Chartered Institute
of Linguists
Untranslatable: The words we wish English had
In a recent Members Poll we asked people to share their favourite ‘untranslatable words’. The responses included the Portuguese saudade and Welsh hiraeth, Turkish yakamoz and Greek philotimo.
These words illustrate how different languages and cultures capture concepts, sentiments and experiences that English can only describe at greater length. But there were some nice 'untranslatable' English words suggested too - including the word 'nice' itself...
Why ‘Untranslatable’?
As well as having its own very varied origins, English is full of ‘loan words’ from other languages. Cultural and linguistic encounter means English has borrowed terms many from other languages, as well as creating many new terms for new technologies, and absorbing fresh contemporary expressions of culture at a remarkable rate. But English has its blind spots.
When we asked CIOL members which ‘untranslatable word’ they wished English had, people nominated words that describe experiences we all recognise, but in English cannot easily name - as well as some English words which are so rich in meaning they can be hard to translate into other languages.
For translators, these words can present both a challenge and a delight. They remind us that language is more than vocabulary. It is a record of what different cultures notice, value and choose to name.
Many shades of longing
If one theme dominated the responses, it was longing. English gives us words such as nostalgia, yearning and homesickness, but other languages have their own rich and distinctive emotional palettes.
One suggestion was the Portuguese saudade, often translated as longing, but carrying more emotional depth. It can combine affection, nostalgia, absence and loss, often accompanied by the knowledge that what is missed may never return.
As the respondent commented:
Saudade is more than just longing or missing someone. It's nostalgia, it's remembrance, grief or sorrow caused by loss.
In Welsh we were offered hiraeth, a word frequently associated with a longing for home, homeland or a vanished past.
A Romanian contribution was dor, another powerful form of longing, while German's Fernweh turns the idea outward, describing a yearning for distant places yet to be explored. Another German suggestion was Weltschmerz – literally "world-pain" – a melancholy arising from the gap between reality and how we believe the world ought to be.
Words that bring people together
Many respondents selected words that capture human relationships and social connection.
One was the Greek philotimo (φιλότιμο). Sometimes described as one of the hardest words in Greek to translate, it combines honour, generosity, integrity, responsibility and the impulse to do what is right, even when nobody is watching.
Equally rich is the Turkish gönül, a word encompassing heart, soul, spirit and emotional centre. Depending on context, it can encompass love, goodwill, inner peace or heartfelt connection.
In Arabic, يعطيك العافية (Ya'teek al-'afiya) expresses thanks and appreciation by wishing someone strength and health. A contribution Turkish speakers will recognise is kolay gelsin, roughly meaning "may your work go smoothly". Finally, from Spanish came tertulia, a gathering centred on conversation and the exchange of ideas; more than a simple discussion, it celebrates the social and intellectual pleasure of talking together.
Everyday experiences, perfectly named
Not all untranslatable words concern profound emotions. Some simply capture moments in life with special precision.
One example was the Spanish sobremesa: the leisurely conversation that follows a meal, when nobody is quite ready to leave the table.
Another Spanish term proposed is estrenar, meaning to wear, use or experience something for the first time. It captures the thrill of a new purchase or outfit!
A German contribution was perhaps one of the most ‘relatable’ entries: der Anstandsrest, the final piece of food left untouched because everyone is too polite to take it.
Nature, beauty and moments worth naming
Some of the most evocative words in the survey describe moments where nature and emotion intersect.
German's Waldeinsamkeit refers to the feeling of being alone in a forest while also feeling connected to nature. It captures a peaceful solitude that is not lonely.
Similarly poetic is the Turkish yakamoz, the shimmering reflection of moonlight on water.
What untranslatable words bring translators
Ultimately, every language can in its own way express the full range of human thought and feeling; but languages do not divide the world in exactly the same way. Some have develop specialised vocabulary for specific emotions, social customs or aspects of nature that other languages leave unnamed.
When there is no direct equivalent, translators have to decide whether to explain, adapt, approximate or simply leave the original word in place. Far from being obstacles, for many, these moments are often where translation becomes most creative and enjoyable.
