Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders
"Words allow us to grasp and hold on to an extraordinary amount," Sanders writes. "The ability that language gives us is incredibly complex."
For instance, while writing this I had a bad case of Iktsuarpok.
That's an Inuit word when you keep getting up to look around for someone who's coming, then sitting down, and getting up to look around again. (There's always someone who doesn't know. . .)
Lost in Translation is a charming collection of unstranslatable words in many languages, from Finnish to Urdu, which describe emotions and actions we all feel and do, regardless of language. Describing them in English often takes many words while other languages condense them into one. Unlike those books which list the longest words or most convoluted, reading this one it felt comforting to know that it actually is a worldwide thing to understand someone's directions perfectly when they tell you but then forget when its time to make a turn. ("Akihi", Hawaiian)
A definition is given along with a more human description, which artfully expresses the essence of the word. The whimsical artwork makes it a light read. Its perfect to keep out on a table to casually browse, and then stun people with your linguistic knowledge.
Lost in Translation can be read in one sitting but its rich content will keep you returning for more.
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