30 Untranslatable Words From Other Languages Illustrated By Anjana Iyer
When something is “lost in translation,” it could have been due to a simple mistake or because one language was not quite able to capture the essence of a word’s meaning in another language. This conflict is the idea behind New Zealand-based designer Anjana Iyer’s “Found in Translation” series of images, which try to explain the meaning behind the beautiful words in other languages that have no direct equivalent in English. There’s no word for the German schadenfreude or the Inuit iktsuarpok in English, so the best we can hope for is to approximate or explain these untranslatable words’ meanings.
Iyer drew the images as part of the “100 Days Project,” a website that invited and encourages artists to spend 100 days straight doing and creating what they love. Iyer is roughly half-way done with her project, so be sure to follow her and see what other cool words she will come up with next! And if you’re creative, as we know many of our bored pandas are – consider starting your own 100-day project!
Scroll down to see the illustrations of weird words being explained below!
Source: 100daysproject.co.nz | Behance (h/t)
1. Fernweh (German)
2. Komorebi (Japanese)
3. Tingo (Pascuense)
4. Pochemuchka (Russian)
5. Gökotta (Swedish)
6. Bakku-shan (Japanese)
7. Backpfeifengesicht (German)
8. Aware (Japanese)
9. Tsundoku (Japanese)
10. Shlimazl (Yiddish)
11. Rire dans sa barbe (French)
12. Waldeinsamkeit (German)
13. Hanyauku (Rukwangali)
14. Gattara (Italian)
15. Prozvonit (Czech)
16. Iktsuarpok (Inuit)
17. Papakata (Cook Islands Maori)
18. Friolero (Spanish)
19. Schilderwald (German)
20. Utepils (Norwegian)
21. Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan)
22. Culaccino (Italian)
23. Ilunga (Tshiluba)
24. Kyoikumama (Japanese)
25. Age-otori (Japanese)
26. Chai-Pani (Hindi)
27. Won (Korean)
28. Tokka (Finnish)
29. Schadenfreude (German)
30. Wabi-Sabi (Japanese)
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Share on Facebook#6 in English is butterface. As in, everything looks good, but her face.
In my English dialect we have an equivalent to "Friolero", I have no idea if it is a recognised English word but we use "nesh". Which describes someone who is cold when others are not. As in "You are nesh!"
I enjoyed this article - more words to learn! I also wrote my own post about how some words can be mistranslated - http://83unsungheroes.co.uk/2016/02/25/untranslatable-words/
ANY word in other languages for the three synonyms in German: Klugscheißer=Besserwisser=Korintenkacker. A person who always knows it better?
#11 is not a word...is an expression....and we have the same in Romanian
What's the big deal about #26? I'm sure this word is as ubiquitus as "sunshine" or "rock"...
Many of those have equivalents in Italian. For example, "rire dans sa barbe" is almost literally translated to "ridere sotto i baffi", while the Czech one in Italian is "fare uno squillo" and the Hindi one is "mazzetta".
One more lovely Czech word: prý (adverb) according to what someone else has stated, taken from another source, not necessarily your own opinion. Example: "On je blbý" = "He is stupid", in contrast to "On je prý blbý" = "He is said to be stupid" or "People say, he's stupid". The best English translation is "allegedly", but "prý" is used like 100 times more often.
Pochemuchka is explained wrong. It implies something criminal or undercover. In fact, it can't be further from that explanation. The word is derived from the Russian word "Pochemu?" meaning "Why?". Have you ever heard a child asking "Why the sky is blue?", "Why the car is running?", "Why is the dog barking?". Pochemuchka refers to that kind of CHILD. You can use it for an adult but it'll be silly and quite offensive.
Is not "Brazilian" wich no exist, you mean Portugués
Load More Replies...Friolero has a meaning in Portuguese and it's also a word. FRIORENTO!!!!!! so, get correct sources... ;)
Gezellig (Dutch) is untranslatable. Although it's a lot like the Danish hyggelig.
need a word which defines performing arts and fine arts together in French , German and English please.
Dépaysement (french): the feeling of something important is missing when you are not in your born-country
Chai-pani (hindi) has so many translations in Italian: pizzo, tangente, bustarella... In the other half of the world: Baksheesh
actually chai-pani literally when translated in English means tea and snacks.. the person who gives bribe uses this expression to say that he/she is giving this money for things like tea and snacks so that the other person is not offended that bribe is being offered to him but everyone knows chai-paani is a mild expression for bribe :)
Load More Replies...Schadenfreude = gloating. Friolero is someone that "feels the cold" (as if we don't all feel it!). Gattara is a cat-lady. Most of these things are translatable more or less, just not by a single word. Like "dappled light" .
#6 in English is butterface. As in, everything looks good, but her face.
In my English dialect we have an equivalent to "Friolero", I have no idea if it is a recognised English word but we use "nesh". Which describes someone who is cold when others are not. As in "You are nesh!"
I enjoyed this article - more words to learn! I also wrote my own post about how some words can be mistranslated - http://83unsungheroes.co.uk/2016/02/25/untranslatable-words/
ANY word in other languages for the three synonyms in German: Klugscheißer=Besserwisser=Korintenkacker. A person who always knows it better?
#11 is not a word...is an expression....and we have the same in Romanian
What's the big deal about #26? I'm sure this word is as ubiquitus as "sunshine" or "rock"...
Many of those have equivalents in Italian. For example, "rire dans sa barbe" is almost literally translated to "ridere sotto i baffi", while the Czech one in Italian is "fare uno squillo" and the Hindi one is "mazzetta".
One more lovely Czech word: prý (adverb) according to what someone else has stated, taken from another source, not necessarily your own opinion. Example: "On je blbý" = "He is stupid", in contrast to "On je prý blbý" = "He is said to be stupid" or "People say, he's stupid". The best English translation is "allegedly", but "prý" is used like 100 times more often.
Pochemuchka is explained wrong. It implies something criminal or undercover. In fact, it can't be further from that explanation. The word is derived from the Russian word "Pochemu?" meaning "Why?". Have you ever heard a child asking "Why the sky is blue?", "Why the car is running?", "Why is the dog barking?". Pochemuchka refers to that kind of CHILD. You can use it for an adult but it'll be silly and quite offensive.
Is not "Brazilian" wich no exist, you mean Portugués
Load More Replies...Friolero has a meaning in Portuguese and it's also a word. FRIORENTO!!!!!! so, get correct sources... ;)
Gezellig (Dutch) is untranslatable. Although it's a lot like the Danish hyggelig.
need a word which defines performing arts and fine arts together in French , German and English please.
Dépaysement (french): the feeling of something important is missing when you are not in your born-country
Chai-pani (hindi) has so many translations in Italian: pizzo, tangente, bustarella... In the other half of the world: Baksheesh
actually chai-pani literally when translated in English means tea and snacks.. the person who gives bribe uses this expression to say that he/she is giving this money for things like tea and snacks so that the other person is not offended that bribe is being offered to him but everyone knows chai-paani is a mild expression for bribe :)
Load More Replies...Schadenfreude = gloating. Friolero is someone that "feels the cold" (as if we don't all feel it!). Gattara is a cat-lady. Most of these things are translatable more or less, just not by a single word. Like "dappled light" .
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