# "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:** 3
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/41 "2023-03-12T16:20:46Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > There are odd exceptions, of course. “Está muerto” comes to mind. And, of course, ‘estou morto’. Interesting example. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/42 "2023-03-12T16:22:43Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > 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. My husband has 25 cousins proper and a boatload of 2nd cousins and other kinds of cousins and nobody in the family bothers to keep it all straight. But of course my son calls all of our cousins Uncle and Aunt so-and-so because they are about the same age as us. And my husband’s cousins’ children are referred to as my son’s cousins without any specificity. It’s kind of a mess. (Especially when they marry each other, which did happen in earlier generations.) ---
**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, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/43 "2023-03-12T16:27:27Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > cousins do not necessarily only indicate first cousins. I agree. Cousin is shorthand for any distant relative whose exact relationship is too complicated to bother explaining. ---
**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, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/44 "2023-03-12T17:30:40Z")
It means more than just first cousin , as you can have second cousins , third cousins and removed cousins ( my first cousin’s child to me is my first cousin once-removed) but in English , you wouldn’t call an aunt/uncle or niece/nephew a cousin even if they are your age. ---
**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, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/45 "2023-03-12T17:41:38Z")
> [@EastUmpqua](#): > > And, of course, ‘estou morto’. Interesting example. Right. It’s been almost 30 years since I could speak Portuguese with any fluency at all, and couldn’t remember the vocabulary. ---
**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, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/46 "2023-03-12T17:56:51Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > OP here. > > Is there a word for people who can find something to argue about in any simple statement? Why on earth would you feel the need to identify yourself as “OP”? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/47 "2023-03-12T18:06:34Z")
> [@EastUmpqua](#): > > > [@Chefguy](#): > > > > There are odd exceptions, of course. “Está muerto” comes to mind. > > And, of course, ‘estou morto’. Interesting example. The understanding is that “alive” or “dead” are considered _states_ of the subject, so it takes “estar”. There can be such a thing as a permanent “state”. But yes, you have things like: “_Soy_ abogado y _estoy_ con Gil, Navarro, Avilés, Rodríguez & Albino” – “I am [substance] a lawyer and I am [state] with Gil, Navarro, Avilés, Rodríguez & Albino” “Soy estudiante, estoy en tercer año en Derecho de la UPR” – “I am a student and am in Year 3 at UPR Law” In both the second part is easy, obviously your job or partnership with the firm, or the class you are in, is a state. The condition of being a lawyer, or a law student… or the mayor, though, is seen as something substantive to how you are to be identified as to where you fit in the world. So it takes “ser”. Occupations, ranks, titles, etc. the person is invested with, take “ser” even if they are temporal. Conditions, states or locations take “estar” even if they are permanent. _Generally_, because there’s no language w/o exceptions. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/48 "2023-03-12T18:08:29Z")
Another Hebrew word with no real English equivalent - תתחדש - “titchadesh/i” (literally: “May you be renewed”). It’s what you say to someone to congratulate them for getting something new. “Are those new shoes? Titchadesh!” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/49 "2023-03-12T18:28:43Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > The German word “gemütlich” (corresponding noun “Gemütlichkeit”) connotes the same idea. The Afrikaans equivalent is _gesellig_. In fact, Wiktionary’s example sentence, " Ons het **gesellig** om 'n vuur gekuier." literally means “We had a cosy visit round the fire” I would argue that the English word _convivial_ can carry the same connotation (when it doesn’t mean a more extravagant party-type thing) ---
**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, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/50 "2023-03-12T18:34:48Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > The understanding is that “alive” or “dead” are considered _states_ of the subject, so it takes “estar”. There can be such a thing as a permanent “state”. Yeah, I get that. When one learns Spanish, it’s sometimes pointed out that _estar_ indicates a temporary or changeable state, while _ser_ may indicate permanence. That’s not really the case, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/51 "2023-03-12T18:41:26Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > But yes, you have things like: > “_Soy_ abogado y _estoy_ con Gil, Navarro, Avilés, Rodríguez & Albino” – “I am [substance] a lawyer and I am [state] with Gil, Navarro, Avilés, Rodríguez & Albino” While both of those facts are, in principle, transitory, being a lawyer is certainly more permanent than being with a particular firm. Would I be right in guessing that the same person, in some other context (in comparison with some trait that’s even more fundamental or permanent) might say “estoy abogado”? Or that they might say “soy con Gil, Navarro, Avilés, Rodríguez & Albino”, in comparison to some more transitory trait (say, being the lawyer assigned to some particular case)? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/52 "2023-03-12T18:41:50Z")
For a long time, many cultures, but not US/English, had a word to describe _the urge to destroy something adorable._ A researcher did finally come up with a term for it. “Cute aggression.” I’ve never experienced this. I learned about it on Reply All. > **[The Science Behind Why You Want To Destroy Something Beautiful](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicabaron/2018/12/05/the-science-behind-why-you-want-to-destroy-something-beautiful/?sh=502e86e3678f)** > > Cuteness aggression is common and can encompass behaviors such as wanting to bite, nibble, squeeze, or smoosh the face of something extremely adorable. This phenomenon explains our desire to seek out and squeal at kitten videos and it can also be... > **[\#188 Into the Depths | Reply All](https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/wbhx32g)** > > Inspired by @depthsofwikipedia, this week we dive deeper into three of our favorite weird Wikipedia pages. (Okay, maybe I occasionally want to nibble my baby. I wouldn’t really put it that way though. More like, “I must hold and kiss you! Nom nom nom!”) But the stuff in the Reply All episode is more like, “That Pomeranian is so adorable I want to dropkick it over that fence!” ---
