Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
'Can This Love Be Translated?' explores romance beyond language barriers
Kim Seon-ho, right, and Go Youn-jung in a scene from "Can This Love Be Translated?” / Courtesy of Netflix
By Baek Byung-yeul
"Can This Love Be Translated?," a new Netflix Korean original series, takes the classic rom-com and gives it a global spin. Instead of just focusing on language barriers, the show asks if it is really possible to fully understand another person — especially when it comes to love.
The 12-part series tells the story of Joo Ho-jin (Kim Seon-ho), an interpreter who is fluent in several languages but clumsy when it comes to the language of romance, and Cha Mu-hee (Go Youn-jung), an actor who is adored by many but struggles with her love life.
"It is a romantic comedy where characters gradually come to interpret each other's languages of love through their own perspectives," director Yoo Young-eun, known for the 2022 drama “Bloody Heart,” said during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday.
The drama is penned by the celebrated screenwriting duo Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran, better known as the Hong Sisters, who have written many hits including "Sassy Girl Chun-hyang" (2005), "Couple or Trouble" (2006), “Hotel Del Luna” (2019) and “Alchemy of Souls” (2022).
Kim Seon-ho, left, and Go Youn-jung in a scene from "Can This Love Be Translated?” / Courtesy of Netflix
The series is highly anticipated, in part because of its global scale, with filming taking place in Korea, Japan, Canada and Italy.
"It was very appealing to me that the Hong Sisters are returning to a pure romantic comedy after doing fantasy for a long time," Yoo said.
"I found the emotional confusion that happens during interpretation very interesting. I did my best to fully capture the chemistry between the two characters as they cross the line between romantic comedy and melodrama."
Kim, who plays the interpreter, described his character as a man of contradictions.
"He delivers unfamiliar languages more fluently than anyone else, yet he is incredibly awkward at expressing his own emotions," he said. "In the show, my character speaks Japanese, English, Italian and Korean."
To portray a professional interpreter, Kim spent four months studying the nuances of the languages.
"I had to memorize the lines exactly as they were written and then add emotion to them. I practiced repeatedly and spent my spare time studying grammar," he explained. "However, since my language skills have limits, I want to say that I only learned what was in the script."
Go Youn-jung, right, and Kim Seon-ho pose during a press conference for the Netflix series "Can This Love Be Translated?” at the Josun Palace Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Go portrays the unpredictable global star Cha, a woman living in the spotlight but never feeling fully at home in it.
"She is a character who meets Joo Ho-jin, the interpreter for her own language and adapts to a new environment while finding a new love," Go said. "She navigates the misunderstandings that occur even within love."
Go focused her performance on the dual nature of Mu-hee’s life.
"Because she became a top star so suddenly, she feels joy but also a lingering anxiety that this festival might end at any moment," she explained. "I tried to express various emotions, including the excitement, anxiety, and doubt that come with meeting someone new."
Yoo praised the chemistry between the two lead actors, recalling a shoot in Japan just a week after filming began.
"Filming abroad so early can be a burden, but seeing their synergy in Japan made me feel relieved. Their compatibility was truly the best," the director said.
"Can This Love Be Translated?” will be released on Friday.