{"id":2480,"date":"2020-10-23T11:29:17","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T11:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=2480"},"modified":"2021-08-06T13:24:10","modified_gmt":"2021-08-06T13:24:10","slug":"what-makes-words-untranslatable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Untranslatable Words You’ll Wish We Had in English"},"content":{"rendered":"

What makes a word impossible to translate? Is it simply that the word doesn't exist in English or is the meaning so subtle that the definition lies somewhere amongst a group of similar English words?<\/em><\/p>\n

When does the meaning of a word become lost in translation? The differing structures and cultural origins of the various languages of the world can often create some real confusion. Some words seem to be impossible to communicate. It's a strange, even romantic, thought that a word could not be translated. This implies that there may be some concepts only accessible to speakers of one particular language.<\/p>\n

Yet, despite cultural and linguistic differences, it is interesting that there exists at least a rough equivalent in other languages for most words. Some words \u2013 when translated into English \u2013 become a series of hyphenated words or complex sentences.<\/p>\n

Agglutinative languages often feature complex words that are comprised of a long line of morphemes. Inuit languages, Turkish, Japanese, Malay, and others feature a substantial number of these complex words. Here is a list of 20 so-called untranslatable words.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"

People photo created by karlyukav - www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Explore our tailored languages courses with qualified native teachers in your city or online.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. \u00c7ekoslovakyal\u0131la\u015ft\u0131ramad\u0131klar\u0131m\u0131zdanm\u0131\u015f\u00e7as\u0131na<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is a Turkish<\/a> word that is really more of an expression. Its meaning? Something along the lines of \u201cyou are one of those whom we could make resemble the Czechoslovakian people.\u201d Several words have confusing literal translations that won't help much in trying to understand their meanings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Ya\u2019aburnee<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ya\u2019aburnee<\/em> is an Arabic<\/a> word which, when literally translated, is likely to leave you confused. The literal meaning is \u201cyou bury me\u201d but it is meant to convey the feeling of wanting to die before another person because the alternative, continuing to live after the death of that person, is too painful to bear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. Torschlusspanik<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is another\u00a0word that results in a potentially confusing literal translation. This German<\/a> word translates as \u201cgate-closing panic\u201d but is meant to express the decrease in opportunities that comes with getting older. Many so-called untranslatable words are very particular feelings that come from incredibly\u00a0specific situations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. Saudades<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

An extremely common word in Portuguese<\/a> conversation,\u00a0saudades<\/em> refers to a profoundly nostalgic or melancholic longing for something or someone beloved that may never return.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. Akimbo<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

This means to have your hands on your hips with your elbows bent outwards or generally be in a bent position. In the 14th and 15th centuries, this odd word was kenebowe<\/em> in Middle English.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6. Arl\u00e9sienne<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Arl\u00e9sienne,<\/em>\u00a0a French<\/a> word,\u00a0refers to people who are the root causes of a problem or around whom a situation or conversation occurs, yet who are not actually present and remain unseen and unheard.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

7. Gigil<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

In Tagalog, gigil<\/em> means the urge to squeeze or pinch something that is unbearably cute.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

8. Schadenfreude<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Schadenfreude<\/em> means to take pleasure from another person\u2019s misery. It's a German word.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

9. Won<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Won<\/em> is Korean<\/a> and roughly means to be reluctant to see things as they are instead giving preference to illusions and falsities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

10. Mamihlapinatapei<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mamihlapinatapei<\/em> is word from Yag\u00e1n, a language from Tierra del Fuego in South America. It occurs an awful lot in films and television and is a 'meaningful look shared between two people who wish to initiate something romantic but are reluctant to start'.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

11. Iktsuarpok<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Iktsuarpok<\/em> is Inuit and refers to a specific type of frustration most of us feel on a regular basis \u2013 the frustration of waiting for someone to turn up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

12. Prozvonit<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prozvonit<\/em> is a relatively new word. It is Czech<\/a> and means to call a mobile phone and deliberately let it only ring once in the hope that no one will pick up and call back, thus saving the first caller money.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

13 Bakku-shan<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is a rather charming Japanese<\/a> word. It is a girl who looks pretty from behind but not so much from the front.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

14. G\u00f6kotta<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

This word is Swedish<\/a> and means \"to deliberately wake up early in the morning so you can listen to the first birds sing.\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

15. Komorebi<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Komorebi<\/em> refers to the scattering of light in woods where the sunlight shines through the gaps between the branches and vines. It is Japanese.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

16. Fernweh<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fernweh<\/em> is German and roughly translates as being homesick \u2013 that is, for a place you are yet to visit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

