Emotions That Are Not Translatable in the English Language

Our language has some catching up to do

Do you know when you think of something clever to say after an argument when it’s too late? In English, we don’t have a name for that feeling but the French have L’esprit de l’escalier. It translates to “staircase wit”, and means coming up with a clever comeback after it’s too late.

I’m familiar with the delayed comeback, but I didn’t know that feeling had a name, other than ‘Damn, I wish I thought of that earlier.’

Other languages have names for feelings I didn't even know could be captured into a word.

Let me share some examples of what we are missing out on.

In Arabic, there’s Tarab- a musically induced state of ecstasy or enchantment. There is no English word that translates Tarab accurately but the terms ecstasy and trance are often used as synonyms. It’s more than a feeling, it’s a movement, a bond between the musician and listener.

The depth cannot be conveyed in English words. But after reading a bit about the Tarab, I know that I have experienced something similar. Just like a term I thought of in high school, Second-Hand Embarrassment.

What I know as Second-Hand Embarrassment has an actual name

In Spanish, Pena ajena -the embarrassment you feel watching someone else’s humiliation. Empathizing with someone, in real-time, while they make a fool of themselves.

In a more twisted way, the German word Schadenfreude, is when you find pleasure from someone else’s pain or misfortune. I’m hoping that this is light-hearted, not hurtful or evil.

Or how’s this for sad- Hiraeth (Welsh) is a homesickness for a home you cannot return to. When you miss the comfort and coziness of being at home with friends and family, the Dutch have Gezelligheid. Similarly, the Danish have Hygghe, the comfort of enjoying food and drink with friends and family.

When we are feeling ‘sad’, that is so vague. When maybe you have felt Saudade (Portuguese)- A melancholic feeling of incompleteness; longing for something that might never return. Or perhaps, Natsukashii (Japanese)- missing, longing for something in the past, but describes joy and gratitude for the memory.

Those are two very different forms of sadness and there are no English words to capture them.

The English language is missing out on fun emotions as well

Iktsuarpok (Inuit)- the anticipation while waiting for someone is so great that you keep checking out the window for them.

That is a mixture of good anxiety and hope.

The Flipino’s have Gigil, which in Tagalog means, trembling; overwhelming emotion. This is an uncontrollable urge to pinch or kiss a child’s face because they are so dang adorable.

For some of us, this is how we react to animals. I love baby anything!

Also in Tagalog, kilig is the butterflies in your stomach when talking to your crush, or a person you admire.

In such happy times, the Bantu people in Africa have the words mbuki-mvuki- To spontaneously take your clothes off and run around naked.

That’s on another level.

Why don’t we have names for these things in English? No wonder I have a hard time saying how I feel, there are no words in English to describe them! We have umbrella terms for all the major emotions, but that leaves so much unexplained.

To be able to identify our feelings, there has to be words that fit these emotions. We could gain so much by borrowing bits and pieces from other languages.

Isn’t that how we got most of our language anyway?

English is a baby language

Compared to the older languages like Hebrew, Arabic, And Aramaic, English is still in infant stages. Our language is changing all the time, and it’s hard to keep up with all the rules.

Maybe the reason why English doesn’t have words for certain emotions is because of its age. We just don’t have the right words to describe things yet.

However, we can change that, too.

A graphic designer and filmmaker, John Koenig, set out to find emotional states that we don’t have words for, and name them. He creates the roots of words from existing languages, and poetically defines them.

Later, he compiled them into a best-selling book. Here are some of the most intriguing from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.

• Aulasy (noun)- the sadness that there’s no way to convey a powerful memory to people who weren't there at the time.
• Lilo (noun)- a friendship that can lie dormant for years only to pick right back up instantly, as if no time had passed since you last saw each other.
• Aftersome (adj.)- astonished to think back on the bizarre sequence of accidents that brought you to where you are today.
• Ringlorn (adj.) — the wish that the modern world felt as epic as the one depicted in old stories and folktales.

There are feelings described in other languages that I never knew had a name. Many times, I felt frustrated because there are no words that could accurately convey my thoughts or feelings. I may never find all of them, but it’s good to have a few more options.

I can look to other languages to find the names for feelings, as there is still a lot to gain. If I can’t find the right words, however, maybe I can be the one to bring them into existence.

I imagine there are people out there who can relate.

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