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Uniqlo pulls ad after South Korean objections

75 Comments
By Alastair Pike

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© 2019 AFP

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75 Comments

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Jesus, get a grip.

Talk about grasping for straws.

Grow up!

19 ( +35 / -16 )

I have seen the commercial, and I can only say, one needs some serious imagination to conjure up imagines of SK's colonial past. I honestly cannot believe this commercial would have led to yet another 'outrage'.

Korea is second only to China in its obsession on imposing political correctness to just about anything and everything because of ... erm, feelings!

"A nation that forgets history has no future." Pffft, yeah, we know. SK's future is doomed to begin with.

17 ( +32 / -15 )

National neurosis does exist.

Koreans hyper-irrational, reactionary, and extreme anger, Hwabyung, exemplify the existence of this phenomenon as a uniquely Korean behavioral and psychological characteristic.

In East Africa, we have the mental disorder called Kiwelewele.

In Malay and Bahasa Indonesian they have the mental disorder called amok!

So, in fairness, this seemingly extreme Korean psycho reaction vis-a-vis UniQlo, actually has very deep societal and cultural roots.

16 ( +28 / -12 )

I hope they stretched before that massive reach.

24 ( +28 / -4 )

Such is the world we live in. Must apologize and retract for offending overly sensitive and imaginative individuals.

13 ( +20 / -7 )

TakCWAL -

Koreans are basically Chinese with a chip on their shoulder.

Hence the tendency of both to overreact over the most innocuous slight of their fragile collective fragile egos. A manifestation of their low self-esteem, really!

18 ( +29 / -11 )

Since this is just one or two crazies trying to stir the excrement, why not just ignore them?

-4 ( +8 / -12 )

Unbelievable. They will find anything to attack or boycott Japanese companies. Japan should shut down all UNIQLO shops in Korea, and reopen them in nations that love Japan like Vietnam or Thailand.

11 ( +20 / -9 )

So Koreans mistranslated the commercial and blame Japan... This sounds like the same mental gymnastics North Korea had to perform to blame Japan for sinking their fishing boat. Wild imaginations must be genetic...

22 ( +29 / -7 )

So Koreans mistranslated the commercial

Do you speak Korean? I don't myself. So it's hard to judge whether it was a mistranslation.

-19 ( +5 / -24 )

Do you speak Korean? I don't myself. So it's hard to judge whether it was a mistranslation.

I mean, I'm just going by what was said in the article...

But Uniqlo's Korean arm subtitled its version of the ad slightly differently,

17 ( +23 / -6 )

Honestly it sounds more like a jab at Japan than Korea.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

But Uniqlo's Korean arm subtitled its version of the ad slightly differently,

Yes, but you called it a mistranslation. A 'mis' means 'mistake'. Translation is not an exact science. Sometimes literal translation is best, sometimes it's not. Literal translation can sound unnatural, and a good translator will find a natural equivalent that expresses the same meaning, particularly in advertising, where sales are going to depend more on a natural localized slogan than an accurate translation.

This translation seems a little weird, but we're reading about a translation into Korean, explained in English, and we don't speak Korean. So it's almost impossible for us to make any kind of realistic assessment as to whether the translation was a mistake or not.

-16 ( +4 / -20 )

Having visited Korea over a hundred times I can fairly say that the Koreans do not easily forget their colonial past.

Not on a propaganda par with the North or China, it is a simple matter to realize that Koreans simply do not forget.

From tv dramas depicting harsh treatment by the military-newspaper analysis of the previous independence movement, whose members were imprisoned and tortured-the restrictions on visiting sites in Japan, where ancestors died, in the present day.

All the above and more are topics that Koreans ponder and are shown by their society.

In the present,for the Uniqlo ad to pick the magic number eighty and get 1939 is not something that any Korean would fail to notice.

However, fora Japanese company, managed by Japanese, not strong on remembering history, well....

-11 ( +9 / -20 )

"A nation that forgets history has no future. We can't forget what happened 80 years ago that Uniqlo made fun of,"

I heard from Korean them-self that during invasion , Japanese destroyed the Korean language, culture and cut heads .

Japan history is hidden and not taught to young Japanese, Why ?

Japan is not proud of its human interaction with other countries?

you reap what you sow.