One survey respondent made this point by turning the question on its head, with a classic example from English – the word ‘nice’:
'Nice', because it is surprisingly difficult to translate. It can mean kind, pleasant, polite, attractive, agreeable, acceptable, enjoyable, socially smooth … Its vagueness is part of its meaning.
But there is no feeling of 'ciudă' between languages and linguists (the emotion described by the Romanian noun which, has no direct equivalent in English) i.e. “a mixture of envy and annoyance or a mixture of envy and enmity."
"Untranslatable" words are not just linguistic curiosities, they are windows into other cultures, revealing what people value, notice and feel strongly enough to name.
And that is what makes them so fascinating: each one offers a new way of seeing the world.
The full list of Member’s favourite ‘untranslatables’:
Amazing (English) - Astonishing, impressive, pleasing, or simply very good.
Anstandsrest (German) - The last small portion of food left out of politeness so as not to take the final piece.
Bespredel (Russian) - Lawlessness; behaviour that ignores moral or legal boundaries.
Binge-watch (English) - To watch multiple episodes of a television series, or large amounts of video content, in a single sitting or over a short period.
Cariñoso/cariñosa (Spanish) - Affectionate, warm, caring.
Ciudă (Romanian) - A mix of envy, irritation and resentment.
Doină (Romanian) - A lyrical folk expression of longing, often musical or poetic.
Dor (Romanian) - A deep, aching longing for someone or something absent.
Estrenar (Spanish) - To use or wear something for the first time.
Fernweh (German) - A longing for faraway places, the opposite of homesickness.
Φιλότιμο / Filótimo (Greek) - A complex sense of honour, pride, duty, generosity and doing what is right.
Gemütlich (German) - Cosy, comfortable, friendly, relaxed in atmosphere.
Gesellig (German) - Sociable, fond of company.
Gezelligheid (Dutch) - A sense of cosy sociability and shared warmth.
Ghost someone (English) - To abruptly cease all communication with a person without explanation, typically by not replying to messages, calls or emails.
Gönül (Turkish) - The emotional or spiritual heart; a seat of deep feeling and affection.
Heimat (German) - A deeply rooted sense of home, belonging and identity.
Hiraeth (Welsh) - A deep longing for home or something unattainable or lost.
Hwyl (Welsh) - An emotional, spirited energy, especially in performance or speech.
Kolay gelsin (Turkish) - A phrase wishing someone ease in their work.
Morriña (Galician) - A nostalgic longing for one’s homeland.
Mygg (Swedish) - “Midge”; sometimes used evocatively in cultural contexts of summer or outdoors life.
Nice (English) - Highly context-dependent: kind, pleasant, acceptable, socially smooth, or sarcastically, dismissive.
Puericultrice (French) - A trained nursery nurse specialising in infant care and development.
Santi (Hausa) - Socially inappropriate or gauche behaviour at a meal, such as complimenting the food or raising serious topics.
Saudade (Portuguese) - A profound, nostalgic longing mixed with affection and sorrow for something absent or lost.
Schadenfreude (German) - Pleasure derived from another’s misfortune.
Sobremesa (Spanish/Portuguese) - The time spent lingering at the table talking after a meal.
Spoiler Alert (English) - A warning that information is about to be revealed which may spoil the surprise of a film, book, television programme, sporting event or other experience. Often used humorously before revealing something trivial or unsurprising.
Sprezzatura (Italian) - An effortless grace; studied nonchalance that hides effort.
Tertulia (Spanish) - A regular social gathering for conversation, often about arts or culture.
Waldeinsamkeit (German) - A feeling of solitude and peace experienced alone in the woods.
Weltschmerz (German) - A deep sense of world-weariness or melancholy about the state of the world.
Yakamoz (Turkish) - The shimmer of moonlight reflecting on water, especially at night.
يعطيك العافية / Ya'teek al-'afiya (Arabic) - A phrase expressing appreciation, roughly “may you be given strength/health”.
Zakalec (Polish) - A cake or bread that has failed to bake properly, remaining dense or undercooked.
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