LOST IN TRANSLATION

How Should You Reply If Someone Says “I Firgun for You”?

Published on June 1, 2024

Image: Sandy Millar

Each language is its very own unique galaxy of phrases, grammar, and vocabulary. Every language is different and has its own quirks, rules, and even personalities that sometimes get lost to a non-native speaker. It could be argued that the most difficult task for a translator is being able to properly convey these tiny nuisances that truly reflect the soul of every language on Earth.

Having said that, there are hundreds of words that not even the most skilled translator would be able to communicate. We have selected ten of the strangest, most beautiful, and unique words from all around the world. And while it is true that these words have no English equivalent, we are sure that the feelings they convey are truly universal. Enjoy!

Aspaldiko

Image: Zachary Nelson

They say that "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" and we believe that this is definitively the case. The feeling of catching up with a dear friend you haven’t seen in months, maybe years, is truly one that can’t be completely described. Luckily, the Basque language has provided us with a word that perfectly reflects this feeling, and that word is "Aspaldiko."

This word describes the happiness one feels when catching up with someone they haven’t seen in a really long time. If you ever happen to travel to the Basque Country in Spain, you might see that several restaurants and bars are named "Aspaldiko", and with good reason: What’s better than catching up with good friends over a nice meal?

Ailyak

Image: Héctor J. Rivas

Ailyak is one of the most beautiful entries on this list and we could have easily started with it, but if this Bulgarian word has taught us anything is that good things can’t be rushed. Ailyak is a truly heartwarming term used to describe doing everything with calm and patience, in order to truly enjoy the experience.

What’s truly beautiful about this word is that it perfectly encapsulates two of the most common English idioms: it mixes the joy of "stopping and smelling the roses", with the unparalleled wisdom of "practice makes perfect."

Prozvonit

Image: Annie Spratt

So far we have focused on heartwarming, wholesome meanings, so why don’t we take on a word that might actually help you save money? Let’s say that you have a close friend who lives far away, maybe even someone who makes you feel aspaldiko when you see them. You might want to call them and chat for a bit, but your phone plan isn’t the best, or maybe you just don’t have any minutes left. Well, you might be interested in learning the subtle art of prozvonit from the good people of the Czech Republic.

In the Czech language, the word proznovit recounts the action of calling someone over the telephone, but only letting it ring once to make the other person call back, in order to save money or minutes.

Uitwaaien

Image: Elijah Hail

Taking a long, nice walk all by yourself can be the perfect way to clear your mind from the woes of the day. Now, if you were to think about the perfect weather for taking a stroll, your mind would probably go to the clear, blue sky of a Spring day. However, if the Dutch language is to be believed, walking in cold, windy weather might be exactly what you need to clear your mind.

The Dutch expression uitwaaien means a refreshing state of mind achieved by going out in cold and windy weather. This word is usually attributed to long walks in nature, like parks or forests.

Sobremesa

Image: Lee Myungseong

Many tourists feel weird whenever an American waiter unpromptedly brings them the check: In most of these nations, customers usually ask for the check whenever they are done. In Spanish-speaking countries, there’s a timeless tradition behind it: the period after finishing a meal is reserved for casually chatting and relaxing with friends and family. There’s even a word for this period: Sobremesa, which literally means "over the table."

Sobremesa is a truly wonderful habit, and one we believe the whole world should embrace. That extra time after a meal can help everyone bond, listen, and learn so much more about those close to us.

Hyppytyynytyydytys

Image: Jonathan Borba

Try this word next time you are playing Scrabble. Granted, you’ll need nine Ys, but it's guaranteed to get at least 53 points! Now, if another player remains unconvinced by this eccentric Finnish word, allow us to give you its definition: it describes the joy one feels after sitting on a particularly bouncy cushion.

While it does look as if a cat walked over our keyboard, this word is actually particularly literal, since it translates to "bouncy cushion satisfaction". So, be sure to keep it in mind for the next time you sit down on a delightfully comfy couch… Especially if you are about to play a round of Scrabble.

