In honor of осення хандра (fall melancholy), me and my language scholar had a quick yet inspiring discussion on the aforementioned word. You see, the word “хандра” is quite unique in its translation simply for the fact that there’s none.
Our dialogue teleported me back to my 8th grade when I read a story about Nabokov. When working on a translation for one his works from Russian to English, Vladimir Nabokov claimed that the word “toska” is quite literally, untranslatable. In attempts to explain what “toska” meant, he couldn’t figure out anything better than to write a whole paragraph in the footnotes describing the word as,
“At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.”
I’m not a language expert to claim that “toska” can’t have — at the very least — an approximate translation but what is true is that many languages have their own list of words that referred to as non else than “cultural identifiers”. They carry meanings, feelings and experiences unique to their languages. I would like to present a list of Russian “untranslatable words”
Бытие — bytiye
The word that signifies one’s lifestyle, a way of living but in a more daily, humble almost peasant-like way. The word “бытие” is commonly interpreted as a day-today rhythm that one has built and swears by over an extended period of time. It’s not about a dietary lifestyle or sport preferences, it’s about waking up early to drink a cup of tea and maybe smoke a cigarette right after. It’s about one’s habits that emerged as a result of life circumstances and experiences.
Хамство — hamstvo
Many people would translate it as “rudeness” and I would agree if we were to add “passive-aggressive” right in front of it. “Хамство” is about quite yet sudden attack that’s not necessarily a verbal one. It’s usually concealed, a type of disrespect you have to decipher and be able to read your attacker’s body language in order to respond.
Хандра — handra
Very similar to “toska” in its essence but unlike the latter this word doesn’t posses the same degree of sadness. Speaking in English terms, “toska” is more similar to depression while “handra” is a close ally of “melancholy”. Have you ever felt numb for no apparent reason? Then you definitely experienced “handra”.
Авось — avos’
Sometimes you just don’t want to deal with stuff. You submit an unreviewed essay, mix all the ingredients left in your fridge and blindly buy a pair of pants in a nearby thrift store. It’s what we call “avos” — when something is done with an utter trust in luck deep in one’s heart. And it’s truly beautiful to be able to trust the world this carelessly.
So the next time you feel bad for not being able to translate something — many that word wasn’t meant to be translated in the first place! What are the “untranslatable” terms in your language?