#untranslatable word

[stimtfil]

why looking so pretty when talking shit like this?

my boys thanggi and namsu🫶🫶🫶🫶

a piece from my fic

but it's thanos/namgyu/minsu actually

[serpentface]

WARDI TERMS OF ENDEARMENT

emense [ɛmɛnse] (eh-mehn-say)

Has meaning close to 'beloved' or 'darling'. "Ya emense" (meaning 'my beloved'/'my darling') is often contracted "y'mense".

bubuch [bubuk] (boo-bookh)

Somewhat of a nonsense word, basically ‘big-big’. Tends to either be used for small children or flirtatiously between adults (kind in between 'baby' and 'big boy' in functionality, though without gendered implications of the latter). Sometimes instead used as a form of intense condescension.

ya mache mes [ja mɑke mes] (yah mah-kay mace)

Functionally means "my other face", using the figurative word for face describing a concept of fundamental nature rather than anatomy. Very intense term of endearment, expresses the recipient as a core part of one's identity. Kind of equivalent to 'my other half' but not exclusively romantic.

ya tsitsima [ja ͡tsi͡tsimə] (yah tsee-tsee-muh)

Means "my blood". This term is used more broadly to denote familial relations, and is more of a term of endearment when used outside of actual biological relationship (calling your sister 'my blood' is just an intense way of saying 'my [relative]', calling a non-relative 'my blood' is VERY pointedly affectionate).

ya ungande [ja ungɑnde] (yah oon-gahn-day)

Often contracted to y'ungande, dead literally means "my liver" as in the organ. Ungande alone is also used as a food-based term of endearment, similar to 'honey' except instead with delicious organ meat.

anuje [ɑnudʒe] (ah-noo-jay)

Food based term of endearment, referring to a tree sap that is the most commonly used form of sweetener. Functionally identical to 'honey' in usage.

anu tlansekoma [ɑnu tlɑnsekoʊmə] (ah-noo tlahn-say-koh-muh)

This one actually means 'honey' (dead literally 'bee sweet'). Less common than 'anuje' as a term of endearment due to general cultural preference for anuje as a sweetener and the relative rarity of beekeeping.

inyagit [injəgit] (een-yah-geet)

Diminutive form of 'sun'. 'Ya inya' (my sun) occurs as well, but is less common.

y'mit agai [j'mit ɑgaɪ] (yuh-meet ah-gai)

Contraction of 'ya amit agai', 'my blue moon'. This specification is more common than a general 'my moon(s)' and is fairly loaded, given this particular moon is the site of the afterlife for the most honored dead. The phrase both suggests a sort of celestial beauty and a sense of being honored and finding rest in the recipient. This is a VERY intense and almost exclusively romantic term of endearment.

coutomara [koʊtoʊmɑrə] (koh-to-mahr-uh)

Means 'handsome' or 'beautiful', implies masculine attractiveness. (Dead literally closer to 'strong face'/'strong featured').

jaimara [dʒaɪmɑrə] (jaim-mahr-uh)

Means 'pretty' or 'beautiful', implies feminine attractiveness (dead literally close to 'beautiful face'/'beautifully featured').

katsuy [kɑtsui] [kaht-soo'ee]

Sexually charged description of physical attractiveness, basically calling someone 'sexy'.

ya katsuymen [ja kɑtsuimɛn] (yah koht-soo'ee-mehn)

Related and also sexually charged, close in meaning to 'my desire'.

at akmatse yachouy [ɑt ɑkmɑtse jɑtʃɔɪ] (aht ahk-mat-say yah-choi )

Sexually explicit term of endearment. The dead literal translation is "one who makes me flower". The word "flower" here is not as euphemistic in context and is rather the nicest sounding possible way to say "makes me cum (HARD)". Not considered vulgar, rather cloyingly romantic if anything.

gan(ne) ama [gɑn(e) ɑmə] (gah(-nay) ahm-uh)

Means 'bull'. When used affectionately, implies masculine strength. Usually used in conjunction with an adjective (ie 'handsome bull') or more teasingly gannit ama (little/baby bull))

jaimeti [dʒaɪmɛti] (jai-meh-tee)

Means 'gazelle' (the name for the animal itself is close in meaning to 'beautiful horn'), heavily associated with grace and beauty. Also tends to be used with adjectives ('lovely gazelle' 'handsome gazelle' etc) or with a diminutive.

ansiba [ɑnsibɑ] (ahn-see-bah) or ansibit [ɑnsibit] (ahn-see-beet)

Means 'duck' and 'duckling' respectively, specifically refers to the animal and implies cuteness. Ansibit is a very common term of endearment for children.

