What's a Language Barrier? These shows don't know
These shows are polygottal... and clearly so is everyone in it fluent in at least 2 languages. I mean they understand everything thing the other is saying perfectly as if they have perfect subtitles themselves... perhaps can even speak the other language... but still choose to speak their own.
Although I may poke fun at the shows that do this a lot... I love hearing different languages, and so this is actually like a favorite list of it's own for me.
(Alphabetical Order)
Related Lists
Travel Plans Set and Ready
Multi-Lingual Characters
-
1. Because of You
Taiwanese Drama - 2020, 10 episodes
Languages: Mandarin, Korean
Yuan Jun Cheng's mother is from Korea... and I believe the character was raised there too? Anyway whether because he feels more comfortable or to spite his father, he speaks only in Korean (I mean his actor is Korean so that probably helps >.<). He speaks to his family in Korean as well as others, including Lin Xun who, for his part, although he understands and can speak Korean, only speaks Mandarin anyway (although he did speak some in the beginning before finding out Jun Cheng understands Mandarin perfectly.
-
2. Dramaworld
Korean Drama - 2016, 10 episodes
Languages: English, Korean
Ok... I give this one a pass. She has no idea what their saying aside from the basics we all picked up after watching for a while. She just has semi-real life subtitles to help her. Don't remember what they hear though >.<
-
3. Space Sweepers
Korean Movie - 2021
Languages: *deep breath* Korean, English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Nigerian Pidgin, German, Danish, Tagalog, Russian, and possibly more...
It isn't so much as these characters are multi-lingual (though some do know words in another language), but that society has advanced enough that everyone can have a in ear live translator. This opens up the possibility for this movie to have a dizzying array of languages, and boy do they take advantage of it it's beautiful. The show quickly, but thoroughly enough introduce you to this bit of tech just long enough for you to understand but not take away from the movie. It's done so well I love this use of future tech I can't gush enough about hearing THAT many beautiful languages in a movie. <3
-
4. Swing Kids
Korean Movie - 2018
Languages: Korean, English, Chinese
Placed in a POW camp with people who speak these 3 languages, two of our characters find even with the Chinese/Korean language barrier, they seem to actually understand each other?
-
5. ZEDD
Japanese Movie - 2014
Languages: Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, English
Basically the members of CROSSGENE each speak their native tongue. So we have everyone perfectly understanding; Korean, Chinese, Japanese, as well as English added by a little girl later.
-
6. Star With a Secret
Korean Drama - 2020, 5 episodes
Languages: Korean, Vietnamese(?)
This show tries to get away with futuristically wonderful ear translators that ONLY our reporter has.
-
7. Mr. Queen
Korean Drama - 2020, 20 episodes
HONORARY MENTION
... Modern Korean and past Korean might as well be different languages with how many new words have been added or other words have been changed. You might even need to make a dictionary with how much the Queen's vocabulary changed after Bong Hwan took over her body.