Re: Untranslatable words
| From: | Christophe Grandsire <christophe.grandsire@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Thursday, June 24, 2004, 15:00 |
|---|
En réponse à Peter Bleackley :
>A survey of linguists has concluded that the following are the most
>untranslatable words in English.
>
>googly
>Spam (as in tinned meat)
>gobbledegook
>plenipotentiary
"plénipotentiaire" is a correct French word :) .
>gezellig Dutch for cozy
If it's so untranslatable, why give it a one-word translation? ;) Anyway,
its untranslatability is correct: "cozy" is certainly *not* a good
translation for "gezellig", unless you can be "cozy" in a full pub, while
drinking beer and singing a "levenslied" with people you never met before ;) .
Christophe Grandsire.
http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr
You need a straight mind to invent a twisted conlang.
Replies