Comments on: 5 More Difficult Words to Translate

By: 20 Awesomely Untranslatable Words From Around the World

20 Awesomely Untranslatable Words From Around the World — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:39:52 +0000

[...] 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.” (Altalang.com) [...]

By: Jad

Jad — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:19:43 +0000

The Arabic (lebanese) word ”Zenkha” has no known translation at least, in French English or Spanish … It describes an unpleasant scent/taste that can be obtained in many ways … The best description would be: the smell lingering in a glass of water after a sip taken following a mouth full of eggs … Even more so if it is egg yoke …

By: Carillon Cat | Cats

Carillon Cat | Cats — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:50:45 +0000

[...] What is art? An age old question, art is experienced by many and defined by few. Taking the cautious approach, we could define it as “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” (link) But if you took the time to ask a couple people, you’d receive much more subjective answers. “Art is the interpretation and expression of the Artist’s reality.” (link) “Art is the generation of ideas, thoughts, and emotion in a way that can be readily interpreted by others. Such production of this material can be done through various media. Though art is the generation of such things, it also sparks interpretation which, in turn, generate more ideas. Art is not a product, but a cycle of constant creation.” (Kristofer Kraul, UF Psychology Senior) Perhaps the definition of the word “art” is lost in translation between each person – it certainly happens between languages. (link) [...]

By: Thea Montandon

Thea Montandon — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:44:19 +0000

There is a Danish word meaning beyond compassion by an almost infinite degree. It sounds a little like merriculammam. Any clues?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:26:50 +0000

Agree with the Swedish “Lagom” one. The concept is basically “just right”, as in not too sweet, not too bitter, not too warm, not too cold, not too soft, not too hard etc etc.

It’s an awesome word.

By: Fraser Grant

Fraser Grant — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:52:35 +0000

Isn’t “fair” easily translated as “juste” in French? And “unfair” as “injuste”?

By: Gabrielle

Gabrielle — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:09:42 +0000

Lyn Fenton — the word you’re looking for is “machateniste”. It’s a brilliant word and if you google it, almost every post is hilarious. Yiddish is full of these amazing words. “Machatonim” is the plural, which refers to the other in-laws. The “ch” in the words, is, of course, not like “chair”, but a guttural “h”, as in “Chanuka”. (Approximately: Ma-huh-ten-iss-tuh)

By: Anoymous

Anoymous — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:13:12 +0000

Duende = Sylvan?

By: Taylor

Taylor — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:07:46 +0000

the language you are referring to is called “Igbo” (ee-bo)

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:57:58 +0000

Was nobody else taught in grade school that you should say “he or she” instead of “they” for the singular person of unknown gender? I always assumed that the standard “he” for referring to anyone was done away with because it was unfair to women or something. I could be wrong though, just wondering if anybody else was taught to say it “he or she” instead.