Say again? Words that have no translation

Mar 13, 2011 7:02:07 AM

Jane Nethercote
Lonely Planet Author

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Travelling overseas and want to show the locals your know-how? You might not be able to say ‘please pass the cheese’ in Danish, but if you can use ‘hygge‘ in a sentence, you’re bound to astound.

Here are some words that are so enmeshed in their native culture that there’s no perfect translation for them outside the original language.

Hygge - a very important Danish word to express a sense of warmth and companionship. Or cosiness. As explained by author Cristian Bonnetto in his article on where to get some ‘hygge‘ in Copenhagen. According to the Danish tourism body it’s as Danish as ‘pork roast and cold beer’. There is interesting overlap with the German gemütlich and the Dutch word gezellig as discussed in this Thorn Tree topic. Whatever version of cosy you favour, it’s all about happy places.

Antojo - a Spanish word that translates as ‘a whim, a sudden craving’. Hence, the word ‘antojitos‘ which is used to describe a style of Mexican dish – somewhat akin to Spanish tapas - that’s at the heart of the nation’s cuisine.

Saudade – Portuguese for a melancholic longing for better times. It can be a longing for something concrete, a person who has left or passed away. But it can also be a ‘vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist‘. Check out this Lonely Planet video tribute.

Schadenfreude – The classic. Can’t be translated neatly into other languages – but eminently understood. Deriving happiness from others’ unhappiness.

Litost – According to NPR, this is an untranslatable emotion that only a Czech person would suffer from, defined by Milan Kundera as ‘a state of torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery’. So a sort of counterpoint to schadenfreude in a way.

Talkoot - In Finnish it’s ‘talkoot‘, in Swedish it’s ‘talko‘. What does it mean? As commenter Haje says on Logolalia’s Untranslatable community project, ‘having talkoot or talko means getting together, voluntarily, to get some not-so-fun-but-needs-to-be-done-work done, either for one single occasion or on a regular basis, e.g. people in a village building a school, members of the snowmobile club breaking a new trail.’ How Scandinavian.

Ta’arof – a Farsi word that is at the heart of Persian culture. According to Lonely Planet’s Iran guidebook, ta’arof describes a system of formalised politeness that can seem very confusing to outsiders, but is a mode of social interaction in which everyone knows their place and their role. In ta’arof, two people will try to show their deference to the other by repeatedly offering food, hospitality or anything at their disposal. For travellers to Iran the most important thing to note is that taxi drivers will often tell you that the ride was free, or offer it to you at a lower price. Not true, this is classic ta’arof; travellers should pay the right amount to avoid annoying the driver. That said, sometimes an offer will be genuine. Knock it back a couple of times and, if it’s still being offered, take advantage of Iranian hospitality.

Wabi sabi – a word of the day at one time on the Thorn Tree forum, community member Treeplanter explains it as an ‘old fashioned Japanese word that is the basis of their aesthetics meaning the subtle beauty of nature, the profound in the ordinary, and the aesthetics of imperfection.’

Vacilando – according to glossary.com, it’s a Spanish term for the act of wandering when the experience of travel is more important than reaching the specific destination. John Steinbeck (in Travels With Charley: In Search of America, 1962) wrote: ‘In Spanish there is a word for which I can’t find a counterword in English. It is the verb vacilar, present participle vacilando. It does not mean vacillating at all. If one is vacilando, he is going somewhere, but does not greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction.’

Got any others to suggest? Let us know. And if you’re a language nerd, you might like to join the conversation on our Speaking in Tongues forum.

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Comments

14 September 2010 12:32PM vasenka Report this comment
I'm currently learning the Thai alphabet with it's "dressed" consonants... Mostly so I can read signs...not really to speak the language
Languages are inseperable from their alphabets... No alphabet translates "exactly" into another...there are always gaps...
All language is really idiom (mutually agreed meaning)... Thus, the untranslatable words above.
20 September 2010 5:28AM mothertongues Report this comment
Love the list! I actually have a t-shirt company (www.MotherTongues.com): I print "untranslatable" words with a poetic translation on Fair Trade, organic cotton t-shirts. I've used Hygge (on the apron), and Talkoot on a Minga (Quechua word with similar meaning) t-shirt that is printing next week.
My new favorite word (and next t-shirt) is Mudita - Sanskrit for being happy for someone else's happiness: thus the opposite of Schadenfreude... I can suggest many others! But since I'm South African, I'll have to mention Ubuntu: a Xhosa/Zulu word for being connected in a community: I am because we are.
Thanks for the article!
21 September 2010 12:59AM funkydelicguy Report this comment
nice information... if possible can you please a proununciation next to the word so that we can speak it properly.
25 September 2010 4:39AM chillerbill Report this comment
There is a Dutch word that translates the German word Schadenfreude very neatly. It's "leedvermaak"
25 September 2010 4:49AM chillerbill Report this comment
Another interesting Spanish word for which in English and Dutch as far as I know is no synonym is the word "amigovia/o" from the words amiga/o = friend and novia/o = boyfriend/girlfriend. Most often described as a friend with benefits. (e.g sex)
16 February 2011 11:56PM intolatinamerica Report this comment
A perfect addition to this list is the Welsh word hiraeth. A kind of longing and homesickness for a homeland and a Wales of the past. With no English translation.
1 April 2011 4:19AM ark3 Report this comment
Asian languages seem to have lots of words that don't translate or even exist in English; emphasis words like 'na' in Thai, and they use qualifiers a lot; words that go with groups of things: Malay for '2 dogs', is 'dua ecor anjing', the ecor is a qualifier used for animals... all part of life's rich pageant
25 July 2011 5:59PM posyales Report this comment
in Mexico, "vacilar" has nothing to do with traveling. In the strict way, it means "to hesitate" but mexicans have adopted it as "to tease". "Te estoy vacilando" ("I'm teasing you")