**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, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/53 "2023-03-12T18:54:46Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > In fact, Wiktionary’s example sentence, " Ons het **gesellig** om 'n vuur gekuier." literally means “We had a cosy visit round the fire” Does “gekuier” mean chit-chat or just talk, respectively? Because in my local variant of Plattdeutsch (Low German) which is related to Dutch which of course is related to Afrikaans, it means just that. The verb is “kuiern”. ETA: the word gesellig exists in High German too, but has the slightly different meaning “sociable”. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/54 "2023-03-12T18:55:28Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > In U.S. English, “cousin” means a child of one of your parent’s siblings. Nope. > **[What Is a Second Cousin?: How to Calculate Family Relationships • FamilySearch](https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/cousin-chart)** > > Trying to figure out what to call your distant cousin? Start by asking these 3 simple questions. ---
**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, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/55 "2023-03-12T18:58:44Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > A researcher did finally come up with a term for it. “Cute aggression.” Interesting report. But I noticed that this specific term doesn’t appear in the linked research article, it seems to be the Forbes journalist, or from somewhere else. It strikes me as an odd name for the concept - it sounds more like the behavior of an aggressive puppy than our feelings toward a puppy. Something like “cuteness aggression” would make more sense. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/56 "2023-03-12T19:02:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > might say “estoy abogado”? Or that they might say “soy con Gil, Navarro, Avilés, Rodríguez & Albino”, in comparison to some more transitory trait (say, being the lawyer assigned to some particular case)? At least in my part of Spanish-speaking culture those just like that, by themselves would not be used and would sound like a foreign language learner trying hard. You could however, say “soy _socio menor_ en Gil, Navarro, Avilés, Rodríguez & Albino” – “I am _a junior partner_ in GNAR&A” because there you assert something that is an identifier of _your person_’s relationship to the firm. But you _could_ say either “estoy **de** abogado del demandante” or “soy abogado del demandante”, “I am [working–implied] **as** the plaintiff’s lawyer” vs. “I am the plaintiff’s lawyer”, though the first one makes it sound like that may not be so for the whole case. It’s things like that, subtleties about how the different components of the sentence relate to each other, that sometimes are aggravating for foreign learners of ser vs. estar. And as always with every language, native speakers just “nurse it at the breast” so to speak and just “get it” never really needing to sit and break it down unless they go on to graduate studies in language. ---
**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, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/57 "2023-03-12T19:06:33Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Sure, German to your help: Korinthenkacker, literally raisin shitter, meaning an extreme nitpicker/pedant. Korinthe translates to currant, not raisin. 🙂 ---
**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, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/58 "2023-03-12T19:08:16Z")
Don’t be a Korinthenkacker 😄! Dried grapes, raisins, currants, they’re all the same to me. (really, I’ve never understood the difference between raisins and currants) ETA: I just learned on wiki that currant in the US can also mean what is called “Johannisbeere” in German, a whole other fruit. Now I’m confused, because I also get “Korinthe” as translation for currant, and a “Korinthe” in German is a kind of dried grape, like a raisin. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/59 "2023-03-12T19:24:58Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Nope. “Cousin”, by itself, means the child of one of your parent’s siblings. Adding a modifier to it changes the meaning. This is quite a common phenomenon with adjectives: A dead person is not a person, a vegan steak is not a steak, Chinese checkers is not a kind of checkers, etc. > [@JRDelirious](#): > > At least in my part of Spanish-speaking culture those just like that, by themselves would not be used and would sound like a foreign language learner trying hard. Ah, thanks for the correction, then. Well, it seemed like a good guess. > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > ETA: I just learned on wiki that currant in the US can also mean what is called “Johannisbeere” in German, a whole other fruit. Now I’m confused, because I also get “Korinthe” as translation for currant, and a “Korinthe” in German is a kind of dried grape, like a raisin. I think that the English word “currant” is used for two different fruits, one of them a kind of (or very closely related to) a grape. ---
**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, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032/60 "2023-03-12T19:36:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > “Cousin”, by itself, means the child of one of your parent’s siblings. Maybe- I’ve never heard someone refer to their X cousin Y times removed unless they were specifically explaining the relationship. When someone says 'I’m going to my cousin’s kids wedding", it might be their first cousin’s kid or the child of their second cousin once removed. The only thing I might assume is that the cousin is at least around the speaker’s age ( because if the kid was around the speaker’s age, they would have said “my cousin’s wedding”). But many of the people I know are in at least occasional contact as far out as second cousin twice removed and that could make a difference. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-in-translation-words-that-have-no-easy-equivalent-in-english/981032.md?page=4)