“And they banged their shoes mightily in disagreement”
Great list of untranslatable words from Jason Wire:
Ilunga
Tshiluba (Southwest Congo) – A word famous for its untranslatability, most professional translators pinpoint it as the stature of a person “who is ready to forgive and forget any first abuse, tolerate it the second time, but never forgive nor tolerate on the third offense.”
- ‘Ili:
- Where by “untranslatable” they mean “translatable, but just not in one word”?
- Colin:
- Well, not translatable inline in a sentence.
- Colin:
- But yes.
- ‘Ili:
- Also what the hell
- Colin:
- Like, if someone used “ilunga” in a sentence at the UN, what the fuck would you do?
- ‘Ili:
- Bang my shoe on the table.
- Colin:
- hahahaha
- Colin:
- What if that became a thing at the UN, like for everyone to do?
- Colin:
- Like some sort of bizarre, international Rocky Horror Picture Show viewing.
- ‘Ili:
- ahahahaha what
- Colin:
- “And they banged their shoes mightily in disagreement”
(Via Tracy Chou.)