-16 ( +8 / -24 )

I would say someone on the SK side did this deliberately to sabotage Uniqlo since it is a pretty big target...

13 ( +16 / -3 )

But Uniqlo's Korean arm subtitled its version of the ad slightly differently, reading: "I can't remember things that happened more than 80 years ago."

Self sabotage? A deliberate omission of foresight by the Korean arm of the company? Has it gone that crazy? Quite possibly so.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Self sabotage? A deliberate omission of foresight by the Korean arm of the company? Has it gone that crazy? Quite possibly so.

Or it could have been a decent translation that the Korean cancel culture freaked out about. Hard to say which. I don't see a company willingly putting out a translation that is likely to raise the Anti-Japan hackles of the populace.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Geezes, how ridiculous. The South Koreans remind me of the American Trump haters with their pathological fixation of seeing something evil everywhere in their object of hate.

14 ( +19 / -5 )

The south korean whining circus is never gonna end... grow up

12 ( +18 / -6 )

Just as an aside, how much are those Uniqlo fleeces? Winter's coming. And I need to refresh my wardrobe.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Not sure you can even call South Korea a democracy as it never really was one in the first place.

8 ( +14 / -6 )

long stay foreigners can not even vote in Japan.

Well yeah, we're foreigners. That's the standard everywhere in the world.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

If there is not some kind of contraversy, money stops flowing into the Korean and Chinese nationalistic groups. So there will always be contraversy. But UNIQLO should have used K-pop band boys to advertise its goods.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Translation is just wrong. The commercial is nothing wrong. Koreans have kinda sickness that everything is likely going to relate to miserable war time. It seems that they still remain in the miserable past and can't move on from the past.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

I think pretty much all of the people talking the Koreans down here don't have any experience of trauma, war or rape, or know anyone who does either...

You mean like the vast majority of the living Koreans?

8 ( +11 / -3 )

South Korea is over reacting? Not at all. Uniqlo should have known better. Any person that previewed the ad would have realized that it was a bad idea.

Some things people will never understand when they come from a more privileged position in history. The same way in the US many believe being poor and black is the same as being poor and white. Or when they say that black people are over reacting to situations.

The lack of understanding truly understanding is where most of these comments are coming from.

-5 ( +7 / -12 )

I'd like to hear someone who can speaks Korean at an advanced or native level explain this in depth. Why was this translation used, what would have been better, and why?

I'm still unclear if this is a company making a really stupid marketing move, or cancel culture in Korea by people looking for any little thing they can.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Oh dear.

American-style political correctness has reached Asia.

October 21, 2019. I'll remember that.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Too bad for Uniqlo for caving in to this stupidity.

10 ( +13 / -3 )

Japanese retail giant Uniqlo has pulled a commercial featuring a 98-year-old U.S. fashion figure from South Korean screens

Their country, their culture, their screens. Nobody has a right to tell another country what they can't show on their screens.

I'm sure I've heard this arguement used by certain people before.

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

I just saw the commercial while watching the commentary on today’s enthronement formal wear. The threads we will see today at 1 pm will be on the opposite end from UNIQLO’s.

In the commercial, the near centenarian answers the question from the young woman as described in article. URL

https://youtu.be/QvhbnfNZe1c

 There were subtitles in the video and the Japanese translation is this:

昔のことは、忘れたわ

I am not sure why whoever translated this into Korean needed to add the “80 years ago.” We have to read between the lines.

80 years ago Iris was 18. If she’s 98 she would have been born 1921 and adding 18 brings you to 1939. We could have also just subtracted 80 from 2019 to arrive at 1939. And so what happened in 1939? Nylon was introduced.

How did Iris use to dress when she was the young lady’s age? She was wearing nylon.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Their country, their culture, their screens. Nobody has a right to tell another country what they can't show on their screens.

No one has told S. Korea what they can't show on their screens. What exactly are you referring to?

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Beyond ridiculous. Actually makes you almost feel sorry for South Koreans. Is there something inherent in Koreans (both North and South) that somehow makes them more susceptible to brainwashing?

9 ( +13 / -4 )

GaijinjlandToday  

Not sure you can even call South Korea a democracy as it never really was one in the first place.

right.

It was not Korea but Joseon.

Although a tributary of China, most sovereignty was in Joseon.

There was a country called Joseon that had their own language, culture and legal system. Changing the name does not change the country. Just as the Qing Dynasty is China .

