By Nicola Hancox, Editor of Study Travel Magazine
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“When learning a language or studying in a language that is not your native tongue, detail and meaning can get lost in translation. As one of the most widely used languages in the world – and arguably the most taught – English boasts over one million words with a new word created every 98 minutes*. A lot for any ELT student to get their head around. English doesn’t however, according to one newspaper article I read on my commute to work this morning, have a word for everything. For example, in Norwegian there is a word to describe the euphoria one feels when you first fall in love (forelsket). There are other more humorous examples. Pochemuchka: Russian for a person who asks a lot of questions and Tingo: Pascuenese (native language of the Easter Island) meaning to borrow objects from a neighbour’s house until there is nothing left! Learning a language can be an amazing yet complex process. The Japanese have even coined an expression to define the complexities associated with speaking a foreign language: Yoko meshi, literally meaning 'a meal eaten sideways'.”
*Source: Global Language Monitor |
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