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| yna@yna.co.kr 2022-07-13 10:10:53
SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- ENA Wednesday-Thursday drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" (referred to as "Attorney Woo") is not only a sensation in Korea, but is also attracting global attention.
According to the online content service ranking site "FlixPatrol" on Tuesday, "Attorney Woo" has been remaining in top 10 after ranking eighth in the Netflix TV program category on July 9.
“Attorney Woo,” which has been translated into a total of 10 languages and is released simultaneously on Netflix, is particularly well received in Asian countries. Eight overseas countries where "Attorney Woo" has reached the top more than once are Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.From Wednesday, a total of 31 languages will be additionally supported in European and South American countries, raising expectations for global success.
Although the drama did not make it to the top 10 in the U.S. and major European countries, it received a high score of 9 on the U.S. criticism site IMDb.
Overseas viewers are showing reactions saying, "The best Korean drama I have ever seen," "Park Eun-bin delicately acted autism and the difficulties that follow," and "realistic lines are touching and relatable."
The reason such global popularity continues beyond Korea is that the warmth flowing throughout the work has been delivered to the overseas viewers. Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) is a lawyer with autism spectrum disorder. However, rather than hiding it, she always reveals her disability with pride and helps others in her own ingenious way.
While she looks like a pure child obsessed with whales, she shows off her unexpected charm memorizing all criminal laws and civil law provisions.
As such, drama “Attorney Woo” captured main character's disability with warmth.
It also pinpoints prejudice and social discrimination against disabilities without making it uncomfortable.
Regarding the factors of “Attorney Woo”'s overseas popularity, Ha Jae-geun, a pop culture critic, said, "The warm and humane atmosphere in the drama comforts anyone," adding, "The reaction so far is just the beginning, and there will be a bigger reaction in the future."
Analysts say that sensible translations for foreigners also helped "Attorney Woo" to be receive favorable reviews.
Translating the title of the drama into English, words like "weird" or "strange" were not used. Instead, it used the word "extraordinary," which means exceptional, beyond simply meaning rare.
Korean lines that played with words were also appropriately translated.
When introducing herself, Woo Young-woo recites words that sound the same even when read backwards like her name. While the original lines are Tomato, Swiss, In-do-in(India), byul-ddong-byul(shooting star) and etc, English translation instead use words that have same alphabets when read backwards like “noon,” “racecar,” and “kayak” for translation.
A drama critic, Gong Hee-jung said, “Woo Young-woo’s introduction line was well translated in a unique way, preserving drama’s fun while allowing viewers to enjoy the drama more.”
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)
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