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

So Koreans mistranslated the commercial and blame Japan... This sounds like the same mental gymnastics North Korea had to perform to blame Japan for sinking their fishing boat. Wild imaginations must be genetic...

Translation is just wrong. The commercial is nothing wrong. Koreans have kinda sickness that everything is likely going to relate to miserable war time. It seems that they still remain in the miserable past and can't move on from the past.

When Japanese BTS member Jimin wore a shirt to commemorate Korea's Liberation Day, wasn't it noisy that she despised Japan only by looking at the atomic bomb? Is that the same reason?

-10 ( +1 / -11 )

women forced to become sex slaves to Japanese troops during World War II

supreme humiliation.

I am in full compassion for them.

-7 ( +6 / -13 )

I think pretty much all of the people talking the Koreans down here don't have any experience of trauma, war or rape, or know anyone who does either...

Neither do most living Koreans, so what's your point. Wait, I take it back, since what you described aptly occur to North Koreans on a very frequent basis, but South Koreans would like to pretend their Northern brethren are all sunshine and flowers, don't they?

Oh yes, the Kims are just misunderstood, they are actually good people. Nah, there is no trauma, rape or massacre in North Korea, let's deny it completely!

7 ( +12 / -5 )

@TakCWAL

So what you are saying is because it didn't happen to you directly, you shouldn't be affected by it?

So slavery didn't happen to me directly so I shouldn't be affected by the aftermath. Majority of Americans were not directly affected by 9/11 so most people shouldn't have had any feelings or thoughts about it. Racism was something that occurred hundreds of years ago in America. So current Americans couldn't possibly be racist in any way. There are many women in the #MeToo movement that were not directly raped or victimized so they shouldn't feel anything about it.

Trauma. Opinions. Beliefs. Mindsets. Those are just some of the things that are passed on from generation to generation.

-9 ( +6 / -15 )

Trauma. Opinions. Beliefs. Mindsets. Those are just some of the things that are passed on from generation to generation

Or exaggerated outrageously for political gain. Like you've never seen that before.

10 ( +14 / -4 )

This is what passes for news in Japan. Scary.

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

Don't pull the ad, pull out of SK.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

Why do Koreans bark up the wrong tree? This UniQlo drama-queen behavior is yet another reflection of the melodramatic Koreans.

The period of Japanese colonialism, from 1910-1945, resulted in the demise of the corrupt and backward Yi Dynasty of Joseon. Which is actually the most progressive period in Korea's 2,000 years history; resulted in agricultural progress, high rice yields, increased life expectancy, modernization, economic growth, and rapid development of an hitherto hopeless country.

If Koreans have a beef with ANY country - that should be with China and their brothers in N. Korea.

Those two countries, under the leadership of the blood thirsty megalomaniac Mao Zedong, and his schizophrenic side-kick Kim, caused the slaughter of 3,500,000 innocent South Koreans!

5 ( +12 / -7 )

Uniqlo has already pulled the ad...

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

It was an awkward translation in Korean. It was probably an awkward translation in any language. I mean, for such a short and rapid-paced conversation, there's no way anyone would translate it the way Uniqlo in Korea did. In fact, that translation seemed so out of place that it didn't even seem like a piece of conversation. Rather, it seemed like an independent mini statement of some sort. Naturally, one would have to wonder what the statement was really trying to say. Considering everything, it was not hard to figure out.

Any other company, or any other time, it probably went unnoticed. But these are different times. And Uniqlo happens to be under the microscope in Korea at this moment, with every move they make being closely watched.

I'm a Korean so I'm naturally biased but to my best judgment, I do feel that someone at the Uniqlo organization tried to pull something behind the backs of Korean people and got caught this time.

Some of you wanted a viewpoint from a Korean. Now you have it.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

It almost sounds like the choice of words in the translation was an intentional inference, either by a Korean making a jab at Japan's attitude towards forgetting the wrongs committed before and during the war, or by a Japanese making a jab at Koreans for holding on to the wartime actions of times long past.

In either case, it was stupid. They should have just translated the original English verbatim, and there would be no problem.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Koreans are an interesting bunch. A few years ago, their then president Park Geun-hye allowed us to put up the THAAD batteries on the South Korean soil. Beijing was not happy.

