“I can't find the words” is a fairly common expression. After all, every language has its limits, and they are often exposed through the process of translation. There are words that simply cannot be translated without the accompaniment of context, or a broader understanding. The Eunoia portal serves as a starting point for anyone who wants to discover these almost impossible to translate words and learn more about the world's languages.
If we look up the meaning of Eunoia, we find expressions like “well-wishing”, “goodwill”, “beautiful thought”, or the positive relationship a speaker develops with their audience. When translating this word, Cicero directly used “benevolence”, but it's clear that it conveys something more, that there is an extra layer to its meaning, so to speak.
Eunoia is not the only word in that peculiar situation. There are specific cases in different languages where finding a compatible word is virtually impossible, or alternatively, requires a more extensive analysis. For example, we have previously explored the concept of hikikomori. The literal translation speaks of “withdrawing” or “remaining secluded”, but in practice it represents a much more complex picture. If you want to know other words of this type, the portal named Eunoia is your main ally.
Eunoia: Beyond a Word
More than 700 words, 80 different languages, and 60 tags define this portal, created by developer Steph Smith as a “24-hour challenge”, which ended up in fifth place in that competition. Now, Eunoia is not a closed platform: any user can share their own suggestions of untranslatable words by entering the word itself, its description, the language it belongs to, and a series of tags that facilitate its identification.
The site also offers a series of statistics, and with a clear difference, German is the language with the most words without direct translation, followed by Japanese and English. In terms of tags, “adversity” leads, closely followed by “feelings”, “action”, “physical”, and “society”.
The rest is up to you. Do you want to see how deep the rabbit hole of untranslatable words goes? Pay a visit to Eunoia and see for yourself...
Official site: Click here