"Wannaukoma such datse anmo" [wɑnaʊkoʊmə suk dɑtse ɑnmoʊ] (wahn-now-koh-muh sookh daht-say ahn-moh)

Means 'an ant could swallow you', implies cuteness (ie the recipient is so small and tiny an Ant could devour them whole). Usually used on children, occasionally used on adult women (in a way that feels intensely patronizing to many). 'Datse' (you) may be replaced by the recipients surname or honorific in the rare case that someone would dare calling someone this without being on first name basis with them.

wannaukomit [wɑnaʊkoʊmit] (wahn-now-koh-meet)

Means 'little ant', a term of endearment that borders on insulting even to babies.

OTHER:

-it [it] (eet)

This is a diminutive modifier, which can be added to a name or other word/term of endearment to denote affection (can also be condescending). It lacks internal meaning in everyday use and is closer to the English -y or -ie (billy johnny rosie susie puppy kitty ducky etc).

hippe [hipɛ] (heep-peh) (some dialects drop the h sound entirely)

Means 'small' or 'little', can be spoken with other words/names as an affectionate diminutive.

Other epithets-

Various epithets used in the language are not exclusively used as terms of endearment, but can be contextually. Most commonly, this will be the -machen epithet of the recipients zodiac birthsign (particularly those considered auspicious). Someone with the lion birthsign could be respectfully and/or affectionately called 'odomachen', or VERY affectionately called 'ya odo' ('my lion'). There's also a good variety of poetic epithets that have worked their way into common language as affectionate compliments/descriptors- ie ganatoche (dead literally 'cow-eye', more prettily 'ox-eyed') is a complimentary descriptor for brown eyes, anaemaitsa (dead literally 'river-haired', more prettily 'flowing-haired') compliments wavy hair.

Given name basis-

In Wardi culture, full names are spoken with the family name preceding the given name. When respectfully speaking to a stranger, peer, or authority figure, you refer to them by their family name, title, and/or an honorific. Being on an accepted given name basis with someone is generally indicative of closeness and affection.

datse [dɑtse] (dah-tsay)

This is the word for "you". Similarly to the use of a given name, actually referring to someone as 'you' (rather than a surname, title, or honorific in place of the pronoun) expresses familiarity and intimacy.

[thatswhywelovegermany]

Wenn man den Glühwein zu heiß trinkt, hat man hinterher gebrannte Mandeln.

[schizochroal]

I know it's a minor thing, altogether, but I've grown to hate those "this non-english word is untranslatable" things you see all the time on the internet.

Like it is basically always "this word has nuances that dont directly map onto the nearest English equivalent" which is a trivial statement, because that's true of basically every word in any sufficiently distant language, or it's "this language has a single word for a something that English needs two words or a short phrase to say" which displays seemingly a complete lack of knowledge about translation works in the first place or that different languages have different grammar.

[cowboygideon]

Lacuna - K.P.

tags: @blondeandfivefeeteven @you-know-i-get-itt !!

[raointean]

So, I've really wanted to sing "Golden Leaves" ever since I heard the song, and I had the idea to sing the translation along with the actual verses. The second verse was translated in the show (though I may tweak it a little to make it fit better with the tune).

The first verse, however, is posing some problems. I found a translation in the comments of the song on YouTube (the comment has since been deleted) but it was WAY too unweildy and, after translating the words myself, doesn't quite seem to fit? Now, I've translated the words, but I'm struggling with how to get them to make sense.

Help?

*no translation for this word on elfdict. I found the closest words I could

Sís laurië lassi taitë rie nin lingwa* vandie

Here golden leaves of that sort only to me/for me (fish? Dragon? Coil?)* path

Ampalla váya htalia si lantarel danier

Up wide sea(waters/motion) ??? here while (beyond? thither? high?) elf(ves?) back as

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

[aran-morinorea]

I am awake and I really wish I weren't, so yall get a bit of Diplomatic Incident. Things only get sillier from here.

This, unfortunately, resulted in Tar-Glóriel turning his firey eyes and inexplicable pout on Elrond, and the words coming out of his mouth showed little sign of making sense. “Well, yes! Do you not have, you know, a person, where the barest suggestion that you’re not their favorite person in the whole of Creation makes you want to burn something to the ground?” Elrond blinked. “To be fair,” Tar-Glóriel allowed, “I don't know if you would be the type for arson urges, Lúthienhîl, but… makes you very upset, let’s say.”

