#untranslateable

[lumieresdanslacave]

rise and shine!!

[lingthusiasm]

Lauren: But words are connotation magnets. I mean, it’s why we need new euphemisms all the time, because as soon as we start using a word in a particular context, it just amasses all these connotations. So when they're negative, that’s how euphemisms get cycled through to become slurs again, which is not great. But even when they're positive, they attract all these other cultural inferences, like hyperbole gradually weakening as it keeps getting used. Gretchen: Yeah, and I think this is one of the things that we forget when talking about words as “untranslatable.” Even though it can be satisfying to say, “Oh wow, here’s these new concepts!” or “Here’s the thing that I hadn’t thought about in this way before,” in some respect, every word is untranslatable and yet we managed to learn them all anyway. Lauren: Yeah. Gretchen: How do we learn any new word if no word has an exact equivalent somewhere? Well, you know, we live a life and we figure it out! And in many cases, the word side of translation is very easy. It’s the grammar side and the aesthetic side that’s a lot harder. Lauren: And all those connotations! I know when I learnt Nepali, I had to keep track of three different formality levels, which, like, I know how to be polite to different people to different extents in English, but suddenly I had to do it in another language and in the grammar. I remember just knowing who to use which level of formality with was a whole set of translation that I took a long time to really feel comfortable with, so I would definitely agree that the kind of grammatical encoding of things adds a translation complication that can be quite hard to master. Gretchen: Yeah, and yet you don’t see different forms of “you” in “difficult to translate” lists, even though maybe they should be there. Lauren: We’re gonna start our own very exciting list. Gretchen: Let’s make a “difficult to translate for linguists” list! I’d be down for this!

Excerpt from Episode 18 of Lingthusiasm: Translating the untranslatable

Listen to the episode, read the full transcript, or check out more links about language learning and semantics. 

[twonerdsinahottub]

An Untranslateable Turkish Word

So this word is "dost". The closest meaning of "dost" is true friend. But its more than that. A "dost" is someone who knows you so well that if someone asks you something they'll answer it before you, sometimes you two will fight then you two would hug in less than an hour. There's a real bond between two "dost"s they are not just "friends" but something sooo much more. As an example;

Me and My family are Turkish so we were talking about my friends and my "dosts" i was calling someone i knew for 3-4 years my "dost" and my father said that "don't call people your "dost" easily. You can maybe find 1 or if you are really really lucky 2. 3 is really difficult. So wait until your darkest times, your happiest times, the times when you two fight and the times you fought with someone. Even then maybe they aren't your dost. Dost is someone you'll talk to when you are 70-80 years old and you have problems. Even when they have their own problems, they'll probably give you their time, not because they expect something in return, just because their unconditional love" so i just wanted to share this and let you people know there's a word for "friendships" even stronger than true friendships. In Islam folklore, we pray after someones death, usually at Thursday night we read a Surah called Yaseen. Even your own children and grandchildren forgets to read or doesn't care to read for your soul to rest but your "dost" never forgets to read this surah. Just for you to rest well..

Thank you all for reading!!

[aideemoi]

From 11 Untranslatable Words from Other Cultures by Maptia 

[questcult]

If you think about it, the idea of gender is probably un-translatable to aliens.

Human: Hello xenocitizen may I ask what is your name and gender?

Alien: Hello human Dave, My name is Tim & sorry but my universal translator failed on that last word. Can you break it down into its base meaning?

Human Dave: ...Uhhhhhh...

What is... Your... Socially demanded... sex adjacent.. signaling style of your... primary group??... for the purposes of... gaining social standing and attracting a mate????

Tim the Alien: My fucking, what?

[none-ofthisnonsense]

At the same time I want to go boxing but on the other hand j'ai la flemmmmmmmmmeeeeeeee

[lakritzwolf]

Ist ein weibliches Erdmännchen ein Erdweibchen oder ein Erdmännchenweibchen?

[cyrillium]

Pochemuchka.

Pochemuchka (Russian) – A person who asks a lot of questions. Can I ask you a question? What are we doing here, you and I? Are we simply treading time? Are we complicit in abetting the theft of our lives? Can naught but chaos from reality be derived? It’s a puzzle, is it not? Aren’t the fragments of our wonderings forgot; Like beautiful days— just a still shot to be recalled? Would they be faded and framed on your walls? Which would you reinvigorate with embellishment? Would your tall tales in conversation even be relevant? Must sense and satisfaction, Commitment and contentment; Always be so separate and divided? Why even subject our hearts to be by society derided? What of the sacrifices we never make? Do we not know the dire stakes? Were not innumerable nights spent irked and awake? Don’t we toss and turn; counting what it would take? Can the thirst of our souls ever be truly slaked? For goodness sake, is the world really so lamentably lost‽ You’ll forgive my accosting tone won’t you? Is frustration existential the cost of ponders alone? Doesn’t it just wrack your mind ‘til you shriek out and moan? Why do we walk the temerarious road? Can ascension be found betwixt Scylla and Charybdis? Or are all challenges vacant and waiting; To be jam-packed with our hopes and hubris? How did I get so muddled? How can a brain become so befuddled; By a lotus-eating sky and an unanswered page? After sundry quandaries and queries; Are you quite completely disengaged? No? Then maybe it’s just me? © C.J. Lightbourn 2014