Can This Love Be Translated?

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Can This Love Be Translated? is a 12-episode Netflix romantic comedy written by Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran and directed by Yoo Young-eun. It follows Joo Ho-jin, an interpreter who works across multiple languages, as he takes on the job of interpreting for Cha Mu-hee, an actress who has become a global star overnight, and travels with her through Korea, Japan, Canada and Italy.

Netflix released all 12 episodes at once on January 16, 2026, making it the first Korean series Netflix put out that year. It was filmed in four countries: Korea, Japan, Canada and Italy. The Netflix Korea page rates it 15+. The writers said that because they were exploring love and communication through the profession of an interpreter, they ended up choosing a title that contains those two key words. The soundtrack includes "Love Language" by MeloMance's Kim Min-seok and "Daydream" by Wendy, among other songs.

The screenplay is by the Hong Sisters (Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran), who wrote The Greatest Love, Master's Sun, Hotel del Luna and Alchemy of Souls, among others, and this is their first Netflix series. The writers explained that they began the story because they were drawn to the intense dependence of a situation in which, unable to communicate without an interpreter, you have to trust and follow just one person. It was directed by Yoo Young-eun of Bloody Heart. Yoo said she was drawn to the idea of a pure romantic comedy from the Hong Sisters, who had been working in fantasy. She said the shoot followed the order of the characters' emotions, and that the scenes in Japan, where the two first meet, were filmed just a week after shooting began.

Kim Seon-ho plays Joo Ho-jin, a multilingual interpreter who speaks English, Japanese, Italian and more, and Go Youn-jung plays Cha Mu-hee, an actress who goes from unknown to global star in an instant. It is the second collaboration between the Hong Sisters and Go Youn-jung, after Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow. Sota Fukushi plays Hiro Kurosawa, a top Japanese actor known as the "Romance Prince," in his first Korean drama series. Lee E-dam plays Shin Ji-sun, producer of the dating reality show Romantic Trip, and Choi Woo-sung plays Kim Yong-u, Mu-hee's manager. In episode 1, Mu-hee and Ho-jin first cross paths in Japan, where each has come carrying a story of their own, and Mu-hee asks Ho-jin, whom she has met by chance, to interpret her love for her as well. Later, while shooting a zombie film in which she has her first lead role, Mu-hee loses consciousness for a time after an accident, and when she wakes up, she finds that her character Do Ra-mi has become hugely popular in the meantime and made her a global star. Episode 2 shows how Mu-hee's life has changed with her sudden fame.

At the launch press conference, Yoo explained that Ho-jin's language is tidy and sharp, like a straight line, while Mu-hee's takes rambling, roundabout curves, and that the series is about the miscommunication that arises between the two. Kim Seon-ho said he spent about four months studying and memorizing the lines in the script so he could speak Japanese, English and Italian in the series. Go Youn-jung explained that Mu-hee is thrilled to have suddenly become a top star yet anxious that the celebration could end at any moment. In Netflix's Top 10, the series debuted at No. 2 in the non-English TV category in its first week, rose to No. 1 with 9 million views (hours viewed divided by the total runtime) for January 19–25, and held the top spot for January 26–February 1 with 4.3 million views. Yoo was nominated for Best Director in the Broadcasting category at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards in 2026 for the series.

See alsoAlchemy of Souls 2022Hotel Del Luna 2019Bloody Heart 2022

Drama Lineup editors · Fact-checked against: press.moviewalker.jp, netflix.com, about.netflix.com, xportsnews.com, tenasia.co.kr, sports.khan.co.kr, v.daum.net, starnewskorea.com · 2026-10-18