Korea Business Review

Korea Business Review

Edited by: Hyoung-Goo Kang Print ISSN: 2951-3596 Online ISSN: 2951-360X © THE KOREAN ACADEMIC SOCIETY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. Frequency: Quarterly (four times per year): February 28, May 31, August 31, and November 30
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Latest Issue Vol. 60, No. 5 2025

Article Info

Translation Patterns of the Film “6/45,” Vietnam’s Highest-Grossing Film— Focusing on Subject Omission and Restoration, and Domestication

Giang Thi Ha Chi Oh, Hyeon-ah

강원대학교 강원대학교

Korea Business Review 60Vol. 5No. pp.41-99 (2025)

DOI: 10.20880/kler.2025.60.5.41

Abstract

This study analyzes the Vietnamese subtitles of the comedy film <6/45>, which was released in Vietnam in 2022 and set the highest box office record for a Korean film in Vietnam. The purpose of this research is to examine the specific aspects of Korean-Vietnamese translation through actual subtitle examples from the theatrical release and to identify the linguistic and cultural transformation strategies employed in the process. This aims to provide practical materials for Korean language education and the cultivation of translation talent within Vietnam. This study focuses on examining how subject omission phenomena are handled during translation and the strategies for transforming cultural and political elements. Subjects frequently omitted in the Korean source text were mostly explicitly restored, considering Vietnamese grammatical and pragmatic characteristics. However, in specific colloquial contexts—such as expressing intimacy between characters or the urgency of dialogue—the original omission structure was retained to enhance naturalness. Furthermore, the translator actively employed ‘domestication’ strategies, replacing unfamiliar Korean cultural elements or sensitive political expressions with contemporary slang, memes, and proverbs familiar to Vietnamese audiences. This study holds significance in that it empirically presents practical transformation strategies in Korean-Vietnamese translation, particularly localization methods reflecting the latest media environment, by analyzing subtitles from an actual box-office hit. The findings can serve as a useful foundational resource not only for the field of translation studies but also for practicing translators and Korean language learners, helping them cultivate the cultural literacy and practical insights essential in the translation process.

Keywords

Korean language education as a foreign languagetranslation educationKorean languageVietnamese languagefilmsubtitle translationtranslation aspectssubject omissionsubject restorationcultural elementsdomestication

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