Document TQT LANGUAGE PROBLEMS LANGUAGE PROBLEMS When there’s just no word for it Most words and expressions can be translated into other languages fairly easily But sometimes, the idea or concept doe[.]
LANGUAGE PROBLEMS When there’s just no word for it Most words and expressions can be translated into other languages fairly easily But sometimes, the idea or concept doesn't exist in the other language and then it gets more complicated Take the case of the Portuguese word "saudade" This is used to describe the feeling you get when someone has gone away - a type of sadness and nostalgia for someone who is no longer with you Interestingly, there's no one-word equivalent for this in English In fact, it would be difficult to translate the term without using several words Similarly, there's no easy translation into English for the Scandinavian terms "farmer" (a paternal grandmother) and"farfar"(a paternal grandfather), and "mormor"(a maternal grandmother) and "morfar"(a maternal grandfather) We'd probably say,something like "my mum's dad" or "my dad's dad" Sometimes, we need to "borrow" words or expressions from other languages These terms are known as "loan words" For example, some English people use the French expression "bon appétit" (literally "good appetite") just before they're about to eat Of course, there are terms in English such as "enjoy your meal!"or"have a good meal!", but they aren't quite the same Another example of a loan word is the German term "schadenfreude" This is used to describe a feeling of happiness or joy you may have when someone else suffers For example, you may experience "schadenfreude" if one ofyour "enemies" does really badly in an exam There's no one word in English; which sums all that up, so we use this German word Sometimes, words don't exist in certain languages because they aren't needed Linguistic experts have recently discovered that an Amazonian tribe has no word in its language for "time" People of the Amondawa tribe simply don't refer to hours, days, months or years because the words aren't in their vocabulary They don't even say how old they are but instead give names to different stages in their lives However, they've probably got thousands of words for plants and animals that we'd never understand Are there any words or expressions in your language that are difficult to translate into English? [from HOT ENGLISH # 207] TQT JOKES, ANECDOTES AND STORIES AS TOLD BY NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS Hamburger Love I say, I say, I say How did the hamburger propose to the cheeseburger? I don't know How did the hamburger propose to the cheeseburger? With an "onion ring"! The In-Laws A woman takes her dog to the vet and says,."Could you give the dog something to stop his tail wagging for a day?" The vet examines the tail and says, "But There's nothing wrong with it." And the woman replies, "It's just my mother-inlaw is coming to visit, and I don't want anything in the house to make her think that she's welcome!" The Trainee A young woman starts working at a huge multi-national company On her first day, she phones her,secretary and says, "Hey, could you get me a cup of coffee, please?" And the voice from the other end of the phone line says, "Do you know who I am?" "Erm, no," the woman says, realising that she's dialled the wrong number "I am the managing director, you fool! To which the woman says, "And you know who I am?" "No!" replies the managing director angrily "Thank heavens!" she says as she puts the phone down LANGUAGE PROBLEMS