In the life of a translator there are many things that could make our life difficult: WiFi is down, client changes the deadline half-way through a job, having to chase an invoice against a big solicitor’s firm… Well, these are all mundane day-to-day difficulties that are overcome with persistence and determination.
What is much more difficult, however, is coming across certain words in different languages that describe a whole cultural phenomenon, a set of feelings or emotions if you will – these are simply impossible to be translated in one neat word into the target language. The poor translator has to resort to describing that word in a whole sentence or, in some cases, put an asterisk next to it and explain at length in small print at the bottom of the page.
There is certain beauty in it all, isn’t there? Just the very fact that such words had been created and needed in a given culture can tell you a lot about its people. Sometimes you can guess the climate of a country, the temperament or general attitude towards life just by these exceptional untranslatables. I have worked hard to become multilingual, so now I take huge pleasure in immersing myself in the whole world of expressions and cultural nuances when speaking a different language and the liberty some of those ‘untranslatable’ words give me to relay a whole set of feelings I wouldn’t have been able to express otherwise.
Let’s have a little trip around the world and find some of these incredibly interesting words, shall we?
A good beginning would be the word SONDER, coined by John Koening and it could probably fill up a separate post. In his Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows he defines sonder as the realization that each random passer-by is living a life as vivid and complex as your own – populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness. This word is only a few years old and yet it describes something we all know but never really think about: we are all the main heroes starring in the ‘movie’ about us in our heads, but every single other human being on the planet is the protagonist in THEIR internal feature. It puts things into perspective when you are getting angry at a person cutting in front of you on the road, a rude service assistant – we all have our reasons to behave the way we do and we don’t know what plot twist happened in the ‘movie’ of that other person that led them to behave the way they do.
Let’s stay in Europe and focus on Scandinavia now. Countries like Sweden, Denmark and Norway routinely top the lists of the ‘happiest’, ‘calmest’, ‘most balanced’ nations in the world so they are bound to have their own untranslatable words which may give us a glimpse into their secret. The Danish word HYGGE is all the rage right now, that warm and cosy feeling of peace and conviviality derived from simply being well and content. It can be helped or increased by certain home décor, candles or a family evening by the fireplace, to give just one example. Not too far from that sensation is the Norwegian UTEPILS – having a nice cold beer outside on a sunny day. The Swedish chip in to maintain this vibe with their LAGOM – ‘just the right amount’ or ‘in balance’. It could probably be interpreted as ‘less is more’, meaning the is more value and purity in, for instance, having fewer possessions, eating in moderation, knowing when enough is enough. This word is quickly gaining traction around the world now and I am not surprised – the benefits of lagom seem obvious. Last but not least, we have the Icelandic GLUGGAVEDUR – “window weather”. It turns out most of us have probably experienced this sensation without even knowing – you are all warm and relaxed at home, watching a blizzard or heavy wind and rain outside. Makes you feel so good knowing you don’t have to go out there, right? That’s gluggavedur.
Moving on down the map to Germany now and another relatively famous word – SCHADENFREUDE. As you probably know, this is the joy or pleasure derivd from someone else’s misfortune. Yes, it is not a good feeling to have and we have all probably experienced it more than once in our lives, but why there is a need for the existence of such word is anyone’s guess. Please let me know in the comments if you know the origins of that phrase. The Germans have another interesting one – BESCHAULICH – to be meditative, contemplative, in a calm atmosphere. I guess we could almost call it a remote cousin of hygge.
Not too far away, in the Netherlands, they praise the benefits of NIKSEN – literally ‘doing nothing’. I have actually experimented with it for a while now, spending short periods of time in the middle of the day just looking out the window, or lying on my back and admiring my ceiling. I have to agree with the Dutch – IT IS quite relaxing and refreshing. Just remember that it’s not meditation or mindfulness where you have to concentrate to be in the present moment. In niksen you just do something without purpose and let your thoughts run wild. Try it out one day to see if you like it! Your work day might just need that relaxing little break. Another prime example of a vague and untranslatable notion is GEZELLIGHEIT. The word gezellig could be translated as “easy to relax to” or “cosy”, but you could apply it also to a building, a person, a party, a trip and the meaning changes accordingly, i.e. pleasant to be around, togetherness, relaxed, inviting. These are all positive traits though so we can definitely use some gezelligheit in our lives.
