It’s ultimately your decision, but what we’ll do here is break down reasons why you should or shouldn’t pick one instead of the other.

Who Should Watch the Dubbed Version of 'Squid Game'?

When talking about audiovisual productions, dubbing is frequently met with skepticism, especially from the ones who make them. When a writer writes and a director directs, they are doing so in ways they expect whatever message they are sending will be understood by the public, and this is mostly done through dialogue or narration. This frequently includes jokes, wordplay, expressions, and many other things that help convey the message, and actors sometimes spend weeks and even months figuring out ways to say a particular sentence. In even more specific cases, a whole new way of speaking is developed: think about Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia, and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote. In those performances, not only the dialogue is important but also tone, stress, and speech rhythm.

Sometimes, a voice actor doesn’t have the time to prepare the same way an actor did, as they work with a much shorter deadline. So, if you are the type of person who likes to value every aspect of an actor’s performance, a dubbed version is probably not for you. If, however, you think that since you’re probably going to miss nuance because you don’t understand the language or you care more about the story than the individual performances, then watching dubbed shouldn’t impact your experience and might be the way to go.

Another reason you should consider the dubbed version is if you are the type of person who doesn’t have their eyes glued to the screen at every second. There are many people who like “watching” something as they check their phones, or maybe parents who are on the lookout for their kids' activities, during which time they do more listening than actually watching, and only look at the screen when something important happens. If you are that type of viewer, you should probably go for the dubbed version as well.

Who Should Watch the Subbed Version of 'Squid Game'?

If you are the type of person who values art in its most unaltered forms, then you should go for the subbed version. First, because you’ll hardly ever hear a director or screenwriter ask you to watch something that alters what was created by them in the editing room — this also includes sound, another element that gets altered with dubbing.

This is definitely the case when it comes to series creator and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk. In an interview with Good Morning America, he was adamant about how people should watch his show:

“Please watch the subtitled one. If you don’t see the acting, the performance from the real actor, then you’re not seeing anything. You are missing most of the ‘Squid Game’ fun.”

It’s true — the more you watch international films or TV series in their original language, the closer a connection you feel with the story, even if you don’t understand what is being said. This happens because tone, emotion, and the way each sentence is spoken by an actor transcends the language barrier, which is something that South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho also hinted at when he won the Oscar in 2020 for international sensation Parasite: “Once you can overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

Another thing to consider is that when a dubbing studio sets to do its work, they don't always manage to find a perfect match for the actor’s original voice, which can result in weird situations: sometimes you hear different voice actors voicing the same actor, and you may end up hearing different voices out of the same actor in different movies.

One more possible problem in dubbing is that the voice work has to match the movements of the original actor’s mouth, which means many adaptations have to be made in order to fit the length of the dialogue. This also happens with subtitles, but the difference is that, even with the limited space, subtitles can be designed in a way to stay on the screen a little bit longer, or be expanded to occupy a bigger part of the screen. Dubbing doesn’t have that option, which results in many native speakers pointing out the fact that the dubbed version may come off as botched.

This can happen specifically with TV series like Squid Game, in which the speech pattern is wildly different from the way English-speaking people normally talk, so voice actors have to work a little magic to make themselves understood. They should be applauded for that, but if you don’t want to miss nuance or have a closer translation to the original material, dubbing is probably not for you.

Watching films in their original language is also a great way for you to have contact with native speakers and the way they express themselves. It may not seem like much, but this is a massive cultural experience that may spark some interest in you to learn the language, start searching for other types of work in that particular language, or even decide to pay the country a visit to have that same experience up close. Take the first game of Squid Game, for example. The huge assassin doll sings a kid song that is the Korean equivalent to "Red light, green light, one two three." However, if you listen to the original and get just a little bit curious, you'll do a simple search and find out that the song reveals a little bit about South Korea's national flower and what it means in their culture — another good reason to experience it in the original language.

So if you are a person who cares more about having an experience as close to the original as possible and wants to remain true to the creator’s wishes, you should watch Squid Game subbed. But, if you are more interested in checking out how the story plays out and don’t mind missing some details along the way (which is not a problem at all), dubbed Squid Game is the version for you.

Squid Game is available to stream on Netflix.

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