untranslatability
- noun
- /ˌʌntrænsləˈtæbɪlɪti/
- Formal
:
intraducibilidad
- Many poetry lovers discuss the untranslatability of certain metaphors that lose their meaning in translation.
Examples
-
Here I am convinced by Lindbeck's words: "Genuine bilingualism (not to mention the mastery of many religious languages) is so rare and difficult as to leave basically intact the barrier to extramural communication posed by untranslatability in religious matters."
Academic text (2007) -
But mutual untranslatability and incommensurability do not mean an ultimate inability for communication or understanding a position different from one's own.
Academic text (2007) -
In her confession, my sister reflects the untranslatability and unsubstitutability of religious symbols.
Academic text (2007) -
Untranslatability, like illegibility, points to an otherness that foregrounds the frames that generate differential recognizability.
Academic text (2013) -
Drawing on Spivak, Ahmed refers to this mediation in terms of untranslatability, "the impossibility that pure presenting, pure communication can take place" (148).
Academic text (2013) -
Linguists study the untranslatability of cultural references, as they often reflect unique societal values.
-
The film's dialogue carried a deep untranslatability that made it difficult for non-native speakers to fully appreciate the humor.
Antonyms
How Translatable
- Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
untranslatability = untranslatable (transparent) = un + translate + able + ity
Forming a noun with '-ity' from the adjective 'untranslatable' is a regular, productive process and preserves the adjectival meaning.
Etymology
Untranslatability has three parts you can remember: un- meaning 'not', translate meaning 'carry across' as in transfer, and -ability meaning 'can be'. So Untranslatability is the idea of something 'not able to be carried across' into another language, which is why we use it for words or ideas that are hard or impossible to translate.
