# "Lost in Translation" -- words that have no easy equivalent in English **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032 "2023-03-11T15:56:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2023, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/21 "2023-03-11T22:50:21Z")
It’s my favorite Hebrew word. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/22 "2023-03-11T23:27:25Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > ’m not sure what adjective the kids on my lawn now use to describe wonderful things such as my lawn. It used to be dope in the mid tens (or is that teens?) I’ll throw in one French an one Italian: Déshabillé. When checking the spelling, I see it has been pilfered by English, but the explanation does not match the original. _the state of being only partly or scantily clothed._ _“the paintings of Venus all shared the same state of déshabillé”_ I’d say its proper use would be like _disheveled but in a fashionable way_. Speaking of fashion Sprezzatura. A close relation to déshabillé and traced back to 1528 it means _“a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it”_ And if that doesn’t describe Italian fashion… This is the first pic Google gave me for _sprezzatura_: [![](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Lino-displaying-sprezzatura-sunglasses-open-shirt-cuffs-wristbands-ring-sunglasses-cigarette-jacket-on-the-shoulders-sleeve-cuffs-undone-686x1030-1.jpg) ](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Lino-displaying-sprezzatura-sunglasses-open-shirt-cuffs-wristbands-ring-sunglasses-cigarette-jacket-on-the-shoulders-sleeve-cuffs-undone-686x1030-1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2023, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/23 "2023-03-11T23:39:45Z")
> [@EastUmpqua](#): > > But if you use ser, you imply that you are not just temporarily mayor, you are intrinsically mayor. 🎵 “But I’ll be true to the song I sing and live and die a ~~pirate king~~ Mayor!” 🎶 🏴‍☠️ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/24 "2023-03-12T01:28:21Z")
There are odd exceptions, of course. “Está muerto” comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/25 "2023-03-12T02:49:21Z")
I don’t know if it has the same connotation in German, but the Yiddish word Mensch cannot really be translated into into English. It implies an unusual degree of humanity. Can a German speaker tell me if it has the came meaning in German? Schadenfreude, meaning finding joy in someone else’s misfortune has of course been borrowed into English for want of a suitable native English term. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/26 "2023-03-12T02:58:17Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > There’s “anon,” meaning “after a while” or “soon.” Is kind of obscure, but I’ll use in when I’m feeling Shakespearean. I have an actor friend who jokes that, if you ever forget your line in a play by the Bard, you should just say “We shall speak of this anon,” and walk off. I’ve always liked the Danish word _hygge_, which I’ve heard described as “the feeling of contentedness and coziness you feel sitting by the fire on a cold night, with friends gathered ‘round and a hot drink in your hands.” ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/27 "2023-03-12T11:25:33Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I don’t know if it has the same connotation in German, but the Yiddish word Mensch cannot really be translated into into English. It implies an unusual degree of humanity. Can a German speaker tell me if it has the came meaning in German? Not exactly in the same sense as in Yiddish, but to a degree. “Mensch” foremostly just means “human being” in a neutral way, but if someone tells you “Sei doch Mensch”, they tell you to be humane. The adjective “menschlich” can mean both human and humane. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I’ve always liked the Danish word _hygge_, which I’ve heard described as “the feeling of contentedness and coziness you feel sitting by the fire on a cold night, with friends gathered ‘round and a hot drink in your hands.” The German word “gemütlich” (corresponding noun “Gemütlichkeit”) connotes the same idea. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/28 "2023-03-12T11:45:50Z")
A few months ago my department started talking about _arbejdsglæde_. Sounds like a good thing, especially since most of us spend so much time at the workplace. > **[Arbejdsglæde: the Danish concept of happiness at work](https://timetastic.co.uk/blog/arbejdsglaede-the-danish-concept-of-happiness-at-work/)** > > Knowing that you’re making a positive impact in the lives of your coworkers, community and society at large is going to give you the drive to put in more effort each day. It’s the difference between putting in the bare minimum and going all-out to... ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/29 "2023-03-12T12:20:10Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > An English statement like “I had dinner with my cousin last week” is impossible to translate into Chinese without that supplemental information. There’s no word for “relative”? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/30 "2023-03-12T12:42:37Z")
