LANGUAGE IS an omnipresent tool with which we conduct almost every facet of our lives. However, it is not always perfect; often, meanings lost in translation reveal both the power and shortcomings of language. In these cases, its role as both an enabler and restrictor of human emotions and culture becomes evident. The Yonsei Annals explores the potential of language through untranslatable words in Spanish and German.  

Affect and affection in Spanish

   The first word is apapachar. The Spanish Royal Academy defines the word as an “affectionate pat or hug[1].” Apapachar is arguably better defined in Mexico—where the term is most commonly used—as “hugging or caressing with the soul[2].” Described more specifically, apapachar indicates the set of actions consisting of hugging, cuddling, or caressing someone with abundant love and affection, thereby engendering a feeling of safety, consolation, and coziness. Regardless of such definitions, most Spanish speakers realize that this word transcends all possible explanations through language. That is, apapachar is better understood as an experience to contemplate rather than define. 

   The word traces its origins to pre-Hispanic Mexico, with two possible etymological origins. The first is that it is derived from the Nahuatl[3] word “patzoa,” which describes the movement of smushing something, fruit, for instance, with one’s fingers until the consistency softens; it is theorized that this word may have been reduplicated[4]. The second theory is that the word originates from the Nahuatl “pachoa,” which means “to cover, or leave something covered” and often refers to a hen incubating her eggs. This theory accounts for the feeling of “being covered by warmth” innate to apapachar[5]. 

   Tener duende is the second phrase from the list. It is an expression often used in Spain, though its theoretical appeal has made it a term used worldwide to describe the charisma and charms of tennis player Rafael Nadal or singer Rosalía[6]. While the term is literally translated as “having dwarf,” its connotation could not be further from a literal understanding. Loosely speaking, the term attempts to describe how human finitudes influence and enhance artistry. Theoretical consideration of the term began with Spanish poet Federico García Lorca’s 1933 essay “Theory and Play of the Duende,” where, through vivid language and several artistic examples, he attempts to convey what it means to have the duende.

   A general definition given for the duende is “a state of tragedy-inspired ecstasy” emerging from within as a physical and/or emotional response to art[7]. However, delving into the word from its source, García Lorca’s essay, reveals the complexities of conceptualizing this feeling in language. He defines the duende as “...[a matter of] capability, not of doing, a [matter of] striving, not of thinking ... The duende is not in the throat; the duende climbs its way inwards from the soles of our feet. ...it is creation in action... [The duende] is, in sum, the spirit of the earth[8].” Such descriptions imply that igniting the duende within our artistic expressions does not depend on our intellectual faculties or any external influence. Rather, it is a struggle with our own mortal condition, everything comprising life, death, and beyond; only by facing it truthfully, from its root, can we render an art exuding the duende. 

Angst and anxiety in German

   The third word in the list is torschlusspanik. As it comprises three German words, its meaning can be understood through the definitions of its constituents; tor means door, schluss means to close, and panik means, well, panic. Altogether, the word means a fear of the door closing. Contextually speaking, the term alludes to the fear of getting older—that the door of youth is closing. It is used to describe the state of anxiety when we have not fulfilled our life goals, the doors of opportunities are closing, and our biological time seems to be running out. 

   This word likely originated during the Middle Ages, when peasants had to return to the city before the gates closed for the night. For them, a torschluss caused panik because spending the night outside the protection of the city gates could expose them to cold temperatures, wild animals, and robbers[9]. The word still represents the panic of many, albeit for different reasons. Torschlusspanik today serves to describe the pressure many young adults feel while proceeding through the rites of passage comprising adulthood: marriage, establishing a career, and having children, among others. 

   Weltschmerz is the last word on our list.  The term originated during the 1830s with German writer Jean Paul’s novel Selina, in which he created the word to describe one of his characters’ feelings[9]. Our previous method—welt means world and schmerz means pain—indicates that the word can be understood as “world grief[10].” Contextually, it conveys “the sense both that one is personally inadequate and that one’s personal inadequacy reflects the inadequacy of the world generally[11].” 

   While weltschmerz is a sentiment associated with the poets of the Romantic era during the 19th century, the term still holds relevance today. In the context of South Korea, for instance, popular terms on the internet such as “Hell Joseon[12]” and “n-po generation[13]” can be understood as symptoms of weltschmerz among the youth. Beyond mere slang, these phrases reveal the prevailing pessimism young South Koreans feel regarding their own perceived inadequacy in succeeding in a rigid system that has also failed them.     

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   These four terms demonstrate the duplicitous relationship between language and the human experience. These words and phrases are feelings that are, arguably, perceived by all. However, upon being codified into a given language, what was universally felt can easily become understood as a particularity of a given culture, even to the point where the culture itself adopts it as an integral part of their identity. Consequently, our existence often scintillates between scenarios where either we shape language, or language shapes us. This demonstrates that parts of our consciousnesses exist outside the realm of language, in the inexplicable—a mystical but terrifying thought. 

[1] Royal Spanish Academy

[2] BBC

[3] Nahuatl: An Uto-Aztecan language native to and spoken in Mexico and parts of Central America

[4] Reduplicated: A linguistic process wherein words or sounds are repeated in order to emphasize an idea

[5] El País

[6] 360 UDEM

[7] “The Flamencos of Cádiz Bay,” Gerald Howson

[8] “Juego y Teoría del Duende,” Federico García Lorca

[9] Deutsche Welle

[10] Encyclopedia Britannica

[11] Quartz

[12] Hell Joseon: A term that alludes to the parallels between the strict hierarchies and inescapable poverty during the Joseon Dynasty and modern South Korea

[13] N-po generation: A term that describes the South Korean youth who has given up on milestones (marriage, dating, buying a house, having children, etc.) because of the competitive economic system