11 Untranslatable Words From Other Cultures

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Submitted by jonnym1ller on August 21, 2013 - 9:45pm
“Words are but symbols for the relations of things to one another and to us; nowhere do they touch upon the absolute truth." - Friedrich Nietzsche The relationship between words and their meaning is a fascinating one, and linguists have spent countless years deconstructing it, taking it apart letter by letter, and trying to figure out why there are so many feelings and ideas that we cannot even put words to, and that some languages cannot identify. Somehow narrowing it down to just a handful, we've illustrated 11 of these wonderful, untranslatable, if slightly elusive, words.
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http://blog.maptia.com/posts/untranslatable-words-from-other-cultures
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11 UNTRANSLATABLE WORDS FROM OTHER CULTURES. CREATED BY MAPTIA WALDEINSAMKEIT (german) THE FEELING OF BEING ALONE IN THE WOODS. the mark left on a table by a cold glass. (italian) CUALACINO IKTSUARPOK (inuit) THE FEELING OF ANTICIPATION THAT LEADS YOU TO KEEP LOOKING OUTSIDE TO SEE IF ANYONE IS COMING. sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees. (japanese) A PERSON WHO ASKS A LOT OF QUESTIONS. (russian) POCHEMUCHKA SOBREMESA (spanish) the time spent after lunch or dinner,talking to the people you shared the meal with. JAYUS (indonesian) A JOKE TOLD SO POORLY AND SO UNFUNNY THAT ONE CANNOT HELP BUT LAUGH. THE ACT OF SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD IN ORDER TO HELP YOU REMEMBER SOMETHING YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN. (hawaiian) PANAPOO DEPAYSEMENT (french) the feeling that comes from not being in one's home country. GOYA (urdu) the transporting suspension of disbelief that can occur i.e in good storytelling. THE ROADLIKE REFLECTION OF THE MOON ON THE WATER. MANGATA (swedish)