17 beautiful foreign words that have no English translation - indy100 - Translation

There are plenty of foreign words we use in English because they lack a proper translation.

Aloha for instance is a Hawaiian word that has spread overseas and is used as a greeting, but the word literally translates as: "breath of presence".

Dr Tim Lomas is a psychologist at the University of East London who has been investigating how positive feelings and well-being are expressed in other languages.

In a paper for the Journal of Positive Psychology, Dr Lomas described the aims of his research:

"First, it aims to provide a window onto cultural differences in constructions of well-being, thereby enriching our understanding of well-being. Second, a more ambitious aim is that this lexicon may help expand the emotional vocabulary of English speakers (and indeed speakers of all languages), and consequently enrich their experiences of well-being."

The paper is the end result of the Positive Lexicography Project which is an online glossary of hundreds of untranslatable words, and the list is still growing.

Dr Lomas stresses that the list is a work in progress. They're words and phrases that are used in a positive sense (happiness, joy, skill, relationships). The feelings and situations described are often immediately recognisable as something positive yet only one language has created a single word for these universal emotions.

Here are some of our favourites:

Abhisar (अभिमान)

(Bengali, n.): lit. 'going towards'; a meeting (often secret) between lovers / partners.

Chai pani (चाय पानी)

(Hindi/Urdu, n.): lit. 'tea and water'; favours or money given to someone to get something done (similar to a 'bribe', but without a negative connotation).

Cwtch

(Welsh, n.): to hug, a safe welcoming place.

Fjellvant

(Norwegian) (adj.): Being accustomed to walk in the mountains.

Gumusservi

(Turkish, n.): the glimmering that moonlight makes on water.

Kvell

(Yiddish, v.): to feel strong and overt (expressed) pride and joy in someone's successes.

Mерак

(Serbian, n.): pleasure derived from simple joys.

Morgenfrisk

(Danish, adj.): feeling rested after a good night's sleep.

Nakama (仲間)

(Japanese, n.): best friend, close buddy, one for whom one feels deep platonic love.

Samar (سمر)

(Arabic, v.): to sit together in conversation at sunset/ in the evening.

Sólarfrí

(Icelandic, n.): sun holiday, i.e., when workers are granted unexpected time off to enjoy a particularly sunny/warm day.

Sprezzatura

(Italian): nonchalance, art and effort are concealed beneath a studied carelessness.

Sobremesa

(Spanish, n.): when the food has finished but the conversation is still flowing.

Suaimhneas croi

(Gaelic, n.): happiness / contentment on finishing a task.

Toska (тоска)

(Russia, n.): longing for one’s homeland, with nostalgia and wistfulness.

Waldeinsamkeit

(German, n.): mysterious feeling of solitude when alone in the woods.

Whakakoakoa

(Māori, v.): to cheer up.

For the full lexicography see Dr Lomas' site here.

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Anti-LGBTQ threats to Massachusetts-based dictionary publisher land man a year in prison - Boston.com - Dictionary

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Threats to dictionary publisher land man a year in prison - Yahoo Finance - Dictionary

A California man who made violent anti-LGBTQ-related threats against dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster Inc. over its updated gender definitions was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison.

The sentence imposed on Jeremy Hanson, 35, by a federal court in Massachusetts also included 30 days of home confinement, three years of probation and mental health treatment.

Hanson pleaded guilty last year to interstate transmission of threatening communications in connection with threats made to the Springfield, Massachusetts-based dictionary publisher and to the president of the University of North Texas.

In court documents, prosecutors said the Rossmoor, California, man has a history of making “threatening communications, nearly all of which were motivated by ... biases based upon race, gender, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation.”

Those other communications were directed at the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O’ Lakes Inc., Hasbro, a nonbinary rabbi and others, prosecutors said.

In a remote hearing Thursday, prosecutor Steven Breslow asked for an 18-month prison sentence, in part to serve as a deterrent to others at a time when violent rhetoric is becoming more common.

Hanson’s defense attorney, Marissa Elkins, asked that her client be sentenced to the time he has already served, citing his history of emotional and behavioral issues, including anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

More time behind bars could negatively affect his mental health, she said.

Judge Mark Mastroianni in U.S District Court in Springfield acknowledged Hanson's medical history and said he had no intent or capacity to carry out his threats, but called his actions “disturbing and terrifying.”

He noted that Merriam-Webster management was “fearful that Hanson would come to their office and cause harm,” and said internal company communications referenced the 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo offices in France, where terrorists killed 12 people who worked for the satirical weekly newspaper.

Hanson sent Merriam-Webster threatening messages and comments between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2021 using the website’s “contact us” function, where he commented on word entries such as “girl,” “woman,” and “female,” prosecutors said.

“It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda,” Hanson wrote, according to prosecutors. “There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”

Twice he threatened to shoot and bomb company headquarters, prompting Merriam-Webster to close offices in Springfield and New York City for several days, prosecutors said.

Hanson also wrote an email to the president of the University of North Texas in 2022 that said “You ought to be shot in the head and have your offices set on fire," for supporting transgender students, prosecutors said.

Hanson, who appeared at the hearing remotely from a California jail, declined to address the court when given the opportunity.

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Love & Translation is basically that Duolingo reality dating show minus the owl - The Verge - Translation

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They did it. They actually made the Duolingo show.

The trailer for Love & Translation

While it was clearly in development long before Duolingo’s very funny and compelling April Fools’ joke, Love & Translation is definitely going to get a lot of comparisons to the viral ad. That’s because they’re basically the same thing.

