The challenge of untranslatable words
Language and translation are fascinating in many ways, but sometimes we encounter words that refuse to be translated smoothly from one language to another. It is as if they carry a unique meaning or feeling that is lost in direct translation. Have you, for example, tried translating the Swedish word ”vabba” into German? Or wondered why the English word ”impact” doesn't quite carry the same weight when you want to express it in Swedish? In this article, we dive into some of these ”untranslatable” words, and explore what is lost – and what can be found – in the pursuit of the perfect translation.
Untranslatables: words that are difficult to translate with a single word
Surely it makes a difference if the child replies regarding the school lunch I couldn't be bothered hands I didn't have timeIn the first case, you might feel the child's forehead and wonder if they have a fever, in the second you nag (yet again) about not losing track of time during hide-and-seek. In other words: it is relevant information.
However, both German and English lack Swedish's ability to express these (important) subtle distinctions with just a single word. Something is missing there.
It is an example of what is usually called untranslatablesa small gap in the pantry of a language on a shelf where another language happens to have precisely what is needed.
Vabba requires a longer translation in German
A slightly more modern constructed language is looking after a sick child. German needs at least two words: ”Kinderkrankengeld nehmen” (approx. claim compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency for looking after a sick child) to express looking after a sick child. The whole thing becomes even more complicated with the newer concept vobba. The combination of working from home while simultaneously looking after a sick child would need to be expressed with a whole string of words (something like Working from home despite a sick child or similar). And vabruari we aren't even getting into that, it gets too complicated!
Another good example is English impact. Swedish and German have many different concepts covered by impact, but nothing that reproduces the meaning 1:1. In Swedish, one could use impact, effect, consequence, meaning, consequence, impact, shock, slag, but there is always a slight nuance missing. English simply has some kind of fast track to cover all these meanings, whereas in German and Swedish you always have to choose a specific meaning.
All of these are untranslatables, but for various reasons.
Not always entirely obvious how to translate
A word can be very narrow or, conversely, have such a broad scope that it accommodates many different meanings. It can also be a unique word creation, which shows how language is so deeply rooted in an everyday life, culture and norm that it is constantly characterised and shaped by reality.
In actual fact, it is about untranslatables about a journey into the heart of language. Language has been invented and developed so that we can communicate smoothly. But the reality that another language refers to can be completely different from the one we ourselves know. What we perceive as a given that we can put into words can look different in another language, another country, another culture. In this way, untranslatables open our eyes to the diversity that exists: a diversity of different perspectives on what is most important and how it can be expressed.