Advertisement

What are ‘untranslatable’ words?

Language necessarily evolves to accommodate new ideas, new concepts and new cultural paradigms. B...

Share this article

15.22 26 Mar 2025


What are ‘untranslatable’ words?


Listen to this episode


Share this article

15.22 26 Mar 2025


Language necessarily evolves to accommodate new ideas, new concepts and new cultural paradigms.

But, what happens when a word exists in one language, but not another?

There are lots of so-called ‘untranslatable’ words in English, and some Irish ones have been added to the latest version of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Fiona McPherson is Senior Editor at the Oxford English Dictionary and joins Seán to discuss.


Read more about

Moncrieff Highlights

Related Episodes

Why do sports teams wear the c...

00:06:19

Why do sports teams wear the colours they do?

The Pat Kenny Show

00:06:19


Luke O’Neill on Artemis II

00:06:21

Luke O’Neill on Artemis II

The Pat Kenny Show

00:06:21


The alarming failures of facia...

00:10:18

The alarming failures of facial recognition technology

The Pat Kenny Show

00:10:18


Easter chocolate recipes with...

00:08:47

Easter chocolate recipes with Gareth Mullins

The Pat Kenny Show

00:08:47