In the new show, three men who only speak English look for love amongst 12 women who don’t speak any English at all, which is... a little cringier than the Duolingo gag. Also, there’s no green owl looming in the distance and trying to teach people to new languages so they can better communicate.

But if you’re okay with all that, this sure looks like the kind of show you’ll plow through on a rainy Saturday when you forget to put on real pants until like 5PM.

Love & Translation will be coming to TLC this winter, and given it was announced at the big HBO Max rebranding event, you can expect it to probably show up on the streaming service at some point in the future, too. It’s part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s new plan to expand HBO Max (now called Max) from a service focused exclusively on high-quality programming to one that can appeal to a far wider range of viewers, including ones who sometimes want to watch a dumb reality show instead of the next episode of Succession.

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Man Who Threatened Dictionary Publisher Sentenced To A Year In Prison - HuffPost - Dictionary

A California man who made violent anti-LGBTQ-related threats against dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster Inc. over its updated gender definitions was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison.

The sentence imposed on Jeremy Hanson, 35, by a federal court in Massachusetts also included 30 days of home confinement, three years of probation and mental health treatment.

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Hanson pleaded guilty last year to interstate transmission of threatening communications in connection with threats made to the Springfield, Massachusetts-based dictionary publisher and to the president of the University of North Texas.

In court documents, prosecutors said the Rossmoor, California, man has a history of making “threatening communications, nearly all of which were motivated by ... biases based upon race, gender, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation.”

Those other communications were directed at the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O’ Lakes Inc., Hasbro, a nonbinary rabbi and others, prosecutors said.

In a remote hearing Thursday, prosecutor Steven Breslow asked for an 18-month prison sentence, in part to serve as a deterrent to others at a time when violent rhetoric is becoming more common.

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Hanson’s defense attorney, Marissa Elkins, asked that her client be sentenced to the time he has already served, citing his history of emotional and behavioral issues, including anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

More time behind bars could negatively affect his mental health, she said.

Judge Mark Mastroianni in U.S District Court in Springfield acknowledged Hanson’s medical history and said he had no intent or capacity to carry out his threats, but called his actions “disturbing and terrifying.”

He noted that Merriam-Webster management was “fearful that Hanson would come to their office and cause harm,” and said internal company communications referenced the 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo offices in France, where terrorists killed 12 people who worked for the satirical weekly newspaper.

Hanson sent Merriam-Webster threatening messages and comments between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2021 using the website’s “contact us” function, where he commented on word entries such as “girl,” “woman,” and “female,” prosecutors said.

“It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda,” Hanson wrote, according to prosecutors. “There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”

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Twice he threatened to shoot and bomb company headquarters, prompting Merriam-Webster to close offices in Springfield and New York City for several days, prosecutors said.

Hanson also wrote an email to the president of the University of North Texas in 2022 that said “You ought to be shot in the head and have your offices set on fire,” for supporting transgender students, prosecutors said.

Hanson, who appeared at the hearing remotely from a California jail, declined to address the court when given the opportunity.

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Merriam-Webster Asks For Best Non-English Words And The Results Are Awesome

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Threats to dictionary publisher land man a year in prison - The Associated Press - Dictionary

A California man who made violent anti-LGBTQ-related threats against dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster Inc. over its updated gender definitions was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison.

The sentence imposed on Jeremy Hanson, 35, by a federal court in Massachusetts also included 30 days of home confinement, three years of probation and mental health treatment.

Hanson pleaded guilty last year to interstate transmission of threatening communications in connection with threats made to the Springfield, Massachusetts-based dictionary publisher and to the president of the University of North Texas.

In court documents, prosecutors said the Rossmoor, California, man has a history of making “threatening communications, nearly all of which were motivated by ... biases based upon race, gender, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation.”

Those other communications were directed at the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O’ Lakes Inc., Hasbro, a nonbinary rabbi and others, prosecutors said.

In a remote hearing Thursday, prosecutor Steven Breslow asked for an 18-month prison sentence, in part to serve as a deterrent to others at a time when violent rhetoric is becoming more common.

Massachusetts

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• Man held by FBI in leak investigation

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• Guardsman to be charged in leaked documents probe

Hanson’s defense attorney, Marissa Elkins, asked that her client be sentenced to the time he has already served, citing his history of emotional and behavioral issues, including anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

More time behind bars could negatively affect his mental health, she said.

Judge Mark Mastroianni in U.S District Court in Springfield acknowledged Hanson’s medical history and said he had no intent or capacity to carry out his threats, but called his actions “disturbing and terrifying.”

He noted that Merriam-Webster management was “fearful that Hanson would come to their office and cause harm,” and said internal company communications referenced the 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo offices in France, where terrorists killed 12 people who worked for the satirical weekly newspaper.

Hanson sent Merriam-Webster threatening messages and comments between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2021 using the website’s “contact us” function, where he commented on word entries such as “girl,” “woman,” and “female,” prosecutors said.

“It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda,” Hanson wrote, according to prosecutors. “There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”

Twice he threatened to shoot and bomb company headquarters, prompting Merriam-Webster to close offices in Springfield and New York City for several days, prosecutors said.

Hanson also wrote an email to the president of the University of North Texas in 2022 that said “You ought to be shot in the head and have your offices set on fire,” for supporting transgender students, prosecutors said.

Hanson, who appeared at the hearing remotely from a California jail, declined to address the court when given the opportunity.

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Lost in translation? Foreigners advised to Google Translate Thai police guidelines during Songkran - The Star Online - Translation

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Lost in translation? Foreigners advised to Google Translate Thai police guidelines during Songkran  The Star Online