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 sporting weekend with Off...

00:10:53

The sporting weekend with Off The Ball’s John Duggan & Tommy Rooney

The Pat Kenny Show

00:10:53


Pat's Sunday Paper Review July...

00:19:50

Pat's Sunday Paper Review July 26th

The Pat Kenny Show

00:19:50


Dr. Richard Coker, Author of T...

00:16:44

Dr. Richard Coker, Author of Timor Mortis

The Pat Kenny Show

00:16:44


Forest Fires and El Niño

00:22:00

Forest Fires and El Niño

The Pat Kenny Show

00:22:00