We are often limited by our vocabulary. The subjective experience is so unique that attempts to express it perfectly are not always successful. Think about all the feelings and sensations that you have experienced in the last few months, and how language cannot capture their nuances..
The problem is that when we cannot call something by its name, it is difficult for us to understand and remember it. Over time, the details of our experiences fade, leaving us with blurry memories of moments that we label with simple words like "happy" or "sad.".
The good news is that other languages come to our aid: although all languages have this limitation when viewed in isolation, collectively they can fill some of our communication limitations. Almost all languages have words that are not found in other languages. In linguistics, this is called "untranslatable" terms..
All languages "borrow" the missing terms and assimilate them into their lexicon, thus enriching their own vocabulary. This is precisely how languages evolve.
This is a list of "untranslatable" terms:
Arbejdsglæde - Danish
Literally "joy of work".
The pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own work and from the results related to professional life.
Capoter - Quebec French
Literally "overthrow or derail".
It can be used positively to express joy or ecstasy, and also negatively to imply that one is feeling overwhelmed and / or lost. Again, although it is a verb, it can also be adopted as a noun, for example: "This new work is a real bonnet!".
Restlessness - Spanish
Literally "agitation, malaise, anxiety".
State in which one cannot find comfort in the body or the mind; emptiness, restlessness, discomfort. For example, "2020 was really a very uneasy year.".
Eudaimonia - Greek
Literally "good spirit" or "good conscience".
Psychological, character development and subsequent performance. For example: "Happiness is not only pleasure and satisfaction, but also involves cultivating eudaimonia".
Feierabend - German
Literally, "night party".
The optimistic or relaxed mood that can occur at the end of a workday (although it can also simply mean the end of the day itself, without any particular holiday connotations). As in: "What a day it was, but it's finally Feierabend".
Firgun - Hebrew
Literally "empathetic joy without rancor".
Pride and happiness manifested by the successes of others. Take the opportunity to celebrate the successes of your colleagues. For example, "I am full of firgun for you".
Ikigai - Japanese
Literally "achievement, value, use or benefit of life"; essentially have a purpose in life, and a reason for being.
In relation to work, you can denote that area of the Venn diagram where there is a valuable alignment between (a) what you are good at, (b) what you enjoy, (c) what the world needs, and (d ) what the world can really pay you to do. For example, "My ikigai is different from what I do for a living".
Ubuntu - Zulu
Literally "humanity" or "I am because you are".
Connection, compassion and kindness based on common humanity; mutual understanding, care and respect. For example, "Ultimately, it is ubuntu that matters, and we must behave well with others".
The reason learning languages is so interesting and challenging is that languages don't work like Legos. You cannot remove a word and replace it with another. Sometimes there is no single piece that fits or does justice to the sentiment behind a concept. The words on this list are an example of this..
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