You have to actually feel or have the
mentality before a word comes out on paper or in a language. Each
language carries its own dictionary, with words that may or may not have
an equivalent word in another language. While English maybe the most
spoken language in the world, yet it is somewhat limited and cannot be
used to translate all words from all the other languages of the world.
Some languages simply exceed the English
language or maybe the English themselves have never thought about such
words. These fun words may just give the translators a run for their
money. Here are 10 such examples.
1. Toska
A word that comes from Russian origin, Toska is a word that Google even fails to detect. Russian novelist Vladmir Nabokov describes the word as,
“No single word in English renders all
the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation
of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less
morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to
long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, and
yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody of
something specific, nostalgia, and love-sickness. At the lowest level it
grades into ennui, boredom.”
2. Mamihlapinatapei
A word from the Yagan language of Tierra del Fuego, mamihlapinatapei is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “most succinct word”.
It is said to be the hardest word to translate and is described as the
“unspoken yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to
initiate something but are both reluctant to start.”
3. Jayus
The word Jayus has its origins in
Indonesian language, basically a slang word, the word might refer to a
lame joke but that is not its exact meaning. In fact the word
description of Jayus is “A joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one
cannot help but laugh”.
4. Iktsuarpok
The Iktsuarpok is a word of the Inuit, a
group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic
regions of Canada. The word describes the feeling of anticipation when
you are waiting for someone to come to your house. Therefore
technically the word Iktsuarpok stands for, “To go outside to check if
anyone is coming.”
5. Litost
Another word with no English translation,
Litost comes from the language of the Czech. The author of the Book of
Laughter and Forgetting, Milan Kundera remarks that “As for the meaning
of this word, I have looked in vain in other languages for an
equivalent, though I find it difficult to imagine how anyone can
understand the human soul without it.”
The closest definition of the word is the state of feeling miserable or torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery.
6. Kyoikumama
The pejorative term in the Japanese
language, Kyoiku-mama literally translates into education mother. The
word itself defines a stereotypical figure in the modern Japanese
society as a mother who drives her child to study, regardless of the
child’s physical, mental or emotional well-being.
In other words, Kyoikumama means “A mother who relentlessly pushes her children toward academic achievement”.
7. Tartle
The word Tartle has two different
meanings in two different languages. When the word is used by the people
of Ireland it has a definite meaning in English as” a person who is
stalking you or following you every where”. But when the same word,
Tartle is used by the Scottish it defines an awkward pause when you fail
to recognize or remember a person momentarily. The actual meaning of
the Scottish “Tartle” is “The act of hesitating while introducing
someone because you’ve forgotten their name.”
8. Ilunga
Ilunga is a relatively common personal
name of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, in word
form Ilunga comes from the Bantu language and is known to be the world’s
most difficult word to translate in opinion of over a 1,000 linguists,
who had surveyed on the subject.
Ilunga is said to define a person “who is
ready to forgive and forget any abuse for the first time, tolerate it
the second time, but never forgive nor tolerate on the third offense.”
9. Hyggelig
The word from the Danish language,
Hyggelig is an adjective and according to Berlitz it’s pronounced
“hew-ger-li”. The “literal” translation of the word into English implies
a tone of a warm, friendly, cozy character, but that does not mean that
these English words capture the true meaning of hyggelig. The way the
Danish talk about the word, it seems like hyggelig must refer to some
wonderful experience.
10. Saudade
Saudade comes from the Portuguese
language. It is called as the most beautiful which holds no English
translation. Saudade describes the feeling of longing for something or
for someone that you love and have lost them. The mourning type of
singing, called Fado music, is related to saudade.
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