[vexic929]

Aftermath

Chapter 1

Chapter 2: link

Warnings: suicidal ideation

Dépite. ひふんこうがい. Martirio.

It was honestly incredible how many words there were for how Hartley was feeling as he left S.T.A.R. Labs for the last time, escorted out by four burly security guards. (That was far too many in Hartley's opinion, probably more for spectacle than any fear on Harrison's part of what Hartley would do.) He didn't want to know what Ramon or Snow or Raymond thought, what lies Harrison would tell them about his abrupt firing. More than likely, he'd make up something about Hartley trying to sabotage their progress. Which was absurd, Hartley had been fiercely dedicated to the project, anyone could see that, but Ramon at least was probably foolish enough to buy it and Snow and Raymond loyal enough to go along with it.

"Get your fucking hands off of me." Hartley snarled as one of the security guards gripped his shoulder when they approached the door.

So much for keeping his cool. But what did it matter anyway, he wasn't coming back here, he didn't need to be professional. The guard merely tightened his grip, giving Hartley a warning glare. Hartley's heart raced with anger and frustration as he shrugged off the hand and stormed out the door.

It was uncharacteristically warm for Missouri in October but he still shivered as a cold sense of betrayal gnawed at his insides. He didn't have anywhere to go, not really. He could go back to the rundown apartment he rented, but what was the point? He felt like little more than a pawn in some twisted game, destined to be sacrificed in the first few moves.

Hartley walked aimlessly through the streets of Central City for what must have been hours. He felt like screaming, like pounding his fists against the pavement until they bled. But he knew it wouldn't change anything.

His mind kept replaying the confrontation over and over again without his permission, the look of smug satisfaction on Harrison's face as he delivered the final blow. So cold, so cruel, so unlike the warm, easy smiles he'd given Hartley on quiet evenings alone. God, he felt sick.

Why did this always happen? Every good thing in his life Hartley had to ruin by opening his damn mouth. He was the common denominator in all of it. It had been his decision to come out to his parents, his decision to go looking for trouble in the accelerator - if he'd just kept his head down, stayed in his place...well, it was too late for that.

It was only the knowledge that he needed to go home and take care of his rats that led him back to his apartment and not off the edge of the nearest bridge. Hamelin and Erdős greeted him as happily as ever when he opened their cage, oblivious to the self-loathing spiral in his head, scurrying up his arms and onto his shoulders to poke their noses into his cheek, begging for treats. Hartley made his way to the kitchen and pulled out the last of the baby carrots from the bag in the fridge, cutting it into small, round pieces.

As Hartley mechanically went through the motions of caring for his pets, his mind kept returning to the injustice of it all. His fury and frustration faded into a bone-deep weariness. He sank into a kitchen chair, his head in his hands, feeling the weight of everything bearing down on him. Hamelin and Erdős paid him no mind, happily munching on carrot slices.

The ache consuming his soul was horribly familiar, his head spinning with a discordant cacophony of memories turned sour. There had to have been warning signs, red flags he'd missed. Harrison wasn't a monster, hadn't seemed so full of hubris that he'd risk the lives of his team and everyone in Central City. He'd been kind, charming...was it all a façade? He'd said he'd loved Hartley, had that just been another lie? Or had Hartley just fucked everything up as he was wont to do?

As Hartley sat there, lost in his thoughts, the despair suffocating, he felt another surge of anger rise within him. Anger at himself for being so blind, anger at Harrison for betraying him, anger at the world for being so cruel - but it left as quickly as it had come, leaving a hollow feeling in his chest. He choked on a sob, the tears hot and bitter, streaming down his cheeks unchecked. He didn't bother wiping them away as he buried his face in his hands, his body trembling as he finally allowed himself to completely break down. He couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that consumed him. He was alone now, truly alone once again, with no one to turn to and nowhere to go. He felt like the terrified, devastated 17-year-old again, not the capable adult he'd become.

Hartley let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow and muffled against his palms. What was the point of being fluent in six languages if he couldn't even make himself heard? Harrison had silenced him as effectively as if he'd cut out his tongue and cut off his hands.

Hamelin and Erdős squeaked from the table, finally making Hartley look up again and wipe the tears off of his face. For a moment, Hartley envied them their simplicity. Their world consisted of food, shelter, and the occasional game of hide-and-seek in the maze he'd built for them. They didn't have to worry about betrayal or lies or the crushing weight of loneliness.

