You didn't know that? Don't fret; the noun – taken from an African language (Tshiluba) – is rated among the world's most difficult words to translate.
It is listed in a quirky lexicon called In Other Words, in which linguist Christopher J. Moore has collected what he regards as some of the most impenetrable phrases and words from around the world; expressions that defy straight-forward translation.
The book is by no means required reading for aspiring translators. Think of it instead as a libro de cabecera (bedside book) from which to dip into a feast of linguistic tapas. Its virtues lie in its breadth of linguistic knowledge and in its entertainment value, particularly for anyone who loves words or who has a nodding acquaintance with the pitfalls of translation.
Drunk husband
The publicity blurb describes it as a lexicon of fascinatingly precise phrases for which there are no direct English translations. One example: the German Drachenfutter (“dragon fodder”) describes actions aimed at pacifying a wife infuriated by her husband's drunken behaviour.
C.J. Moore's book encompasses a wide range of languages, from Arabic and Chinese to Sanskrit and Yiddish. What it lacks in linguistic depth, such as that found in more scholarly publications, it compensate for through its light-hearted approach and memorable witticisms.
This collection of exotic words and phrases also helps the reader to decode the nature and character of the culture in which these terms blossomed, providing what translators recognise as a vital ingredient to their profession: cultural awareness.
Extra dimension
A typical example of this extra dimension provided by Moore is the Russian word родне (rod’nye). Essentially, the word means kin (immediate family). However, Russians understand it to encompass near and dear friends whose personalities, through unconscious osmosis, help form the person's overall psychological make-up.
Another example is the Turkish phrase denize girse kurutur, used to describe someone who can't get anything right. An aproximate translation renders: 'Even when he goes swimming, he comes out dry.'
Cliff Hutton
© Ways With Words
• About the reviewer: Cliff Hutton is a professional editor and international freelance journalist. His career in Africa has taken him from Algiers to Cape Town, from Lushoto to Libreville and from Mombasa to Mozambique. He has also worked in Bahrain, Britain, Cyprus and Ireland, and has written about Brazil, Canada, the US and Mexico, and about Ceausescu's Romania, where he spent several months prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
