Words that don't translate to English

[BronzeRadio]

So, my boyfriend is Filipino, and I'm constantly trying to learn his language and culture, and I keep stumbling across words that the English translation doesn't match the meaning of the word.

Recently I stumbled across Kapwa, (kahp-wah) which I initially just thought meant "both," as in "I'd like both wine and beer." But it's actual meaning in the Philippines is much broader and doesn't directly translate to English. In the Philippines it means a shared identity, a collectiveness on the personal or community level. It's more key to Filipino culture about sharing community joy and responsibility.

The more I write and create the more I wonder how many other words and concepts that are similar. Anyone got something to share? I'd love to learn more about the meeting of two languages.

 

[Chris P]

I know the other way around: in Luganda, spoken in South Central Uganda, they have a word for "thank you" (webale pronounced way-ball-ay) but nothing for "you're welcome." The response is either "kale" (cah-lay) which is used as a general acknowledgement for anything someone says, such as certain greetings, or "thank you for appreciating' (webale kusima).

 

[CMBright]

はい (hai pronounced hi) in Japanese means agreement as much as it means yes. わかた(wakata) literally means something like it breaks down but is translated as that makes sense.

I'm sure most, if not all, languages have examples of words that don't translate directly to English/another language.

 

[Mutive]

I'm sure most, if not all, languages have examples of words that don't translate directly to English/another language.

I'd assume the same!

Spanish has gracia, which is often translated as "grace", but almost means a certain quality about something that's beautiful, peaceful, refined...graceful, I guess? Spanish also uses different words for a hot air temperature (calor) vs. a hot surface/liquid temperature (caliente). Which I find fascinating.

An awful lot of words in Mandarin don't translate quite the same. One of my favorites is xinku, which means to work hard, but also to acknowledge someone's suffering from working hard (in a good way - like, you're willing to suffer to achieve a good thing, so you're suffering was hard but worth it and admirable.)

It's pretty common to compliment someone with xinku ni le! which means, roughly, "great job!" Even though trying to translate it more precisely means something like "You endured a lot of bitterness/pain/suffering!" Which would be a *weird* compliment in English. But is a common one in China.

IDK. Languages are weird. And fun.

 

[Jinks]

The Farsi word تعارف (Taarof) is a fun example. Generally, in English it means etiquette or extreme politeness, but it is actually more of a game that Iranians play to determine who can be the most polite.

 

[Mevrouw Bee]

"Gezellig," the Dutch word for an atmosphere of what they consider cozy and enjoyable and fun.

 

[Chris P]

Those of us who spent waaaaaay too much time with the TV on in the 1990s in the U.S. have some idea of what "Fahrvergnugen" means, even if we can't really explain it. (It's actually pretty simple, the pleasure of driving, but it confused the hell out of us at the time.)

 

[Mutive]

The Farsi word تعارف (Taarof) is a fun example. Generally, in English it means etiquette or extreme politeness, but it is actually more of a game that Iranians play to determine who can be the most polite.

I love this concept. It reminds me of my family almost coming to blows over who 'gets' to pay the bill at a restaurant!

 

[Jinks]

I love this concept. It reminds me of my family almost coming to blows over who 'gets' to pay the bill at a restaurant!

It's one of my favorite things ever, and in practice, it really does get extreme. Paying the bill would be a great example of it, though seeing who can enter a door first is another big example. When I was in language class, it would frequently take 10 minutes to enter a room because everyone was trying to get the other person to go first.

 

[tusenord]

In Swedish, the most known word like that is "lagom" - which is basically "just enough", as in "not too much, not too little" but you can use it for length, for portion size, your own circumference, for colour, speed etc.

 

[Tocotin]

The Japanese phrase otsukaresama (you can add desu or deshita for politeness and depending on context) お疲れ様 (+ です or でした) , which can be translated roughly as “I respect your hard work”. Tsukareru 疲れる itself means simply “to be tired”.

The phrase can be used as “hello”, when you come to work, or as “goodbye” when you leave. If you leave first, you say otsukaresama desu. This is polite form + present tense, as you are talking to your coworkers who will be continuing working. If your coworker has finished their work and is leaving, you use polite form + past tense and say otsukaresama deshita. (Since there is a honorific o-, the phrase is about others, not you). Unless, of course, you are higher up in hierarchy or on friendly terms with your colleagues, in which case you can say otsukaresama or even otsukare.

You can also say otsukaresama desu to people you don’t know, but meet on the same office floor or in the same building, because they are working there too – no matter what their job is.

Otsukare is also a defeatist slang word, meaning “that didn’t go so well, huh”.

わかた(wakata) literally means something like it breaks down but is translated as that makes sense

I’m sorry, but わかった (wakatta) is literally translated as “understood” (it is past tense from wakaru). One of the meanings of the kanji used for this word, 分かった(分) can be breaking down or analysis, but the word itself is perfectly translatable.

 

[Ashigara]

It's pretty common to compliment someone with xinku ni le! which means, roughly, "great job!" Even though trying to translate it more precisely means something like "You endured a lot of bitterness/pain/suffering!"

Chinese idioms cram meaning into four Mandarin characters. At times the meaning is simple, at times profound. But it always achieves a melodious sound when you rattle off four Mandarin characters and get your meaning across, either directly or through analogy baked in the idiom.

Edit: not to knock English, of course. 'All hat and no cattle' and 'cast pearls before swine' are pretty good, the second of which IIRC has a Mandarin equivalent, '对牛弹琴', 'to play a tune to a cow.'

 

[Mutive]

Chinese idioms cram meaning into four Mandarin characters. At times the meaning is simple, at times profound. But it always achieves a melodious sound when you rattle off four Mandarin characters and get your meaning across, either directly or through analogy baked in the idiom.

Edit: not to knock English, of course. 'All hat and no cattle' and 'cast pearls before swine' are pretty good, the second of which IIRC has a Mandarin equivalent, '对牛弹琴', 'to play a tune to a cow.'

They really are incredibly cool! I've loved learning Mandarin for that reason! There are so many *fun* sayings. (Usually with an interesting story attached.)

 

[Mfraser]

If you're interested, there's a (possibly out-of-print) book called "They Have a Word for It" by Howard Rheingold. It's interesting to think about how the words (and idioms) we have in our languages reflect the culture and values of the group that shares the language.

I like "figurati" in Italian, one word to say "no big deal, you're welcome".