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07/04/2013 05:16:08 PM · #1 |
Choose to portray one of these 20 'Untranslatable' words through photography.
Advanced editing
Your Title will be the word that you are portraying, chosen from the list of 20 below.
1. Toska
Russian – “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, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.”
2. Mamihlapinatapei
Yagan (indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego) – “the wordless, yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to start”
3. Jayus
Indonesian – “A joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh”
4. Iktsuarpok
Inuit – “To go outside to check if anyone is coming.”
5. Litost
Czech –The closest definition is a state of agony and torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery.
6. Kyoikumama
Japanese – “A mother who relentlessly pushes her children toward academic achievement”
7. Tartle
Scottish – The act of hestitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name.
8. Ilunga
Tshiluba (Southwest Congo) – A word famous for its untranslatability, most professional translators pinpoint it as the stature of a person “who is ready to forgive and forget any first abuse, tolerate it the second time, but never forgive nor tolerate on the third offense.”
9. Prozvonit
Czech – This word means to call a mobile phone and let it ring once so that the other person will call back, saving the first caller money. In Spanish, the phrase for this is “Dar un toque,” or, “To give a touch.”
10. Cafuné
Brazilian Portuguese – “The act of tenderly running one’s fingers through someone’s hair.”
11. Schadenfreude
German – Quite famous for its meaning that somehow other languages neglected to recognize, this refers to the feeling of pleasure derived by seeing another’s misfortune.
12. Torschlusspanik
German – Translated literally, this word means “gate-closing panic,” but its contextual meaning refers to “the fear of diminishing opportunities as one ages.”
13. Wabi-Sabi
Japanese – Much has been written on this Japanese concept, but in a sentence, one might be able to understand it as “a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.”
14. Dépaysement
French – The feeling that comes from not being in one’s home country.
15. Tingo
Pascuense (Easter Island) – “the act of taking objects one desires from the house of a friend by gradually borrowing all of them.”
16. Hyggelig
Danish – Its “literal” translation into English gives connotations of a warm, friendly, cozy demeanor, but it’s unlikely that these words truly capture the essence of a hyggelig; it’s likely something that must be experienced to be known. Think of good friends, cold beer, and a warm fire.
17. L’appel du vide
French – “The call of the void” is this French expression’s literal translation, but more significantly it’s used to describe the instinctive urge to jump from high places.
18. Ya’aburnee
Arabic – Both morbid and beautiful at once, this incantatory word means “You bury me,” a declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person because of how difficult it would be to live without them.
19. Duende
Spanish – While originally used to describe a mythical, sprite like entity that possesses humans and creates the feeling of awe of one’s surroundings in nature, its meaning has transitioned into referring to “the mysterious power that a work of art has to deeply move a person.”
20. Saudade
Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.”
Message edited by author 2013-07-04 17:17:53. |
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07/04/2013 05:37:13 PM · #2 |
| Makes great reading. (I'm trying to imagine this as a challenge description!) |
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07/04/2013 05:42:19 PM · #3 |
| Great read - let's do this |
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07/04/2013 05:49:26 PM · #4 |
| One of the best challenge suggestions i've ever seen. Nice one Cory! |
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07/04/2013 05:52:38 PM · #5 |
| What an interesting challenge this would be. I'm all for it. |
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07/04/2013 06:36:37 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by Cory:
20. Saudade
Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.” |
A friend had a yacht named this. Beautiful word. Great challenge suggestion. |
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07/04/2013 07:47:19 PM · #7 |
| Excellent suggestion. Add "namaste" for the enlightened yoga set. |
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07/04/2013 09:16:26 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by blindjustice:
Excellent suggestion. Add "namaste" for the enlightened yoga set. |
or more correctly, "Namaskar". :) ( PS, I live in India ) |
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07/04/2013 10:17:29 PM · #9 |
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
I like the concept. This would be fun & challenging to do - just don't know how that long description will fit in the description field:-) |
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07/04/2013 10:31:06 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by CNovack:
just don't know how that long description will fit in the description field:-) |
Just refer to this thread via link in said description field. |
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07/07/2013 04:01:54 PM · #11 |
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07/07/2013 04:15:25 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by PennyStreet:
Thumbs up! |
+1 |
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