Flâneur

Image: Arturo Castaneyra

Similar to uitwaaien, the adjective flaneur involves taking long, solitary walks that broaden your mind. However, the main difference between them is that a flaneur is necessarily someone who walks around a big metropolis and carefully observes the nuances of city life.

This term was first popularized during 19th-century France, particularly in the city of Paris. Many iconic French writers described this subtle art in many of their works: Perhaps most famously, Charles Baudelaire wrote several poems about flaneurs. Curiously, the word comes from the Old Norse flana, which means "to wander around without purpose."

Yaourt

Image: Brandi Alexandra

"Yaourt" or "Chanter in yaourt" is a French term that definitively is lost in translation, since its literal meaning in English would be "singing in yoghurt". And while that might sound like the low-stakes challenge of a bad game show, this expression actually involves a fun way to deal with the stress of performing.

Yaourt involves singing a song, usually in a foreign language, without fully knowing the words and compensating for it by using nonsensical sounds that vaguely resemble the lyrics to the song. If you are one of those people who don’t take karaoke too seriously, then you might want to try it next time you hit the stage.

Fahrvergnügen

Image: Toni Tan

German has an (unjust, in our opinion) reputation as a harsh language: An angry, difficult menagerie of harsh sounds and unspellable words. And while German grammar can be daunting, there’s a lot of beauty to be found in the beautiful pronunciation and, perhaps more importantly for this piece, the unique meaning of some words. Case in point: the gorgeously specific word fahrvergnügen.

Fahrvergnügen describes the unique joy one feels just by simply driving around. Like sauerkraut and kindergarten, this word is well known in the United States, made famous in the 90s by a successful Volkswagen ad. Fahrvergnügen comes from the verb fahren (to drive) and vergnügen (pleasure).

Firgun

Image: Simon Maage

We’ll end this list with perhaps the most wholesome term we could find. Few feelings are as hard to describe as whenever we see someone we love achieve a major milestone in their lives. Think how you felt on graduations, promotions, and weddings of those dear to you: Don’t you think there’s some connective tissue between all the different emotions you probably felt on those events? Well, the Hebrew language believes so at least, as it has a word to describe just that.

Firgun is a Hebrew term that describes the genuine and pure happiness you might feel seeing another person’s accomplishments. This word describes joy without ulterior motives, just for the sake of seeing those you love happy and content.

LANGUAGE MYSTERIES REVEALED

Fit for a queen: 10 English words derived from Ancient Egyptian

Published on June 1, 2024

Image: Color Crescent

You are probably aware that the English language has Greek and Latin roots. But did you know some of the most used English words actually derive from Ancient Egyptian?

For example, the word pharaoh is a no-brainer. As you would imagine, it is an Ancient Egyptian word meaning "Great House", the place destined for a king. But can you recognize other influences in your everyday vocabulary? Keep reading to discover 10 English words you didn’t know were born in the land of Cleopatra.

Oasis

Image: David Emrich

Today we use the word oasis to refer to a serene and unattainable place, but it derives from the ancient Egyptian term wehe, meaning "fertile land". Oases were very important for the ancient Egyptians. They served as a place of provisioning and rest for the great caravans of Bedouin traders from the interior of Africa.

The word later became waaH(a) in Arabic, and took its current form, oasis, when the Greek and Latin languages added it to their vocabulary. Finally, the Greek word passed into French with its original meaning and then to English in the second half of the 19th century.

Adobe

Image: Evisa Kasaj

It turns out that the word adobe has been around for about 4,000 years, with relatively few changes in pronunciation and meaning. Contrary to what you might think, the word doesn’t come from a Native American language. It can be traced back to the Middle Egyptian word djebe or djobe, meaning "mud brick". The term underwent a minor transformation when it came in contact with the Arabic language and was later incorporated into the Spanish vocabulary when Northern African Arabs crossed over to Spain in the 8th century.

In modern English, the term adobe has come to mean a style of construction popular in the desert climates of North America, but in fact, it has its origins in the djobe vaults built in homes and underground tombs of Ancient Egypt.

