With thousands of languages in existence and each of them boasting a vast vocabulary, there sometimes just isn’t the perfect translation for a perfect word. Each language has its own sprinkling of untranslatable words that capture a feeling, tradition or concept that simply does not exist in the exact same form in other cultures. When these crop up in a text for translation, the translator usually needs to expand or reword to make the idea clear to the foreign reader. So without further ado, here are ten curious untranslatable words and their meanings:
Tartle, Scottish (Scots): refers to the act of hesitating when introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name – and that’s pretty much what you’d have to write out if translating this rare term.
Iktsuarpok, Inuit: an urge to go outside to check if anyone is coming. It describes the restless anticipation of someone’s arrival.
Torschlusspanik, German: literally translates as ‘gate-shut-panic’ and refers to the anxiety you feel when time is running out. Its origins lie in the Middle Ages, when residents had to return home before the city gates would close for the night. If translating into English, you could, depending on the context, describe the concept as being in an race against time, having little time to spare before a deadline, or anxiously looking at the clock as time slips away. In certain contexts, it can be used to refer to actions triggered by a mid-life crisis (i.e. haphazardly taking an action as you’re afraid you’ll soon be sauntering through the pearly gates). Distilling the entire concept into one neat word like German is, however, simply not possible.
L’esprit d’escalier, French: literally translates as ‘the spirit/wit of the staircase’ and describes that frustrating situation when you think of a good comeback after the conversation has finished. It’s essentially the opposite of quick wit.
Cafuné, Brazilian Portuguese: the affectionate act of gently caressing someone’s head or running your fingers through their hair.
Tsundoku, Japanese: refers to the phenomenon of obsessively collecting books (a crime we’re certainly guilty of here at FE…) and allowing them to pile up unread on your shelves as your reading list gets ever longer. It makes sense that this word originates from Japan given the country ranks as one of the world’s strongest publishing industries.
Sgrìob, Scottish Gaelic: this multi-faceted word can be translated as scratch, scrape, score or grate. It can also refer to a short excursion. Its untranslatable part, however, lies in its other meaning, which is the itching of the lip before enjoying a dram – another inherently Scottish word referring to a small portion of alcoholic drink, usually whisky. While we’re at it: dram differs from a shot in that a dram suggests appreciation and sipping, whilst shots are usually thrown down the throat with gusto. Drams are also an informal unit of measurement, whilst shot measurements tend to be standardised.
Fika, Swedish: this isn’t quite the same as a spot of coffee and cake as we know it here in the UK. It refers to the deliberate slowing down to enjoy a hot drink of tea or coffee with friends, family or colleagues. You can often find a sweet treat on offer too. In Swedish, there’s a certain mindfulness to the act and it plays a big part in Swedes’ culture. The German language has the very similar concept of Kaffeeklatsch (literally: coffee chatter), which depicts an informal social gathering over a cup of joe.
Abracadabrantesque, French: this term was first coined by renowned poet Arthur Rimbaud in the late 19th century in Le Cœur supplicié (The Tormented Heart) to describe something unbelievable. The neologism was derived from the adjective abracadabrant, which in turn derives from – you guessed it – the magic formular Abracadabra! It was brought back into the public conscience in 2000 when the then French president, known for his colourful language, used it in reference to allegations of illegal practices against him. Translations of Rimbaud’s poem render the word as obscene in English, which of course already exists in French as obscène.
Wanderlust, German: this compound noun is made up of the words wandern (to wander/hike) and Lust (desire) and refers to an innate yearning to set off on an adventure and explore. When writing in English, it’s common to just keep the German phrase as a loan word. Other examples of loan words in English are Kindergarten, café, joie de vivre and tsunami.
Translating the untranslatable
First Edition Translations is a certified translation agency based in Cambridge, UK. Boasting decades of expertise in the cultural and creative industries, we are a founding member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and part of the Association for Cultural Enterprises (ACE) – a reflection of our dedication to our own craft and that of our clients. When it comes to the untranslatable, we know exactly what we’re doing. We specialise in translation, editing, proofreading and typesetting for books of all kinds, alongside specialist legal and medical content. So if you’ve got an abracadabrantesque text or your publishing deadline is fast approaching and the Torschlusspanik is setting in, contact us at enquiries@firstedit.co.uk and we’ll bring things right back on track.