{"id":8938,"date":"2011-07-15T08:12:58","date_gmt":"2011-07-15T08:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/?p=8938"},"modified":"2011-07-14T00:14:46","modified_gmt":"2011-07-14T00:14:46","slug":"10-untranslatable-foreign-language-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thisblogrules.com\/10-untranslatable-foreign-language-words\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Untranslatable Foreign Language Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you thought that English could express, explain and verbalize it all \u2013 well, guess what? It can not. While English being as comprehensive and vast as we know it to be, there are words from other foreign languages which can’t\u00a0directly\u00a0be replaced or translated into English. Here\u2019s a list 10 fascinating words that cannot be (and believe us, people have tried!) directly translated into English.<\/p>\n

Each of these words is unique in its own language and the fact that it\u2019s so, makes it incredibly fascinating; given how very delicate and fragile each and every language is to the culture it pertains to!<\/p>\n

Here we go!<\/p>\n

Toska – Russian<\/strong><\/p>\n

This word can be described best in the words of Vladimir Nabokov: \u2018No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases, it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Litost \u2013 Czech<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the famous Milind Kundera, the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, \u2018As for the meaning of this word, I have looked in vain in other languages for an equivalent, though I find it difficult to imagine how anyone can understand the human soul without it.\u2019<\/p>\n

The closest definition of Litost is a state of agony and torment created by the sudden sight of one\u2019s own misery! Deeply provoking?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Prozvonit \u2013 Czech<\/strong><\/p>\n

This word means or refers to the act of calling someone on a mobile phone and letting it ring only once so that the person who has been called, calls back, thus saving the money of the original caller.<\/p>\n

In Spanish, the word for this is \u2018Dar Un Toque\u2019 or, \u2018To give a touch\u2019. Surprisingly, this word can be translated into languages other than English.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Torschlusspanik \u2013 German<\/strong><\/p>\n

Literally translated, this word means \u2018gate closing panic\u2019, but contextually the meaning refers to \u2018the fear of diminishing opportunities as one ages.\u2019<\/p>\n

This can somewhat explain why so many older\/elderly people wish to \u2018recapture their youth\u2019 in an attempt to reestablish their passed opportunities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wabi Sabi \u2013 Japanese<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lot has been written about this profound Japanese concept: but if one tries to understand it in a sentence, this is probably how it would go. \u2018A way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

L\u2019appel du vide \u2013 French<\/strong><\/p>\n

The literal translation of this French expression is \u2018The Call of the Void.\u2019<\/p>\n

Colloquially it can be used to express the instinctive urge to jump from high places!<\/p>\n

Strangely morbid?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ya\u2019aburnee \u2013 Arabic<\/strong><\/p>\n

This incantatory word, both exquisitely beautiful and morbid at once, means, \u2018You bury me\u2019, a somewhat declaration of one\u2019s hope that they will die before another person, mostly because of how difficult it would be to be alive without them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Duende \u2013 Spanish<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though originally this word was used to describe \u2018a mythical, sprite like entity that possesses humans and created the feeling of awe of one\u2019s surrounding in nature\u2019 \u2013 however its meaning has transitioned into describing, \u2018the mysterious power that a work of art has over a person to have him deeply moved by it.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Saudade \u2013 Portuguese<\/strong><\/p>\n

A precious, deeply beautiful but haunting word whether it is translatable or not \u2013 this word refers \u2018to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.\u2019<\/p>\n

Fado music, a type of mournful singing relates to Saudade.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mamihlapinatapai \u2013 Yagan (indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego) an archipelago off the coast of South America.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The word can be described as \u2018The wordless, yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to start.\u2019
\nThe state of many a could-have-been couples, right?<\/p>\n

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

If you thought that English could express, explain and verbalize it all \u2013 well, guess what? It can not. While English being as comprehensive and vast as we know it to be, there are words from other foreign languages which can’t\u00a0directly\u00a0be replaced or translated into English. Here\u2019s a list 10 fascinating words that cannot be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[10,211],"tags":[2208,2242,2236,2245,2244,2231,2232,2228,2241,2238,2229,2235,2237,2234,2239,2233,2243,2227,2073,2226,2246,2240,2230],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","yoast_head":"\n10 Untranslatable Foreign Language Words 2023 | This Blog Rules<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you thought that English could express, explain and verbalize it all \u2013 well, guess what? It can not. 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