Gum

Image: Dustin Humes

Although the first commercial flavored chewing gum was created in the United States in the 1860s and later gained worldwide popularity during WWII, the practice can be traced back to ancient civilizations. The word gum comes from the Latin gummi, which is a loan from the Greek kommi; the Greeks, in turn, took this word from the Ancient Egyptian qmy or qemi, meaning gum or resin.

Just like Native Americans, Ancient Egyptians also used to chew resin made from the sap of trees. Nowadays gum is a cheap treat, but back then it was very expensive and had to be imported. In Ancient Egypt only pharaohs and wealthy people could afford it, so now that you know, you’ll have a better appreciation for the lost packet of Dentin forgotten in the bottom of your bag.

Ammonia

Image: Daniela Turcanu

This colorless smelly gas gets its name from the Ancient Egyptian god Amun, meaning "the Hidden (One)". His temple, located in present-day Libya, is credited with producing the oldest form of ammonia, the ammoniacal salt obtained by burning camel dung.

The word was later adapted to Ammon by the Greeks. Today, this nitrogen and hydrogen compound is used in plastics, refrigeration, and cleaning solutions, however, Ancient Egyptian worshipers of Amun used ammonia to perform spiritual rites in his honor.

Ebony

Image: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The word ebonycan be traced back to several Ancient African languages. The English language takes it from the Latin ebenus, which in turn is a loan from the Greek ébenos. This Ancient Greek word derives from the Egyptian hbnj, which seems to originate from the Nubian language.

Ebony is the name for certain trees of the genus Diospyros, as well as its prized exotic black wood. This wood, like gum, was imported and very expensive, so it was used for furnishings and decorative carvings in houses of the wealthiest classes in Ancient Egyptian society.

Ivory

Image: Museo Egizio, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Did you know that ebony and ivory have more in common than just piano keys and an iconic 1980s song? Like ebony, the word ivory can be traced back to Ancient Egypt. It comes from the Latin eboreus whose origin is the Egyptian word ab, meaning "elephant," and more specifically abu, "elephant’s tooth."

In Ancient Egypt ivory was as precious as ebony, and it was used in jewelry and as an ornament in the decoration of rooms, furniture, and temples.

Barge/Embark

Image: Tomas Williams

In modern English barge is the word to name a flat-bottomed vessel, and for some reason, its shape instantly reminds us of ancient civilizations. The assumption is correct since the term derives from the Latin barca, which comes from the Ancient Egyptian word bar or bari. The bar was a type of boat used in the River Nile to transport food, construction materials, and royals and peasants alike.

The French language later took the Latin word and transformed it into barque, an ancestor of the English verb embark. The rest is history.

Alchemy

Image: Tom Podmore

Some etymologists establish that the word alchemy comes from the Arabic al-kīmiyā and the Ancient Greek khumeía. Other scholars argue that alchemy, used as a scientific term until the 1600s when it was debunked by the more accurate chemistry, is derived from kēme. In Ancient Egyptkēme meant "black earth" and was used to describe the fertile land in the Nile Valley.

The theory that the term alchemy has an Egyptian origin makes perfect sense. It is believed that the Egyptian city of Alexandria is where alchemical thought, a practice that combined science with religion and philosophy, was born.

Lily & Susan

Image: Earl Wilcox

Lily and Susan are two very popular names in the English language and they have in common that they share an Ancient Egyptian origin. It turns out that they both refer to flowers too!

The English word lily has roots in the Latin līlia and ancient Greek leírion, which etymologists connect with ḥrrt, the ancient Egyptian word for "flower". Susan, at the same time, comes from the word sSn (seshen)meaning "lotus" or "water lily".

Desert

Image: Mariam Soliman

The jury is still out with this one. If you look up the etymology of the English word desert you’ll find it derives from the Latin desertum, which means "an abandoned place". However, there might be a connection with the ancient Egyptian term deshret, which means "red land". Sounds very similar, right?

Sometimes it is not entirely possible to establish exactly where a word comes from, however, it is always a fun experience to compare different languages to find potential origins and connections that we had never thought possible.