What transpired is classical Korean cowardice. Several of their businesses were expropriated or outright shut down by the no-nonsense Chinese! Korean response? Not a peep! Koreans are, as always, too scared to whine against their mighty Chinese overlords!

Try pulling this gimmick on UniQlo against ANY Chinese company, and you Koreans will soon be back to paying your customary yearly tribute + kowtow to the Chinese court in the Forbidden City!

3 ( +9 / -6 )

Shame... Shame on you S. Korea for going this far. You talk about justice and law, but your bias and hate towards Japan is bare for the world to see. They have to make up stories and put words in our mouth to fuel the fire!

0 ( +6 / -6 )

I'm a Korean so I'm naturally biased but to my best judgment, I do feel that someone at the Uniqlo organization tried to pull something behind the backs of Korean people and got caught this time.

I can't imagine anyone employed by Uniqlo doing this, unless they have a grudge against the company and want to quit anyway. Why on earth would a company want to insult their customers in a market that is already on edge? That person would be liable for very heave damages.

The "80 years" does seem an odd addition, though. If they outsourced the translation, the Korean translator ( I am assuming the translator was Korean) may have done this for kicks, especially if Uniqlo was not a major client. Either way, I am sure Uniqlo is already all over whoever translated this.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Given the recent beef between Japan and Korea, the 'I can't remember what happened 80 years ago' line for the SK version as opposed to 'I can't remember that long ago' for all other markets seems a bit suss.

Either deliberate, or a very unfortunate mistake.

Either way, SK is actually Uniqlo's 2nd largest overseas market with something crazy like 158 stores (compared to about 50 in the whole of USA), and they keep putting their foot wrong in such an important market.

-5 ( +5 / -10 )

Koreans are an interesting bunch. A few years ago, their then president Park Geun-hye allowed us to put up the THAAD batteries on the South Korean soil. Beijing was not happy.

What transpired is classical Korean cowardice. Several of their businesses were expropriated or outright shut down by the no-nonsense Chinese! Korean response? Not a peep! Koreans are, as always, too scared to whine against their mighty Chinese overlords!

@Mwafrika - It was the Chinese boycotting Korean goods in response to Korea setting up a missile defence system. What response do you want from Korea? Cry out 'waaaaa how dare the Chinese stop buying our products'?

By your logic, Japan not responding to Koreans boycotting Japanese goods makes Japan too scared to whine?

Korean response to Chinese boycott is the same as the Japanese response to a Korean boycott, which is basically not much, as not much can be done.

So you got your logic a bit twisted, didn't you mate?

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

What annoys me particularly are those who have the nerve to claim that Japan never apologized for the crimes commited by their government more than 70 year ago.

It just takes some quick Googling to be proven otherwise: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_apology_statements_issued_by_Japan

Still, nowadays we live in a world where people seem to genuinely enjoy hating others...

2 ( +7 / -5 )

What the world needs now is Love sweet love ,yes do you know that song ?

There are so many atrocities that happened and continues to happen in this world since the beginning of mankind because of war ! We are in the next generation but elder people insist to not let go of this that is the prof of this insident about Uniclo in Korea ,it's like even the war is ended its not finish in the mind of this people.

Dont they want a better world for their children ? Don't they know that even though it was hard and very sad for many people there is a need to Forgive if is not to forget ?

I am an European and suppose to be born in Hungary instead I was born in Brasil and ended up living in Japan ,the war stripped me of my family they had difficul times but we can't carry hate on our hearts ,we have to learn from this and try to live with each other with harmony to make this world better so what 80 is suppose to be ?And what about all those woman man and children that give their life for a better world ,we should grow up that's what it is ,there is a saying that hate can't change hate ,only love can !

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Cheap clothes! Who cares. It’s so difficult to buy 100% cotton clothes these days. The fleece is probably half cotton and half polyester sold at 100% cotton prices. Can’t wait to get back to the States and go Garage sale shopping for some good quality used clothes.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Japan history is hidden and not taught to young Japanese, Why ?

Because Korean history is fiction, and Korean textbooks are fantasy novels. Therefore, give a good reason why any school, not just Japanese, should teach nonsense?

Japan is not proud of its human interaction with other countries?

