Soon to be a familiar feeling.

I came across this post about foreign words that are not easily translated into English via the wonderful blog A Cup of Jo. I just loved the illustrations, and it’s a theme I often studied (and found fascinating) in many of my college linguistics classes. We tend to think that since English is so powerful and dominant, it can easily express any concept–but sometimes it simply lacks the conciseness and elegance of other languages. Here are a few examples of the foreign words, ranging from the familiar French and Spanish to the lesser-known Inuit and Urdu.

My favorite part of Spanish culture, and maybe the reason I keep going back.

See the full post here.

Originally posted on Maptia, also mentioned on A Cup of Jo.

About The Author

Jenny

Jenny Marshall studied Language, Culture, and Society at the University of California Santa Barbara, and now teaches English in Spain. Here she writes about the intersection of language and culture, and lives a life translated by travel.