Our February cover page art contest
pays tribute to International Mother
Language Day, which is celebrated
February 21 worldwide. According to
Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General,
“Multilingualism is a source of strength
and opportunity for humanity. It embodies
our cultural diversity and encourages the
exchange of views, the renewal of ideas
and the broadening of our capacity to
imagine.”
RT
Multilingualism is more than the
ability to translate words from one
language to another. Through language
we communicate ideas, beliefs, and
values. In fact, because values, beliefs,
and ideas vary so greatly from culture
to culture, we often learn that certain
words simply don’t translate because the
meaning is more culturally significant in
one than the other.
Norwegian linguist Ole Henrik Magga
claims the Sami people of Scandinavia
and Russia have at least 180 words
describing snow and ice. I grew up in a
climate where it snowed but I don’t think
I could fathom crafting 180 words to
describe it: heavy snow, sledding snow,
snow perfect for snowballs, light snow,
flurries, blizzard, wet snow, melting snow
… and already I’m running out of ideas.
There is an abundance of words that
simply don’t translate from one language
to another or, if they do translate, it may
take a sentence to interpret a single
word.
The Swedish word MÅNGATA means
“A road-like reflection of the moon in
the water.” To my knowledge, there is
no word in American English that sums
up that singular word. This is one of the
many reasons why translating books and
poetry is so challenging. Certainly, you
can try expressing the sentiments from
one language to another but sometimes
comprehending the original word is
more powerful and meaningful than all
of the translated attempts. And, let’s be
honest, things are lost in translation all
the time. Have you come across words
that don’t translate or take a mouth full
of words to explain?
The words that have been spoken and
shared from generation to generation
craft our world view. I believe we should
honor these untranslatable words that
make our cultures unique while also
celebrating the universality of words such
as “love” or “mother.” In acknowledging
our cultural differences, we honor our
ancestors and remember that language
is often what keeps us rooted in our
culture.
LMarelli
Liesl Marelli
Editor-in-Chief
@LBMarelli