Hartley reached out and stroked Hamelin's fur gently, the repetitive motion soothing to his frazzled nerves and spiraling mind. Erdős squeaked again and squirmed his way under Hartley's hand, demanding attention as well.

Hartley's tears slowed, his breaths shaky but steadier now. He needed to pull himself together, for Hamelin and Erdős if nothing else. The thought of packing up and leaving Central City crossed his mind, of starting fresh somewhere far away from all the pain and betrayal, but he quickly dismissed it. Running away wouldn't solve anything, wouldn't make the hurt go away. Besides, Central City had been his home all his life. He couldn't - wouldn't - let Harrison fucking Wells drive him out of his own city.

With a deep breath, Hartley pushed himself up from the table and wiped his eyes once more, determined to regain some semblance of composure. His mind raced this time with possibilities; with plans for revenge, for redemption, for finding a new path forward. He wouldn't let Harrison win.

With renewed determination, Hartley set about cleaning up the kitchen, tidying his apartment, and making sure Hamelin and Erdős had everything they needed. As the evening wore on and the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the living room, Hartley found himself drifting towards his makeshift workbench in the corner. His fingers itched to tinker, to build, to create something new. To build something he could use. He put Hamelin and Erdős back in their cage and sat at the desk to begin sketching, fueled by his newfound loathing of the man he'd given everything to.

~~~~~

Dépite: French for an itching irritation or fury left by a bitter disappointment (such as being rejected by a lover)

ひふんこうがい (hifunkougai): Japanese for a righteous, miserable anger, frustration, or despair over a situation that cannot be changed

Martirio: Spanish for a situation so bad that you feel you must be sanctified after going through it

[heart-songs]

Nobody has ever measured, not even the poets, how much the heart can hold.

Zelda Fitzgerald

[serpentface]

Do you conlang? I was wondering if you had naming languages (or possibly even more developed ones) for pulling the words you use. I tried to search your blog but didn't find anything, wouldn't be surprised if the feature is just busted tho. Your worldbuilding is wonderful and I particularly enjoy the anthropological and linguistic elements.

Ok the thing is I had kind of decided I was not going to do any conlanging because I don't feel like I'm equipped to do a good job of it, like was fully like "I'm just going to do JUST enough that it doesn't fail an immediate sniff test and is more thoughtful than just keysmashing and putting in vowels". And then have kinda been conlanging anyway (though not to a very deep and serious extent. I maybe have like....an above average comprehension of how language construction works via willingness to research, but that's not saying much, also I can never remember the meanings of most linguistic terms like 'frictives' or etc off the top of my head. I'm just kinda raw dogging it with a vague conceptualization of what these things mean)

I do at least have a naming language for Wardi (and more basic rules for other established languages) but the rudimentary forms of it were devised with methods much shakier and less linguistically viable than even the most basic naming language schemes, and I only went back over it LONG after I had already made a bunch of words so there's some inconsistencies with consonant presence and usage. (This can at least be justified because it IS a language that would have a lot of loanwords and would be heavily influenced by other language groups- Burri being by far the most significant, Highland-Finnic and Yuroma-Lowlands also being large contributors)

The 'method' I used was:

-Skip basic construction elements and fully move into devising necessary name words, with at least a Vibe of what consonants are going to be common and how pronunciation works -Identify some roots out of the established words and their meanings. Establish an ongoing glossary of known roots/words. -Construct new words based in root words, or as obvious extensions/variants of established words. -Get really involved in how the literal meanings of some words might not translate properly to english, mostly use this to produce a glossary of in-universe slang. -Realize that I probably should have at least some very basic internal consistency at this point. -Google search tutorials on writing a naming language. -Reverse engineer a naming language out of established words, and ascribe all remaining inconsistencies to being loanwords or just the mysteries of life or whatever.

I do at least have some strongly established pronunciation rules and a sense of broad regional dialect/accents.

-'ai' words are almost always pronounced with a long 'aye' sound.

-There is no 'Z' or 'X' sound, a Wardi speaker pronouncing 'zebra' would go for 'tsee-brah', and would attempt 'xylophone' as 'ssye-lohp-hon'