17. Cafun\u00e9<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cafun\u00e9<\/em> is used in Brazil to express the act of the running of fingers through someone\u2019s hair.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

18. Nekama<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

This Japanese word refers to a man who pretends to be a woman on the internet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

19. Jayus<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jayus<\/em> is Indonesian<\/a> and means a joke that is so terribly unfunny that it is funny.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

20. Tartle<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

This word is Scottish<\/a> and refers to that moment of hesitation that occurs when you are introducing someone and you can\u2019t quite remember their name.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, Why Are They So Difficult?<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Languages constantly evolve and bring us new delights, but there are always patchy areas when it comes to translating. The German linguist Jost Trier introduced the idea of lexical fields, where words acquired their meaning through their relationships to neighbouring words with similar meanings. If we think of words as being branches on a tree or parts of a mosaic, we can see how \"satisfied\" might sit next to \"content\", \"content\" might be a neighbour to \"happy\" and \"happy\" end up somewhere near \"elated.\" Each of these words has a variety of connotations that can mutate over time with use in everyday conversation. The constantly shifting definitions of words provide many opportunities for them to become \u201cuntranslatable.\"\u00a0Want to learn a new language and open yourself up to a whole new world of untranslatable words, emotions, and ideas? Contact us<\/a> to find out where to start.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Explore our tailored languages courses with qualified native teachers in your city or online.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What makes a word impossible to translate? Is it simply that the word doesn’t exist in English or is the meaning so subtle that the definition lies somewhere amongst a group of similar English words?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":2486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[39,40,164],"class_list":["post-2480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humour-offbeat","tag-french","tag-german","tag-translation"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Makes a Word Untranslatable?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is it simply that the word doesn't exist in English or is the meaning so subtle that the definition lies somewhere amongst a group of similar English words?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Makes a Word Untranslatable?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is it simply that the word doesn't exist in English or is the meaning so subtle that the definition lies somewhere amongst a group of similar English words?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Listen & Learn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-23T11:29:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-06T13:24:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Schadenfreude1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"266\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"264\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anna Hill\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Anna Hill\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/\",\"name\":\"What Makes a Word Untranslatable?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Schadenfreude1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-23T11:29:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-06T13:24:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9e71b8c7b579f751330243a05700b5f3\"},\"description\":\"Is it simply that the word doesn't exist in English or is the meaning so subtle that the definition lies somewhere amongst a group of similar English words?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Schadenfreude1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Schadenfreude1.png\",\"width\":266,\"height\":264,\"caption\":\"Duncan Hull\/Flickr\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"20 Untranslatable Words You’ll Wish We Had in English\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Listen & Learn\",\"description\":\"Language Courses and Language Services UK\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9e71b8c7b579f751330243a05700b5f3\",\"name\":\"Anna Hill\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f7ad639349e17831bdc970ad5a48d27c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f7ad639349e17831bdc970ad5a48d27c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Anna Hill\"},\"description\":\"Anna Hill is a freelance journalist based in the UK. She enjoys writing about language and travel.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/author\/anna-hill\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Makes a Word Untranslatable?","description":"Is it simply that the word doesn't exist in English or is the meaning so subtle that the definition lies somewhere amongst a group of similar English words?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Makes a Word Untranslatable?","og_description":"Is it simply that the word doesn't exist in English or is the meaning so subtle that the definition lies somewhere amongst a group of similar English words?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/","og_site_name":"Listen & Learn","article_published_time":"2020-10-23T11:29:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-08-06T13:24:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":266,"height":264,"url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Schadenfreude1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Anna Hill","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Anna Hill","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/","name":"What Makes a Word Untranslatable?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Schadenfreude1.png","datePublished":"2020-10-23T11:29:17+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-06T13:24:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9e71b8c7b579f751330243a05700b5f3"},"description":"Is it simply that the word doesn't exist in English or is the meaning so subtle that the definition lies somewhere amongst a group of similar English words?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Schadenfreude1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Schadenfreude1.png","width":266,"height":264,"caption":"Duncan Hull\/Flickr"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-makes-words-untranslatable\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"20 Untranslatable Words You’ll Wish We Had in English"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/","name":"Listen & Learn","description":"Language Courses and Language Services UK","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9e71b8c7b579f751330243a05700b5f3","name":"Anna Hill","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f7ad639349e17831bdc970ad5a48d27c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f7ad639349e17831bdc970ad5a48d27c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Anna Hill"},"description":"Anna Hill is a freelance journalist based in the UK. She enjoys writing about language and travel.","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/author\/anna-hill\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2480"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5689,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480\/revisions\/5689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}