While short dramas bring entertainment and joy to global audiences, they also facilitate cultural exchange and transmission. As the industry experiences rapid growth, a influx of poorly produced content has inevitably reached overseas markets. Many viewers have complained about confusing subtitles that hinder understanding and dubbing that fails to create immersion. So, how can successful localization avoid these issues?
The translation of culture-specific terms requires special attention. The same image may carry different meanings across cultures. Words like “太极” (taiji) or “龙” (dragon) must be handled with sensitivity to Eastern and Western cultural differences. For example, translating “龙王” as “Dragon King” in the drama Return of the Dragon King(龙王归来) puzzles overseas audiences—why would a hero be associated with a creature often symbolizing evil?
In Chinese culture, “龙” represents fortune and power. A literal translation not only obscures this positive meaning but deepens cultural misunderstanding. Thus, translation teams must deepen their understanding of target cultures and perform thorough post-editing after machine translation.
The treatment of forms of address is another common issue. For instance, if a female lead refers to her lover as “哥哥” (gege), translating it directly as “brother” may confuse international viewers about their relationship.
The term “哥哥” can indicate a blood brother, a romantic partner, or a polite address to an older male. Similarly, terms like “叔叔” (uncle) or “阿姨” (aunt) need careful adaptation. The same word cannot always be translated uniformly; instead, it should be adapted according to context.
Idioms and expressions also pose challenges. For example, “吃醋” (literally “eat vinegar”) actually describes jealousy in a relationship, while a literal translation loses its emotional meaning. Likewise, “拍马屁” (pat the horse’s butt) refers to flattery rather than a physical action.
Relying solely on machine translation for such phrases often leads to absurdity. Professional translators must interpret the underlying meaning before adapting them appropriately.
Moreover, low-cost dubbing often lacks emotional depth. Imagine a scene where the female lead tearfully expresses her struggles—yet the AI-generated voice remains flat and disconnected from the performance.While AI dubbing is efficient and affordable, it fails to convey emotion, using the same tone for all lines.
Besides emotional absence, poor dubbing often mismatches characters' voices and personalities. A dominant, dignified character may sound youthful or weak, breaking immersion and reducing credibility. Although this might briefly amuse, it significantly undermines the viewing experience.
In conclusion, successful localization goes beyond word-for-word translation—it involves cultural adaptation and recreation. To avoid awkward translations and dubbing, producers must move beyond literal interpretations, show respect for cultural differences, and provide meaningful adaptations or notes for terms like “龙,” “哥哥” or “吃醋”.
Meanwhile, investing in professional dubbing ensures emotional authenticity and voice-character alignment. Only by prioritizing detail, technical precision, and cultural resonance can Chinese short dramas truly connect with global audiences.
Artlangs Translation provides professional localization services for short dramas Globalization. We focus on accurate and culturally adapted translation of culture-loaded words, appropriate handling of relationships and forms of address, and natural rendering of idioms and expressions.
In addition, we emphasize high-quality dubbing that matches characters' emotions and profiles, along with technical synchronization between audio and subtitles. Our goal is to help your content resonate authentically with international audiences.
