Untranslatable words highlight the rich diversity of the ethnosphere. Geography, climate, cuisine, religion, history and humor are just some of the factors that lead every language to invent such unique and specific words – the outliers of the human experience.
不可译的词语凸显了世界民族文化的多样性。地理环境、气候条件、饮食习惯、宗教信仰、历史人文和通俗幽默等等因素的综合作用使每种语言都生产出独特的个性化的词语——它们是人类生活经验的外层显现。
There are so many great examples of untranslatable words. Here are the first seven.
世界上有许多经典的不可译介的单词,以下是首当其冲的七个。
1.abbiocco (Italian)
abbiocco(意大利语)
noun: that sleepy feeling you get after a big meal
名词:指在你大餐一顿之后感到的困乏感
Everyone has succumbed to drowsiness after a meal at one time or another, but only the Italians have enshrined the phenomenon in a single word. When you wish you could take a nap after lunch, you’re “having the abbiocco (avere l’abbiocco).
每个人都有过吃饱饭后昏昏欲睡的感觉,但只有意大利人将这种现象上升为了一个单词。当你吃完午饭想要睡个午觉的时候,你就“有一个abbiocco。
2.desenrascanço (Portuguese)
desenrascanço(葡萄牙语)
noun: the ability to improvise a quick solution
名词:指能够对一个问题快速做出即时反应的能力
Desenrascanço is the M.O. of any high-functioning procrastinator. Not only does it mean to solve a problem or complete a task, it means doing so with a completely improvised solution.
Desenrascanço是一切拖延症患者临时抱佛脚时的惯用手法。这个词不单单指解决一个问题或完成一个任务,而是指用完全即兴的手法来完成任务。
3.hyggelig (Danish)
hyggelig(丹麦语)
adj: comfy, cozy; intimate; contented
形容词:感到舒服、舒适;体己;满足
Do you ever wish there was one word to combine everything snuggly, safe, friendly and caring? The Danes have you covered with hyggelig. The word is used so often in daily life that many Danes consider it part of the national character.
你是不是也有过这样的愿望,希望能有一个词概指所有让人感觉舒服、安全、友好、温暖的东西?丹麦人用hyggelig这个词满足了你的要求。这个词在丹麦人的日常生活中使用频率非常之高,丹麦人将其看成是他们民族性格标志之一。
4.sobremesa (Spanish)
sobremesa(西班牙语)
noun: after-lunch conversation around the table
名词:指午饭后坐在桌边的闲聊
The Spanish are known for enjoying long meals together, but eating isn’t just about food. When you stay at the table after lunch in order to savor a final course of stimulating conversation, you are indulging in sobremesa.
人人都知道西班牙人很喜欢一群人一起吃一顿长长的午餐,不过吃午餐却并不只是吃的问题。当你吃完午饭,留在桌前享受着最后一道菜——兴奋愉悦的谈话时,你正在享受sobremesa。
5.utepils (Norwegian)
utepils(挪威语)
noun: a beer you drink outside
名词:指你在室外享用的一杯啤酒
Norwegians must endure a long, dark winter before they can enjoy the brilliant, but brief, summer. So a beer that you can drink outside, while absorbing the sun’s glorious rays, is not just any old beer.
对挪威人来说,他们必须熬过漫长、黑暗的冬季,才能享受灿烂而短暂的夏日。所以,当你能够在户外享受着太阳温暖的光芒,喝上一杯啤酒的时候,这杯啤酒就绝不仅仅是啤酒了。
6.verschlimmbessern (German)
verschlimmbessern(德语)
verb: to make something worse when trying to improve it
动词:指想要做好某事却反而弄巧成拙
We’ve all done this before: by trying to fix a small problem we create a bigger problem. Perhaps you tried to repair a flat tire on your bike, and now the wheel won’t turn? Or after reinstalling Windows your laptop freezes every time you boot up? Oh no, don’t tell me you tried to fix that bad haircut yourself!
我们都做过这样的事情:想要解决一个小问题,结果却制造了一个大问题。是不是有这种情况,你本想修一下爆胎的自行车,结果却发现车轮不转了?又是不是有这种情况,当你重装了windows系统之后,你的笔记本电脑却一开机就卡壳?哦,别告诉我你觉得理发效果不满意,就要自己亲自操刀!
7.yakamoz (Turkish)
yakamoz (土耳其语)
noun: the reflection of moonlight on water
名词:指水面上月亮的倒影
No matter which language you speak, from time to time you probably admire the moon’s reflection on a body of water. But unless you’re Turkish it’s impossible to describe this beauty with a single word.
无论你说哪种语言,你一定经常对水面上月亮的倒影生出怜爱之情。然而你却不能用一个单词来描述这种美景,除非你是土耳其人。
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