Lost in translation

Some words are just untraslatable...here's a few.


Wabi-Sabi(Japanese): Much has been written on this Japanese concept, but in a sentence, one might be able to understand it as "a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay."

Saudade (Portuguese): One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.” Fado music, a type of mournful singing, relates to saudade.

Tingo (Pascuense): Hopefully this isn’t a word you'd need often: "the act of taking objects one desires from the house of a friend by gradually borrowing all of them."

Read more untranslatable words here



« RETURN TO BLOG