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I began making pictures because I wanted to record what supports hope: the untranslatable mystery and beauty of the world. Along the way, however, the camera also caught evidence against hope, and I eventually concluded that this, too, belonged in pictures if they were to be truthful and thus useful.
Robert Adams

Meaning of "untranslatable" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF UNTRANSLATABLE

untranslatable  [ˌʌntrænzˈleɪtəbl] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF UNTRANSLATABLE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Untranslatable is an adjective.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES UNTRANSLATABLE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Untranslatability

Untranslatability is a property of a text, or of any utterance, in one language, for which no equivalent text or utterance can be found in another language when translated. Terms are, however, neither exclusively translatable nor exclusively untranslatable; rather, the degree of difficulty of translation depends on their nature, as well as on the translator's knowledge of the languages in question. Quite often, a text or utterance that is considered to be "untranslatable" is actually a lacuna, or lexical gap. That is, there is no one-to-one equivalence between the word, expression or turn of phrase in the source language and another word, expression or turn of phrase in the target language. A translator can, however, resort to a number of translation procedures to compensate for this. Therefore, untranslatability or difficulty of translation does not always carry deep linguistic relativity implications; denotation can virtually always be translated, given enough circumlocution, although connotation may be ineffable or inefficient to convey.

Definition of untranslatable in the English dictionary

The definition of untranslatable in the dictionary is not able to be expressed or written down in another language or dialect.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH UNTRANSLATABLE


atonable
əˈtəʊnəbl
attestable
əˈtɛstəbl
attractable
əˈtræktəbl
attributable
əˈtrɪbjʊtəbl
endurable
ɪnˈdjʊərəbl
microwavable
ˈmaɪkrəʊˌweɪvəbl
microwaveable
ˈmaɪkrəʊˌweɪvəbl
nonbreakable
ˌnɒnˈbreɪkəbl

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE UNTRANSLATABLE

untraditional
untraditionally
untrained
untrammeled
untrammelled
untrampled
untranquil
untransferable
untransferrable
untransformed
untranslatably
untranslated
untransmigrated
untransmissible
untransmitted
untransmutable
untransmuted
untransparent
untrapped
untraveled

WORDS THAT END LIKE UNTRANSLATABLE

able
acceptable
accountable
adjustable
charitable
comfortable
inevitable
notable
on the table
palatable
portable
printable
profitable
stable
suitable
table
timetable
uncomfortable
unforgettable
unstable
vegetable

Synonyms and antonyms of untranslatable in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «untranslatable» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF UNTRANSLATABLE

Find out the translation of untranslatable to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of untranslatable from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «untranslatable» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

不可译
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

intraducible
570 millions of speakers

English

untranslatable
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

अनुवाद के लिए अयोग्य
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

غير قابلة للترجمة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

непереводимы
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

intraduzível
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

অননুবাদ্য
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

intraduisible
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Tidak dapat dikendalikan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

unübersetzbar
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

翻訳不可能な
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

번역 할
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Untranslatable
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

không thể dịch ra được
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

untranslatable
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

अभाषांतरयोग्य
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

tercüme edilemez
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

intraducibile
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

nieprzetłumaczalne
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

неперекладні
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

intraductibil
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

μεταφράζεται
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

onvertaalbare
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

översätta
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

untranslatable
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of untranslatable

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «UNTRANSLATABLE»

The term «untranslatable» is regularly used and occupies the 93.586 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
56
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «untranslatable» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of untranslatable
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «untranslatable».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «UNTRANSLATABLE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «untranslatable» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «untranslatable» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about untranslatable

EXAMPLES

QUOTES WITH «UNTRANSLATABLE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word untranslatable.
1
Robert Adams
I began making pictures because I wanted to record what supports hope: the untranslatable mystery and beauty of the world. Along the way, however, the camera also caught evidence against hope, and I eventually concluded that this, too, belonged in pictures if they were to be truthful and thus useful.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «UNTRANSLATABLE»

