Peter Bleackley wrote:
> A survey of linguists has concluded that the following are the most
> untranslatable words in English.
>
> googly
as in cricket?
>
> Spam (as in tinned meat)
SPiced hAM. Portmanteau word. Presumably this applies to other words of
this type: brunch, snortle, motel, smog
>
> gobbledegook
My English-Spanish dictionary has 'galimatías'
>
> plenipotentiary
Spanish 'plenipotenciario'
>
> whimsy
Spanish 'capricho' though this might translate 'whim' better
>
> bumf
bum fodder
Spanish 'papeleo' which of course doesn't do the etymology justice
>
> serendipity
> poppycock
Spanish cháchara, palique
David Barrow
>
> kitsch
>
> The most untranslatable words from other languages
> ilunga Tshiluba word for a person who is ready to forgive any abuse a
> first
> time, tolerate it a second time, but never a third time.
> shlimazl Yiddish for chronically unlucky person.
> radioukacz Polish for a person who worked as a telegraphist for
> resistance
> movements on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain.
> naa Kansai dialect of Japanese, used to emphasise statements or agree
> with
> someone (possibly a variant of ne?)
> altahmam Arabic for a kind of deep sadness
> gezellig Dutch for cozy
> saudade Portuguese for a certain type of longing
> selathirupar Tamil for a certain type of truancy
> pochemuchka Russian for a person who asks a lot of questions
> klloshar Albanian for loser
>
> Pete
>