Considering North and South Korea have their international policies essentially dictated by the powers surrounding it, be it Chinese, Japanese, American and/or Russian, I'd say you should look at yourself in the mirror first before spewing forth nonsense. If you are so 'proud' of that, then your standard is very low.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

@strangerland

Yes, but you called it a mistranslation. A 'mis' means 'mistake'. Translation is not an exact science. Sometimes literal translation is best, sometimes it's not. Literal translation can sound unnatural, and a good translator will find a natural equivalent that expresses the same meaning, particularly in advertising, where sales are going to depend more on a natural localized slogan than an accurate translation.

This translation seems a little weird, but we're reading about a translation into Korean, explained in English, and we don't speak Korean. So it's almost impossible for us to make any kind of realistic assessment as to whether the translation was a mistake or not.

It was a mistranslation. We don't need to speak Korean to know it. Both people in the commercial were speaking English and I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that's a language we can both speak pretty well.

The old woman did not say anything about '80 years ago', she just said 'I can't remember that far back'. There is no 'subtle translation difference' between languages that would require the addition of a number when it was not said. We know the Koreans added the 80 years ago comment, so that would be an incorrect translation, intentional (I agree, it sure seems likely) or not, that's a mistranslation.

I really don't understand why you needed a Korean speaker to tell you this. Even Google Translate can tell me how to say 'I can't remember the past' in Korean.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

@mumlfoot

This is what passes for news in Japan. Scary.

Japan? It's a major scandal in Korea. Blame the Koreans for making this stupidity newsworthy.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

The old woman did not say anything about '80 years ago',

Exactly, the Koreans themselves created this idiotic, ridiculous and absolutely childish controversy to flame a non-existent problem in order to somehow sooth their pathetic collective ego.

Yet, some people here claiming that you need to understand Korean to understand this commercial, seriously? What? You need Korean authority over the English language now? From a bunch of people who can't read their own history before the 20th century? Yeah, ok.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

https://youtu.be/xgmRCVTarEo

Something is definitely wrong with the translation. It looks intentional. Wont accuse uniqlo but that translation definitely trying to spark controversy.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

really don't understand why you needed a Korean speaker to tell you this.

Because I’ve seen the opposite side of it, people wrongly criticizing translations in Japanese that they wrongly criticized in English.

Anyone who thinks they can accurately judge whether a translation is good in a language they don’t know based on what they read in English has a serious lack of ability to properly use logic.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Anyone who thinks they can accurately judge whether a translation is good in a language they don’t know based on what they read in English has a serious lack of ability to properly use logic.

Proper logic? Come on man. In English she said 'I don't remember that far back'. In Japanese, they translated it to the same thing. Then in Korean, suddenly she is saying 'I don't remember anything that happened 80 years ago.'

It was explained on the English edition of a Korean news broadcast. There is absolutely no excuse for adding the number 80 into a translation that included no numbers. Translation can be tricky, but not that tricky.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Proper logic? Come on man. In English she said 'I don't remember that far back'. In Japanese, they translated it to the same thing. Then in Korean, suddenly she is saying 'I don't remember anything that happened 80 years ago.'

Which may be a turn of phrase in Korean, or maybe "that far back" doesn't have an accurate phrase in Korean, or maybe it's a racist term that offends half the populace.

The amount of unknowns in there makes it impossible for non-native speakers to logically conclude it was a bad translation when reading about it in English.

You can try to pretend that it's simple, but anyone that thinks language is simple is clearly a monolingual.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Not sure you can even call South Korea a democracy as it never really was one in the first place.

@Gaijinland - that's ironic, because Japan is a pseudo-democracy at best, and SK is actually one of the better functioning democracies in the world.

Difference is Koreans had to fight for democracy, and many paid for it with their lives in their battles against dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s.

Japan on the other hand, had democracy forced upon them by their masters USA. They didn't shed a drop of blood for it. The result is a passive, almost submissive population who do not question or fight the status quo. Corruption by politicians including Shinzo-kun is only questioned by the opposition party, not the people of Japan who shrug their shoulders at the corruption scandals.

Compare that with Koreans who overthrew a government 2 years ago with months of peaceful democratic protests.

Can you call South Korea a democracy? One hundred percent yes.

Japan? Not so much.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Japan on the other hand, had democracy forced upon them by their masters USA. They didn't shed a drop of blood for it.

