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Wednesday 16 September 2015

INFOGRAPHIC: AN A-Z OF UNTRANSLATABLE WORDS


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An A-Z of untranslatable words
By Kate Kozhevnikova,
Cheapflights, 27 August 2015.

Ever find you’re stuck for words? Can’t think of the best way to articulate your inner most thoughts? Well, sometimes the 1 million-plus words of the English language and our old time favourites “barby,” “plonk” or “sheila” simply don’t deliver enough options to fulfil your narrative needs.

However, a handful of international top terms are gradually beginning to enter the lexicon, which may help you out in times of tongue-tied discomfort - and we’ve rounded them up in this snappy little A-Z infographic of untranslatable words.

For example, in Indonesia they have a five-letter word for an unfunny joke, while in Japan they simply summarise an act of buying a book and never reading it as ‘tsundoku’ - and if you’re stuck for something to put in Grandma’s Christmas card come December, you could always enlighten her to the Finnish expression “poronkusema” - the distance a reindeer can travel before needing a wee wee.

An A-Z of "untranslatable" words 1

Top image via Die Bärliner.

[Source: Cheapflights. Top image added.]

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