This is one of the essential ways of getting things done in traditional Chinese society. Guanxi (关系) – Pronounced, guanxi is often translated as ‘connections’, ‘relationships’ or ‘networks’ and refers to having a strong personal relationship with someone which involves moral obligations and exchanging favours.
MEANINGFUL 2 WORD PHRASES FREE
Learn Bulgarian for travel! Get my free Bulgarian travel phrase guide here. BulgarianĪilyak – Ailyak is a beautiful Bulgarian term for the subtle art of doing everything calmly and without rushing, whilst enjoying the experience and life in general. It literally means ‘horse’s egg’, therefore representing something that doesn’t exist. Ghodar-dim (ঘোড়ার ডিম) – Pronounced, this Bengali word is a sarcastic term for ‘nothing’ or false hope. Learn Basque for travel! Get my free Basque travel phrase guide here. BasqueĪspaldiko – This untranslatable Basque word describes the euphoria and happiness felt when catching up with someone you haven’t seen in a long time. Learn Arabic for travel! Get my free Arabic travel phrase guide here. It is a painful yet beautiful expression of a desire to save yourself the pain of a life without a person you love. Ya’aburnee is said in the hope that a loved one will outlive you. The underlying idea goes deeper than that (no pun intended). The literal meaning of the Arabic word ya’aburnee is ‘you bury me’. Ya’aburnee (يقبرني) – This word is an emotional declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person to express how impossible it would be to live without them. It’s a way of reconciling without anyone losing face. Taarradhin (تراض) – Taarradhin is the act of coming to a happy compromise where everyone wins. Samar in Arabic is a cognate of the Hebrew name Shamar which means ‘to preserve’. Samar is also an Arabic name meaning ‘evening conversations including Arabic music and poetry’. Samar (سمر) – Staying up late after the sun has gone down and having an enjoyable time with friends. It’s usually translated as “ faith” or “oath”.
Albanianīesa – An Albanian verb and pledge of honour that means to keep a promise by honouring your word. Learn Afrikaans for travel! Get my free Afrikaans travel phrase guide here. It’s literally means, ‘loose (los) head (kop)’. Loskop – Used to describe someone who is forgetful, absent-minded and a bit air-headed. Many of which we should definitely borrow.įrom Afrikaans to Zulu, here are 203 of the most beautiful untranslatable words from other languages.
This comprehensive list looks at some of the most beautiful words in different languages that are simply untranslatable into English. In spite of this, the English language can’t explain everything so succinctly, and yet there are many other languages that have, in just one word.
These new words have entered English dictionaries at a fast pace, keeping up with the diversity of the English-speaking world. Even English playwright William Shakespeare invented plenty of words too such as ‘ faint-hearted‘ and ‘ tongue-tied‘. Then there is ‘ nomophobia‘, an irrational fear or sense of panic felt when you’ve lost your phone or are unable to use it. By taking a closer look at some of the most beautiful untranslatable words from around the world, they can give us a glimpse into different cultures and belief systems that help us to understand the people who speak these marvellous languages.Įnglish is no stranger to borrowing words from other languages and even inventing new ones like ‘ hangry‘, a combination of anger and hunger because you need something to eat asap. There are many terms that drip with feeling and emotion that are simply untranslatable into English. When a language fails to convey the essence of a word during translation, the word is considered to be ‘untranslatable.’
There are over 7,000 languages in the world and just as many words and ideas that get ‘lost in translation’ due to differences in grammar and semantics, or even linguistic complications. If you’ve ever tried to learn a language, then you’ll know that translating is not always an easy task. From Afrikaans to Zulu, here are 203 most beautiful untranslatable words in other languages from around the world that should exist in English.
0 kommentar(er)
