There鈥檚 a running debate among translators about what word is hardest to translate. Obviously, the challenges vary from language to language, with languages that have less in common creating more elusive word to word translations. Let鈥檚 acknowledge that determining the hardest word to translate is more of a game than any sort of realistic exercise. That said, here are a few contenders that make the hypothetical list.Jayus is an Indonesian word that conveys the awkward humor聽behind a joke delivered so badly that you can鈥檛 help but laugh. In English, we sarcastically say, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 so funny I forgot to laugh.鈥�
- Tartle is a Scottish word for the hesitation one feels when introducing people but having forgotten someone鈥檚 name.
- Prozvonit is a Czech word for 鈥渄ropped call鈥� but it refers to a mobile phone user who calls, lets the phone ring once then hangs up. The person who was called then dials the caller, saving the caller the cost of the call.
- Saudade is a Portuguese word for longing for someone or something that someone has loved and lost. It is stronger than the sense of the English nostalgia.聽(A Spanish word, duende, is considered difficult for similar reasons. Learn the exact story, here.)
- Cafune is a Brazilian Portuguese verb for running your fingers through someone鈥檚 hair tenderly.聽The Danish word Hyggelig literally translates as “cozy,” but the modern connotation has more to do with how Danes see themselves.
One of the hardest English words to translate into other tongues is gobbledygook, meaning 鈥渏argon-filled language that is difficult to read, maybe intentionally confusing.鈥� It鈥檚 based on the onomatopoeic sound of a turkey鈥檚 gobble. Given the confusion that language learning students face when deciphering new words that would be a handy word to have available to describe what a poor translation looks like.
Can you think of any other words that would be difficult to translate into English? Let us know.
* Special thanks to Maria and Manny at Alta Language Services