You are absolutely right, because World War II obviously didn't happen, and therefore no blood was shed.

 Corruption by politicians including Shinzo-kun is only questioned by the opposition party, not the people of Japan who shrug their shoulders at the corruption scandals.

You reached this conclusion with what as standard? A country where Samsung is responsible for 20% of that entire nation's economy? Followed closely by Hyundai? In an environment where shady dealings between the president of said nation and its conglomerates are common if not encouraged? You are using a standard established by a country where ex-presidents have a tendency of being jailed? With the last two being most recent examples (where one was involved with Hyundai)? Please look in the mirror (if it didn't already shatter into pieces).

Did I also mention both of those companies deliberately had names that sounded Japanese in order to blend into foreign markets?

Compare that with Koreans who overthrew a government 2 years ago with months of peaceful democratic protests.

Considering the track record of terrible Korean ex-presidents, you are actually proud of this unbelievably low standard? Yeah, ok.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

*sigh! Here we go again! Now I'm very sure S. Korea is going to go after Uniqlo for money because of their INSANE sensitivity to something that happened and was supposed to be left in the past numerous years ago. Geez......

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The amount of unknowns in there makes it impossible for non-native speakers to logically conclude it was a bad translation when reading about it in English.

The fact that it has caused such an uproar makes it very obviously a bad translation, whatever the reasons for adding the "80 years." A good translator would have foreseen this and used another expression.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The fact that it has caused such an uproar makes it very obviously a bad translation, whatever the reasons for adding the "80 years." A good translator would have foreseen this and used another expression.

Or is it unreasonable cancel culture in Korea?

I'm not clear on which. Can you please explain the nuances for us that don't speak Korean?

Because it doesn't make sense to me that the marketing team of a company would willfully sabotage an ad campaign, and due to the company being in Korea, it would make sense that multiple people saw the copy before it was released, and therefore pretty hard to sabotage.

Granted it may have been a sabotage. But I'd want to know the nuances of the Korean by someone who speaks it as a native before making a declaration either way.

I guess others are ok with weak arguments when they make declarations on whether something was done correctly or not. I prefer a solid argument myself, not insinuations made from reading about it in another language.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Dear Heckleberry -

Contrary to what you say...there's absolutely nothing twisted about my logic at all.

The South Koreans had/have every right to install the THAAD batteries without seeking permission from or trying to appease "master" China PRC.

Isn't it your putative Foreign Minister who is wont to hector on and on to the world, that: This is an internal affair... it's a matter of national sovereignty....yada yada yada!

The last I checked, the Republic of Korea is/was a sovereign and independent republic; not an appendage of the PRC

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

You are absolutely right, because World War II obviously didn't happen, and therefore no blood was shed.

@TakCBAL - I must have missed the part where WW2 Japan's fight for democracy, rather than a war to establish a Japanese Empire in Asia Pacific..

Not one drop of blood was shed for Japanese democracy, in contrast to SK where people died for the cause fighting against dictatorships.

That's why Japan has a pseudo-democracy today, compared to SK's real democracy. That must be obvious to all but the most biased and blinded Japanophiles.

Just look at the news about 500 or so people protesting against the government spending money on a Shinto religious ceremony, and what does the authoritarian Japanese government do? Arrest the leaders of the protest.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

"The fact that it has caused such an uproar makes it very obviously a bad translation, whatever the reasons for adding the "80 years." A good translator would have foreseen this and used another expression."

Or is it unreasonable cancel culture in Korea?

I'm not clear on which. Can you please explain the nuances for us that don't speak Korean?

Irrelevant whether it reflect an "unreasonable cancel culture" as you call it. A Korean translator should be familiar with Korean society and its quirks. Part of the job is to pick up on possible misinterpretations. That's why people hire native speakers for the job. You don't need to speak Korean to understand this. These are standard professional duties.

It was a bad translation. Either the translator knew or he somehow completely missed it. Or maybe he (she?) was simply overworked and shot off a quick and easy translation without thinking about it much. Or maybe it was sabotage, as you mentioned. You would be surprised how many of these screw-ups go past multiple eyes.

There are entire websites devoted to such screw ups. I don't know why you insist on arguing that there was nothing wrong with the translation when clearly there was - even if reflects a pathologically sensitive reaction. The native translator is paid to avoid exactly these things.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

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