"Word lovers, armchair travelers—it’s the newest perfect addition to your coffee table. Any book person will nod knowingly at the Japanese tsundoku (“leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piled up together with other unread books”), or the Urdu goya (“a transporting suspension of disbelief—an ‘as if’ that feels like reality—such as in good storytelling.”)
I also warmed to the Swedish tretår (the second refill—or “threefill”—of coffee) and the Portuguese cafuné (running your fingers through a loved one’s hair)."
Publisher Ten Speed Press
Publication Date 2014-09-16
Section Gift / Seasonal Books / All Staff Suggestions / Nonfiction Suggestions / Liz S.
Format Hardcover
ISBN 9781607747109
An artistic collection of more than 50 drawings featuring unique, funny, and poignant foreign words that have no direct translation into English.
Did you know that the Japanese language has a word to express the way sunlight filters through the leaves of trees? Or that there’s a Finnish word for the distance a reindeer can travel before needing to rest?
Lost in Translation brings to life more than fifty words that don’t have direct English translations with charming illustrations of their tender, poignant, and humorous definitions. Often these words provide insight into the cultures they come from, such as the Brazilian Portuguese word for running your fingers through a lover’s hair, the Italian word for being moved to tears by a story, or the Swedish word for a third cup of coffee.
In this clever and beautifully rendered exploration of the subtleties of communication, you’ll find new ways to express yourself while getting lost in the artistry of imperfect translation.
