Untranslatable Words

I had an inexplicable urge to look up untranslatable words tonight. It's something we were talking about a loooong time ago and I always meant to look it up and never did. so I Googled it and found a couple of lists and a blog called betterthanenglish.com These are words that cannot be translated accurately in one word in English. Many of them are words that identify with, although some are just words I found funny. I'll leave you to guess which is which. Anyhow, I wanted to share so enjoy!

I was inspired to include this in a blog post after reading this word:

Dépayser, French - The feeling of not being in one’s home country. Disorientation due to experience of unfamiliar surroundings. A sense in which one is “a fish out of water”.

As it turns out the French are pretty good at expressing things.

Dérive, French - An aimless walk through the city streets.

L’esprit d’escalier, French - The feeling you get after leaving a conversation, when you think of all the things you should have said. Literally translate to “the spirit of the staircase”.

Rire dans sa barbe, French - Literally, “to laugh in your beard”. To laugh to oneself quietly while thinking about something that happened in the past. (The question is, do they have a word for the weird look people give you after you do this?)

Tartle, Scottish – The act of hestitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name. (Ahem, I may or may not have experienced this recently...)

Scunner, Scottish - Expresses annoyance or disappointment. e.g. “My motorcycle has a flat back tyre, what a scunner.” “What a scunnersome wee boy that is, always misbehaving.” (Don't you want to experience annoyance or disappointment now just so you can use this word?)

Wabi-Sabi, Japanese – Much has been written on this Japanese concept, but in a sentence, one might be able to understand it as “a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.”

Tingo, Pascuense (Easter Island) – Hopefully this isn’t a word you’d need often: “the act of taking objects one desires from the house of a friend by gradually borrowing all of them.”

Parea, Greek - Used to describe a group of friends that gather together purely for the enjoyment of each other’s company. The time between visits does not matter, the spirit between them is the same. (You know who you are.)

Pena Ajena, Spanish - Shame experienced on behalf of another person, even though that person may not experience shame. (Cross-cultural interactions made this an easily recognizable concept for me.)

Latah, Indonesian - Uncontrollable habit of saying embarrassing things. (I'm sure I often cause other people to experience Pena Ajena.)

Attaccabottoni, Italian - A boring person who corners people and tells long, sad tales.

Kreng Jai, Thai - Literally “deferential heart”. The desire not to see a friend go to any special trouble on your behalf. (The word that sparked my interest in untranslatable words.)

Moit, scottish - Pretended indifference/shyness while speaking about a thing one is very keen for.

Ladramhaiola, Irish - An Irish language term roughly translated as “wasted day”.

Gattara, Italian - A woman, often old and lonely, who devotes herself to stray cats.

Dostoprimechatelnost, Russian - A place you can take notice of a hundred times. It is generally translated as a “point of interest”, but it means much more.

Jibaku, Japanese - The act of unintentionally or inadvertently demolishing your own argument in the process of defending your view.

Nubie Yom, swahili - Literally translated as “finger farm”. The home, business, or especially the farm of a person who never finishes projects but rather points out (hence, finger) where he or she intends to start new projects and where things will go in the future.

Gökotta, Swedish - To wake up early in the morning with the purpose of going outside to hear the first birds sing.

Betsubara, Japanese - Loosely translates to “extra stomach”. It is generally used to describe a female who always has room for dessert.

And of course it wouldn't be my blog without some German.

Torschlusspanik, German – Translated literally, this word means “gate-closing panic,” but its contextual meaning refers to “the fear of diminishing opportunities as one ages.” (Yay! A word I can use after I'm too old for a quarter-life crisis!)

Waldeinsamkeit, German - The feeling of being alone in the woods.

Backpfeifengesicht, German - “A face badly in need of a fist.” We’ve all met or seen that person whose face is just begging to be introduced to fist. The Germans were just smart enough to make a word to describe them.

Stammtisch, German - A social gathering of friends, specifically at a bar, to talk about life. (I very much want a stammtisch with you all with I get back.)

Fernweh, German - A strong longing to be away, to go somewhere. (My chronic problem in a nutshell. Thanks Germans.)