User:KevinJr42/savedelpgs/Words hardest to translate

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The list of words hardest to translate is a subjective list of words that have rich cultural connotations and overtones. Translators around the world have faced difficulties when they are doing their jobs. In the past, many people proposed many difficult words based on their experiences.

For example, Today Translations, a British translation company, surveyed 1,000 linguists and claimed the Bantu word "ilunga" as the most difficult non-English word to translate into English in June 2004. However, it was later found not exactly so. "Ilunga" is more likely to be a common personal name rather than a difficult word.

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[edit] The list of Today Translations

Words hardest to translate (Today Translations) was a list of words reported as being the world's most difficult word to translate in June 2004. This claim was made by a British translation company, Today Translations, based on its survey 1,000 linguists. According to Jurga Zilinskiene (head of Today Translations), the difficulty in translating the words picked out by the survey is not finding the meaning of these words, but rather conveying their cultural connotations and overtones.

The top ten of this list is documented here. However, it should be noted that some words in this list have been proven either a mistake or a hoax.

[edit] The ten non-English words that were voted hardest to translate

  1. ilunga, (Bantu language of Tshiluba for "a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time"). However, there is no independent evidence that the word actually means what the translation company claims. When asked for confirmation by one reporter, representatives of the Congo government recognized the word only as a personal name. Furthermore, the translation company failed to respond to inquiries regarding the survey.
  2. shlimazl (שלימזל) (Yiddish for a chronically unlucky person)
  3. radioukacz (Polish for a person who worked as a telegraphist for the resistance movements on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain), however it has been proven not to be a real word and it's either a mistake or a hoax.
  4. naa (なぁ or なー) (Japanese word only used in the Kansai (関西) area of Japan, especially in Osaka (大阪府), to emphasize statements or agree with someone)
  5. altahmam (Arabic for a kind of deep sadness †)
  6. gezellig (Dutch for cosy †)
  7. saudade (Portuguese for a certain type of longing †)
  8. selathirupavar (ெசல்லாதிருப்பவர்) (Tamil for a certain type of truancy †)
  9. pochemuchka (почемучка) (Russian for a person who asks a lot of questions)
  10. klloshar (Albanian for loser †)

[edit] The ten English words that were voted hardest to translate

  1. plenipotentiary †
  2. gobbledegook †
  3. serendipity †
  4. poppycock †
  5. googly †
  6. spam †
  7. whimsy †
  8. bumf †
  9. chuffed †
  10. kitsch †

(For a definition in wiktionary, follow the †.)

[edit] Sources

  • MacIntyre, Ben. Why do Koreans say "a biscuit would be nice" instead of "I want a biscuit"?, The Times, August 21, 2004.

[edit] External links


[edit] Theory

Things never seen in a country can be easy to translate. For example, "わさび" is a plant (Wasabia japonica) used as a spicy Japanese condiment. Traditionally, this plant only grows in Japan. It is unlikely that anyone in Brazil has a clear understanding of it. However, the easiest way to "translate" this word is to "borrow" it. Or you can use a similar vegetable's name to describe it. This word turns into the English word wasabi or Japanese horseradish. In Chinese, people can still call it "わさび" by its Japanese sound, or pronounce it by its Kanji characters "山葵" (pinyin: shan1 kui2). Horseraddish is not usually seen in Eastern Asia, people may parallel it with mustard. Hence, in some places, "yellow mustard" refers to imported mustard sauce; "green mustard" refers to wasabi.

[edit] From English to non-English

[edit] Arabian

ﻝﻮﺤﻜﻟﺃ - pronounciation: Al Kuhul

      - meaning:         Alcohol 
      - translation:     ???

AL is an adverb in arabian, meaning "the". What does cohol mean???

I believe cohol or kuhl means "essence" or a concentrate of a certain substance. Kuhl is also the word for the black eyeliner commonly used by Arab women. Alcohol, therefore, is a concentrated substance. Please feel free to check this up or correct me on this one if I've got it wrong.

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[edit] Hebrew

have - There is no verb for this in Hebrew. Hebrew uses a combination of words that mean "There is to me"

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[edit] From non-English to English

[edit] Arabian

holly

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[edit] Russian

пошлость n., /posh-lost'/ roughly means a mixture of banality, commonality, vulgarity. Владимир Владимирович Набоков (Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov) mentions it as one of hardest Russian words to translate precisely into English.

[edit] Spanish

[edit] See also