Now let’s make a big jump all the way to East Asia. Japan has always fascinated me and, as you can guess, their country has a very traditional and specific culture with multiple words that are simply untranslatable into our Western culture. I have selected just a few of them here. A good starting point is WABI-SABI. I found a satisfying definition on Wikipedia where it says that “wabi-sabi refers to a mindful approach to everyday life. It is a world view centred on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. Things in bud, or things in decay, as it were, are more evocative of wabi-sabi than things in full bloom because they suggest the transience of things”. Think about an old vase with some cracks on the surface, a caterpillar before it becomes a butterfly or a handsome man with a scar on his face – they all have an element of wabi-sabi in them. One of the sub-components of this whole aesthetic is YUGEN – “a profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe… and the sad beauty of human suffering” or “an awareness of the Universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and powerful for words”. We have all probably experienced Yugen: maybe sometime early in the morning looking at a sunrise in total silence and being at a loss for words. This is where one word to describe this whole mixture of emotions comes to rescue… Thank you, Japan. We can’t neglect to mention IKIGAI here – “the reason for being”, in other words to having a meaningful direction or reason in your life and, consciously or unconsciously, following that path with your actions. If only it was easy to figure it out… To contrast it, there is another beautiful word which is somewhat contradictory to ikigai in its meaning. As well all know, the notion of mindfulness is taking over the world these days, but the Japanese have actually had their own equivalent (or at least a similar notion) for much longer – KOTSU-KOTSU. In literal terms it means ‘step-by-step’ which is to be interpreted as concentrating on the present moment or activity and not your ultimate ikigai, the life’s purpose. So: NO multitasking, NO worrying for the future or being distracted with trivialities. Just be here, right now. Lovely, isn’t it?
Let’s wind things down with some examples from ancient languages, so rich and emotive in ideology behind them. My newly obtained yoga teacher certificate has put me on the path of discovery of many of these incredible Sanskrit terms and whole ways of seeing the world, so just indulge me here for a moment. The Tibetan notion of SHENPA has actually caused me a lot of trouble when trying to define it here. I guess it could be described as a ‘hook’, a negative thought pattern that is triggered by something. Someone makes a negative comment about the clothes you are wearing, failed to notice your new haircut or you witness passive-aggressive behaviour? Your mind goes into a spin and you work yourself up into a frenzy inside, snowballing into negativity. Meditation teaches you how to detach yourself from these behaviours and negative spiral – shenpa. I still have a feeling I am not doing a great job explaining shenpa, am I? This short article can fill in the blanks. Next on our list is the word SAMVEGA. Again, I will use someone else’s definition here: “the oppressive sense of shock, dismay, and alienation that come with realising the futility and meaninglessness of life as it’s normally lived”. Having realised the presence of this feeling, it leads one to urgency to seek liberation, detachment from this type of life. As you can see, this is quite an elaborate concept, far too deep for the level of this translation-oriented post, so if you are interested to find out more, I suggest you do your research – it will be worth it. When you do, it will definitely be helpful to have the attitude of SHOSHIN – “beginner’s mind, having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner would”. Essentially, approach all learning with a child’s curiosity and openness.
This is it for our linguistic journey today through the thick depths of untranslability. Hopefully it has instilled in you the curiosity to investigate some of these worlds or maybe to find out more about one of the cultures above? Obviously, I have only mentioned a few out of hundreds of words that could fit into this category (hello saudade, sobremesa, botellón, etc). Can you think of any in your language that could make this list? Let me know!