The sheer 'hygge' that untranslatable words bring us

The pleasure of untranslatable words is, unsurprisingly, indescribable. At least in English. Yet, every language has its own complement of such congenial words and a compendium would be most useful in these fraught times. After all, as psychologist Tim Lomas says in his recent treatise on ‘positive lexicography’, Translating Happiness, learning such words gets people to experience phenomena that has hitherto been hidden from them.

The now-trendy Danish word hygge — somewhat inadequately translated as cosy contentment — is one example, so widely used now that entire books have been dedicated to it. The German words gemütlichkeit and gezelligheid in Dutch have similar meanings but it’s obviously easier to pronounce ‘hoo-ga’ (hygge). That is probably be why the Finnish word hyppytyynytyydytys, or ‘bouncing pillow satisfaction’, has not caught on either.



Indian languages are rich in pleasing but untranslatable words too, from 'jugaad' (describing it as ‘improvisation’ does not encompass its potential) to 'lahi-lahi', the Assamese word for a languid pace of life. Languages are rooted in culture, so understanding untranslatable words adds dimension to perception — and demonstrates the sheer versatility of the human mind.

No wonder there is even a word for a poor joke so badly told that it actually becomes funny: jayus, in Indonesian!