-'V' sounds are nearly absent and occur only in loanwords, and tend to be pronounced with a 'W' sound. 'Virsum' is a Highland word (pronounced 'veer-soom') denoting ancestry, a Wardi speaker would go 'weer-sum'.

-'Ch' spellings almost always imply a soft 'chuh' sound when appearing after an E, I, or O (pelatoche= pel-ah-toh-chey), but a hard 'kh' sound after an A or U (odomache= oh-doh-mah-khe). When at the start of a word, it's usually a soft 'ch' unless followed by an 'i' sound (chin (dog) is pronounced with a hard K 'khiin', cholem (salt) is pronounced with a soft Ch 'cho-lehm')

-Western Wardin has strong Burri cultural and linguistic influence, and a distinct accent- one of the most pronounced differences is use of the ñ sound in 'nn' words. The western city of Ephennos is pronounced 'ey-fey-nyos' by most residents, the southeastern city of Erubinnos is pronounced 'eh-roo-been-nos' by most residents. Palo's surname 'Apolynnon' is pronounced 'A-puh-lee-nyon' in the Burri and western Wardi dialects (which is the 'proper' pronunciation, given that it's a Kos name), but will generally be spoken as 'Ah-poh-leen-non' in the south and east.

-R's are rolled in Highland-Finnic words. Rolling R's is common in far northern rural Wardi dialects but no others. Most urban Wardi speakers consider rolling R's sort of a hick thing, and often think it sounds stupid or at least uneducated. (Brakul's name should be pronounced with a brief rolled 'r', short 'ah' and long 'uul', but is generally being pronounced by his south-southeastern compatriots with a long unrolled 'Brah' sound).

Anyway not really a sturdy construction that will hold up to the scrutiny of someone well equipped for linguistics but not pure bullshit either.

[rosehippiefield]

I feel that I went so overboard with deriving words from character's names that I fully want to use Egokorian as a regular word (Egokorian as an adjective but now I think it sounds cool as "part of nation name" too)

[unreal-unearth-undead]

Butchered Tongue and the double meaning. Butchered tongue as in a tongue (language) that has been a target of violence- a ‘dying’ language isn’t dying of natural causes, it’s being murdered.

But also, ‘butchering’ a language being a common phrase for clumsy attempts at a language. That to learn a language stolen by colonial violence means awkward, clumsy attempts at a new tongue that should’ve been second nature. It means ‘butchering’ the pronunciation at first.

And the way the song makes this clear - all the descriptions of violence done to the Irish and the Irish language by the British. But also the descriptions of struggling to work through pronunciations of a new tongue. The road signs he grew up around are in Irish, they sound like home, but he describes his own ear as foreign. all around him and yet he must carefully work his way through these words. The joy of there still being people around who can translate and teach Irish which isn’t true of all butchered tongues.

The violence of a language that has been butchered by colonial violence alongside the hope of new life that is contained in butchering the tongue as new learners clumsily find their way through a language that is both foreign and familiar.

[princemick]

god translating dutch is hard as fuck when all these players just talk normal dutch. bro idk how to translate this shit

[avo-kat]

10 uNtRaNsLaTaBlE german words!!!!!

wanderlust = hiking-desire

schadenfreude = harmjoy

zeitgeist = timeghost

doppelgänger = double-walker

backpfeifengesicht = bake-pipe-face

sprachgefühl = language-feel

sturmfrei = storm-free

schnapsidee = booze-idea

kopfkino = head-cinema

feierabend = celebration-evening

?? its so easy. whats the problem. use a dictionary? idiots.

[meezer]

I've had this post in my head for a long time and I just need to make it even though I don't neccesarily agree with it:

how "dor" enjoyers look when real untranslatable word enthusiasts come at them

author's notes:

"dor" is a romanian word very often touted as one of those "untranslatable words." this annoys me because people will often swoon over it and think woooow how beautiful.. but every time I come up with it used in an actual sentence, it's extremely easy to translate. guys. it's yearning for/missing someone or something. "missing" is the more common connotation. maybe the 'untranslatable' part comes from it being a noun, missing as a noun is less common in english. fair enough, but then in english there is "yearning." AND "LONGING" HOW COULD I FORGET "LONGING."

I mostly believe the untranslatable word industrial complex was invented to sell more coffee table books to millennials. there is something beautiful about the notion of a word so specific that it can't be translated without sacrificing much of its nuance while also conveying a beautifully universal feeling. I can't deny the beauty and value in that. however. I don't know. upon closer inspection I genuinely just feel that... these words are simply not that untranslatable innit

[silencedrowns]

as someone who survived the kaizoku-fansubs days, I’m gonna fucking fight everyone responsible for this

how dare you bring this back