I’m sure there is a word for “relative” or perhaps there are multiple words , none of which means exactly what the English word "relative " means to native English speakers. Which is what is usually meant when people say that it’s difficult to translate certain words from one language to another - it almost never means that an idea can’t be expressed in one of the languages, it’s almost always a matter of it taking more words to express exactly the same amount of information in one language than the other. For example, in some languages with grammatical gender, you can’t easily distinguish between a group of males and a mixed group - “my sons” and “my children” use the same words as long as one of those children is a son. In some languages, you _must_ distinguish between your mother’s sister, your father’s sister, your mother’s brother’s wife and your father’s brother’s wife - all of which would be “aunt” in English. And “relative” might not work, because in some cultures your mother’s sister , etc, is not a _your_ relative. Even if “relative” does work, it includes many relatives other than the four kinds of aunt. ( or eight kinds of aunt - “mother’s older sister” and “mother’s younger sister” can be different words.) ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/31 "2023-03-12T12:57:08Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I’m sure there is a word for “relative” or perhaps there are multiple words , none of which means exactly what the English word "relative " means to native English speakers. The word “relative” will mean different things to different native English speakers too. The point is exactitude doesn’t matter, because, guess what, we are all translating what we think we heard into what we think it means according to what we think the other person meant, even if we are speaking a common native language. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/32 "2023-03-12T14:05:23Z")
Yes, there is a word for “relative” in Chinese, but it’s very vague - not at all as specific as “cousin” - which could be problematic in a situation where you really need to specify clearly that someone is a cousin and not an aunt, uncle, grandparent, nephew, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/33 "2023-03-12T14:11:56Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > not at all as specific as “cousin” How specific is “cousin” in English? What does it mean exactly, and for all native English speakers? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/34 "2023-03-12T15:26:03Z")
One of my favorite untranslateable German words, that is _sooo_ useful these days: Backpfeifengesicht, “a face that’s badly in need of a fist.” [Word of the Week: Backpfeifengesicht – @GermanyinUSA](https://germanyinusa.com/2019/02/22/word-of-the-week-backpfeifengesicht/#:~:text=Well%2C%20Germans%20have%20a%20unique,and%20Gesicht%20means%20%E2%80%9Cface%E2%80%9D). ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/35 "2023-03-12T15:45:17Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Backpfeifengesicht, “a face that’s badly in need of a fist.” Why not just “punchable”? ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/36 "2023-03-12T15:47:25Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > How specific is “cousin” in English? What does it mean exactly, and for all native English speakers? In U.S. English, “cousin” means a child of one of your parent’s siblings. The son or daughter of your father’s brother or your mother’s brother, etc. In many families these will be people of roughly your own generation that you’ll see throughout your childhood (whenever your parents visit their siblings), and maybe throughout your life. That’s what “cousin” means 98% of the time. It can, like most words, have niche or metaphoric meanings. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/37 "2023-03-12T15:57:38Z")
OP here. Is there a word for people who can find something to argue about in any simple statement? 🧐 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/38 "2023-03-12T15:59:36Z")
Doper? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/39 "2023-03-12T15:59:37Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Is there a word for people who can find something to argue about in any simple statement? 🧐 Sure, German to your help: Korinthenkacker, literally raisin shitter, meaning an extreme nitpicker/pedant. So, all of us. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/40 "2023-03-12T16:19:18Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > In U.S. English, “cousin” means a child of one of your parent’s siblings. The son or daughter of your father’s brother or your mother’s brother, etc. > > In many families these will be people of roughly your own generation that you’ll see throughout your childhood (whenever your parents visit their siblings), and maybe throughout your life. For us, it also extended to second and third cousins, as well. Also, kin of very close family friends. I know you disclaimed it with niche and metaphorical meanings, but I don’t think the first is that unusual, i.e. cousins do not necessarily only indicate first cousins. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032.md?page=3)