Discover the use of untranslatable in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to untranslatable and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
93 Untranslatable Russian Words
This new book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life.
Natalia Gogolitsyna, 2008
2
They have a word for it: a lighthearted lexicon of ...
"... more than forty familiar and obscure languages to discover genuinely useful (rather than simply odd) words that can open up new ways of understanding and experiencing life"--P. [4] of cover.
Howard Rheingold, 2000
3
Translating the Untranslatable: A Solution to the Problem of ...
This work is the first to provide a fully implemented solution to the problem of generating determiners and determining number: using a semantic representation and a series of three heuristic algorithms, this solution provides the most ...
Francis Bond, 2005
4
Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New ...
34 [...8 lines untranslatable...]...all the heavens. 35 Then before us, the apostles, this world became as darkness. 36 We became as [those] among the [immortal] aeons, with our [eyes penetrating all] the heavens, clothed with the [power of] our  ...
Bart D. Ehrman, 2003
5
The Untranslatable Image: A Mestizo History of the Arts in ...
Scholars have used terms such as syncretism, fusion, juxtaposition, and hybridity in describing these new works of art, but none of them, asserts Alessandra Russo, adequately conveys the impact that the European artistic world had on the ...
Alessandra Russo, 2014
6
Uglier Than a Monkey's Armpit: Untranslatable Insults, ...
These are the words you won't learn in any language class.
Stephen Dodson, Robert Vanderplank, 2009
7
The Waters - Book Two - Contact
All I am trying to do is communicate, plant the first seeds of an idea in the ( untranslatable) males mind. What is this about (untranslatable) flights of imagination! I am a scientist, a (untranslatable) good one, top of my class I might add, I have ...
James L. Voris, 2010
8
Shakespeare and the Translation of Identity in Early Modern ...
Curiously, while Greenblatt gives a name to what is immune to such all-pervasive negotiation, the 'untranslatable', his statements assume that nothing at all is untranslatable – for instance, when he states that criticism focusing on fascinating  ...
Liz Oakley-Brown, 2011
9
Voices in Translation: Bridging Cultural Divides
To. Be. or. Not. To. Be. (Untranslatable): Strindberg. in. Swedish. and. English. GUNILLAANDERMAN Introduction In his Guardian review of a recent Peter Hall production of Miss Julie, Michael Billington concluded: I suspect there are two ways ...
Gunilla M. Anderman, 2007
10
Uglier Than a Monkey's Armpit: Untranslatable Insults, ...
Organized by language for an overview of each culture's favoured profanities, this beautifully illustrated volume -- put together by language experts from around the world -- is an essential reference to the brilliantly inventive, funny, ...
Dr Robert Vanderplank, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «UNTRANSLATABLE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term untranslatable is used in the context of the following news items.
1
"Some dishes are so traditional they are untranslatable" - See what …
IT has been the most talked about news in York all week - The Willow, a Coney Street landmark for generations, is to close this Sunday. In latter years, it has ... «The Press, York, Jul 15»
2
An Untranslatable Brazilian Feeling, in Photos
Because maybe pictures can define an untranslatable word. ... beauty in unexpected places” — as well as an expression of an otherwise untranslatable term. «OZY, Jun 15»
3
5 Unique and Untranslatable Norwegian Words
5 Unique and Untranslatable Norwegian Words. 5 Unique and Untranslatable Norwegian Words. Photo : Jeff Butterworth ... «The Nordic Page, Apr 15»
4
'Sobremesa': An untranslatable Spanish delight
'Sobremesa': An untranslatable Spanish delight. It's what you do in Spain after a meal, but there's nothing stopping you from trying it where you live. By: Starre ... «Mother Nature Network, Feb 15»
5
From mangata to kilig: 10 untranslatable words - in pictures
Ever tried to describe the mark left on the skin by wearing something tight, and been lost for words? Or the itchiness on the upper lip before taking a sip of whisky ... «The Guardian, Jan 15»
6
Translating the Untranslatable
A week ago, Obama told CNN he's doing everything he can to shutter the Guantánamo Bay prison. On The Gist, we speak with Clifford Sloan about his work as ... «Slate Magazine, Dec 14»
7
Top ten 'untranslatable' Italian words
Here are ten of the most interesting so-called 'untranslatable' Italian words. ... has tried to provide handy definitions to help you translate the untranslatable. «The Local.it, Dec 14»
8
It's possible to translate the untranslatable — if you have enough time
If you fliped open the dictionary and took a look, you'd say it means a type of owl, and it literally does. But the French use it much more frequently to describe ... «PRI, Oct 14»
9
Ten untranslatable words
Ten untranslatable words. Ella Frances Sanders illustrates words held to be untranslatable, to English equivalents, from their native languages. By Boing Boing. «Boing Boing, Sep 14»
10
Artist Defines Untranslatable Words Through Charming Illustrations
The UK-based writer and illustrator was working as an intern for Maptia last year when she was tasked with illustrating 11 untranslatable words. As far as ... «Mashable, Sep 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Untranslatable [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/untranslatable>. May 2024 ».
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