Words travel fast

How do you say “weekend” in Danish? Discover 12 English loan words

Image: Daniel Fazio

Just in the same way as English speakers have adopted many foreign words into their daily lexicon, many English words have been adopted by other languages as well. The following 12 are loan words that can be heard all over the world in non-English conversations. Some are known examples, some will definitely surprise you.

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Germans can refer to their mobile phones as "handy". And, while this word is more associated with radio transmitters to English speakers, it is not unreasonable to call those hand-held devices, handies.

Image: Rosa Rafael

Another word Germans borrowed from the English language, peeling is not used in the sense of peeling a banana, but rather is used to describe a body scrub or an exfoliator.

Image: Mathieu Renier

The very elegant French language has adopted a few English words into its daily vocabulary, and parking is one of them. But with the added "le" article before, adding some charm to the term: le parking.

Image: Justin Morgan

Interestingly, France is one of the few countries that tried to translate and incorporate technology-related terms, but eventually gave up and started using the English versions. For a while, emails were referred to as "courriels", before reverting back to email.

Image: Scott Goodwill

A language with roots as ancient as Latin, Italian lacks many words describing modern things. And one of these is the one used to describe this joyous outdoor activity, camping. Therefore, when Italians want to spend a night in a tent, or under the stars, they call it camping.

Image: Redd Francisco

Another word Italians have borrowed from the English language is "meeting", but in a business sense. If Italians get together more informally, they call it a riunione.

Image: Alex McCarthy

When Spanish people talk about a good footing, they are not referring to a solid foundation, but (as it does in other languages as well) to a good jogging session.

Image: Hédi Benyounes

In Spanish-speaking countries, talking about autostop does not mean some kind of automatic shutdown or anything like that, but, instead, it means to hitchhike.

Image: John Schnobrich

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that this is a relatively new word and almost no other language has created a word of its own to describe it. But, in any case, most languages around the world use the English word to describe the mother of all digital networks.

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Danish people borrowed the word weekend untranslated from the English language and adopted it as their own because they lacked a similar concept when the five-day work week was introduced.

Image: Brooke Cagle

Dutch is a very complex language to learn, but luckily for us, at least some of its words are borrowed from simpler languages, like English. The Dutch word for women’s tights is, simply, panty.

Image: Tim van der Kuip

The Japanese have a word for white-collared salaried workers that is pronounced sarariman. If this word sounds oddly similar to "salary man", it’s because it is a loan word from the English language, partly modified for an easier adaptation into the Japanese language.

Medical mysteries

Hearing colors? 10 rare medical conditions you won't believe

Image: Hush Naidoo Jade Photography

The human body is full of surprises, and even if you think you've seen it all, some cases defy everything you thought you knew. Some conditions are so strange they sound made up, but they're very real! If you are interested in the wonderful world of medicine, here are 10 medical conditions that are equally rare and fascinating!

Image: Tim Arterbury

The word aphantasia comes from Greek roots and means "without image formation." People with this condition are unable to create mental images. In other words, they can't "see" the sea or a flower in their mind, nor can they remember things visually. It's estimated that about 2.5% of the population has aphantasia, though many might not even realize they have it!

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If we told you that some people can hear colors or taste sounds, you might think we're making it up. But we're not! Synesthesia is a rare condition in which stimulating one sense automatically triggers another. While each person experiences it differently, these sensory connections stay consistent for them over time. Studies show that people with synesthesia often have stronger memory and creativity.

Image: Alexandra Tran

Some sources claim that French Queen Marie Antoinette's hair turned completely gray overnight just before her execution. This event inspired the name "Marie Antoinette syndrome," also known as canities subita, an extremely rare condition in which a person's hair suddenly turns totally gray over a short period of time.

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If you ever wake up speaking with an unfamiliar accent, you might have what's known as foreign accent syndrome. As the name suggests, this rare condition causes sudden changes in speech rhythm or pronunciation, making it sound like the person has developed a foreign accent. It typically occurs after head trauma or injury, but it's extremely rare: only about 100 cases have been officially reported since it was first identified in 1941.

Image: Sander Sammy

As you know, synesthesia causes some senses to overlap. But there's one type that even involves other people's senses. Mirror-touch synesthesia is a condition in which a person feels physical sensations on their own body when they see someone else being touched or injured. It's believed that about 1.6% of the world's population may have mirror-touch synesthesia, making it rare but not extremely uncommon.

Image: Laura Fuhrman

If we asked what you were doing on a specific day five years ago, you probably wouldn't remember, just like most people. But those who can recall such details have hyperthymesia, also known as Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). It's a very rare condition in which a person can recall almost every detail of their life with incredible accuracy and little effort. Only about 60 cases have been documented worldwide.

Image: Kanishk Agarwal

Some people don't feel pain, and not because they lack empathy, but because they have a condition called Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP). It's present from birth and causes those affected to feel no physical pain. While it might sound like a superpower at first, it can be dangerous because injuries may go unnoticed without any warning. People with CIP can still feel touch and detect temperature changes.

Image: Graham Ruttan

Alice in Wonderland syndrome can occur when the patient suffers from other conditions, such as migraines or viral infections. Much like Lewis Carroll's famous character, people with this syndrome may experience distortions in the size of objects, their surroundings, or even their own bodies. Most commonly seen in young people, the syndrome often fades with age.

Image: Alexander Grey

There's a condition that makes it difficult for a person to recognize faces, even those of close friends, family members, or sometimes even their own reflection. It's called prosopagnosia, and it affects about 2% of the population. People with this condition usually rely on voices, hairstyles, or other cues to identify others. This condition doesn't affect a person's memory or overall vision.

Image: Manki Kim

As unbelievable as it may sound, some people develop skin reactions when they drink or come into contact with water. This condition is called aquagenic urticaria and is sometimes referred to as "water allergy," even though it's not a true allergy because it doesn't involve the immune system in the usual way. Aquagenic urticaria is extremely rare, and its symptoms typically last between 30 and 60 minutes.