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

The Irish experience of life i...

00:20:11

The Irish experience of life in Philadelphia

The Hard Shoulder

00:20:11


Gateway to Europe: Wrapping up...

00:08:50

Gateway to Europe: Wrapping up this year’s trip

The Hard Shoulder

00:08:50


Has the Irish flag been “hijac...

00:11:33

Has the Irish flag been “hijacked”?

The Hard Shoulder

00:11:33


Why you shouldn’t feed the bir...

00:07:51

Why you shouldn’t feed the birds this summer

The Hard Shoulder

00:07:51