Did you know there are dozens of blog posts and even a couple of entire websites dedicated to foreign words for which there is no English translation? Well, there are, and I’ve been wasting quite a bit of time reading them.
Here are a few of my favorite examples:
Ilunga – Bantu - In 2004, Ilunga was chosen as the world’s most difficult word to translate. In Bantu it refers to a person willing to forgive abuse the first time, tolerate it the second but never a third time.
Bakku-shan – Japanese - Bakku-shan is the word for a girl who looks pretty from behind but ugly in front.
Qualunquismo – Italian -Are you one of those people who really don’t care all that much about politics and issues in society? Then this word applies to you. The term came from a political party in Italy, in 1944, which promoted anti-political feelings and a mistrust of public organizations.
Toska - Russian – Vladmir Nabokov described it best: “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.”
Tartle -Scottish – The act of hesitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name.
Cafuné- Brazilian Portuguese – “The act of tenderly running one’s fingers through someone’s hair.”
Rugelje – Frisian (Dutch) – The act of pouring a fine solid such as sugar or flour into a container. Rugelje only applies to solids; if pouring a liquid, a Frisian would say dreagje.
And finally, what has to be my favorite:
Jayus - Indonesian – “A joke so poorly told and so unfunny that you can’t help but laugh”
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