11 Untranslatable Words by Rebecca Twose
We often hear people use the term ‘lost in translation’ when referring to mishaps or mistakes in translating from language to another. Some languages are simply unable to capture the true essence of a word when it has been translated from another language. These are known as untranslatable words.
Over the past few months, we have been doing some research into untranslatable words and their meanings from around the world. Each week our recruitment team have been sharing these with you as part of our ‘Translation Tuesday‘ series. Here we have a few of our favourite untranslatable words that we would like to share with you:
1. Abbiocco – Italian
We’ve all experienced the feeling of drowsiness after eating too much at one time or another. Often described as a ‘Food Coma’ and summed up into one word in the Italian language, ‘Abbiocco’ refers to the sleepy feeling you get after a big meal.
2. Komorebi – Japanese
The poetic and beautiful Japanese word ‘Komorebi’ describes the sunlight that filters through the trees. A compound of four characters, three kanji and the hiragana particle. The first kanji character means ‘tree’, the second refers to ‘escape’ and the third represents ‘sun’ or ‘light’.
3. Pochemuchka – Russian
Ever met someone who asks a lot of questions? Whether that be at work or through a movie, the Russian language perfectly describes a person who does just that. The untranslatable word ‘Pochemuchka’ refers to someone who asks too many questions.
4. Psithurism – Greek
Many people love to hear the whistling of the wind as it hits the autumn trees. We have found the perfect word to describe this. A word with Ancient Greek origins, ‘Psithurism’ refers to the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.
5. Mångata – Swedish
Literally translated to ‘moon-road’, the Swedish noun ‘Mångata’ poetically describes the picture-perfect glistening road-like reflection of the moon on the water. Similarly in Turkish, they use the word ‘Yakamoz’ to describe any kind of light reflecting onto water.
You can find the rest here.
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Tuncay Bayburt Bayburt
Good Profile
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Great article Caner, cheers!
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Tuncay Bayburt Bayburt
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Tuncay Bayburt Bayburt
Good Profile
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Damla thanks!
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Tuncay Bayburt Bayburt