mikkeneko:

sableaire:

Found the Korean version!! So, some nice additional nuances from the Korean lines of the new D.Va cinematic:

  • You can really feel how close Hana and Daehyun are because they’re both using the informal register. It gives everything an air of fondness to it, and also gives them the impression of being similar ages because neither of them are using age relation terms like “oppa” or “noona.”
  • This effect is also emphasized because we get hints of Hana’s D.Va demeanor through the Nano Cola voice, which uses the polite register as expected of a celebrity. 
  • Whereas in the English, Daehyun says “I wonder what glitz and glamour tastes like,” the Korean says, “How great would it be if that were true,” ‘that’ meaning the news report about D.Va and her crew enjoying some luxurious celebration time. I personally feel that the Korean gives more room to interpret Daehyun’s comment less as self-interest and more like concern for Hana.
  • Interestingly, whereas the English says “How we used to stay up late and work on your hoverbike,” the Korean says “Like how we used to stay up all night working on the hoverbike together,” without implying ownership.
  • The English has Hana say, “You still mad about that?” but the Korean uses the word “삐졌어,” which is… cuter? It can give either a more lighthearted or trivializing feeling, depending on the context. Kind of like the word “sulking,” actually – it just adds to the feeling of familiarity between them. It’s cute.
  • When D.Va’s in the clutches of the final omnic, the English says “I can’t stop this thing,” but the Korean says, “How can I stop this thing?” – a small nuance, but I feel that they give slightly different impressions of Hana.
  • And before that, when she goes to chase it down, in the English, Hana says “I’m on it,” but the Korean says “Leave it to me!” and it’s just a little extra sense of responsibility, that impression that she’s used to taking everything on her own shoulders. 
  • Also, I’ve pointed out in my Details About D.Va post before that D.Va is going to end up a major advertising campaign, and I’m delighted to see that I was correct!
  • To wrap this up, the messages on her cast say, “Hana’s the best! (jjang!),” “[I/We] love you!”, “D.Va jjang!”, “Fighting!” (a Korean term of encouragement), and – interestingly enough – “Thank you” in polite register. It makes me wonder what variety of people got to sign that cast.
  • As per usual, if anyone has questions about translation and or Korean culture, feel free to ask. I’m not a professional, but I’m always happy to give it my best shot!

One more addition suggested (by @capriceandwhimsy) about the differences between the English and Korean versions – when D.Va goes to self-destruct, in English she says “See you at the finish line!” but in Korean she says “I’ll wait for you  at the finish line,” which does… kind of change the nuance. It’s more of a “see you on the other side,” which acknowledges that Hana knows she might not survive this.

That aside – I watched the English version first, but watching this I really noticed how much of the storytelling is conveyed independent of the dialogue. Even without being able to understand the dialogue, we are shown that Hana just came out of a battle, that her teammates are injured and out of commission; we see her working to repair her mech; we see her look worried even before the ‘ghosts’ arrive. The battle, of course, needs no narration; we hear her call out to her friend for help and see him rush to help her; we see the moment of realization when she understands what she’ll have to do to protect her city. All without need for words.

Leave a comment