Translating Happiness: A Cross-Cultural Lexicon of Well-Being

About this book

How embracing untranslatable terms for well-beingfrom the Finnish sisu to the Yiddish menschcan enrich our emotional understanding and experience. Western psychology is rooted in the philosophies and epistemologies of Western culture. But what of concepts and insights from outside this frame of reference? Certain terms not easily translatable into Englishfor example nirva (from Sanskrit) or agp (from Classical Greek) or turangawaewae (from Mori)are rich with meaning but largely unavailable to English-speaking students and seekers of wellbeing. In this book Tim Lomas argues that engaging with untranslatable terms related to well-being can enrich not only our understanding but also our experience. We can use these words Lomas suggests to understand and express feelings and experiences that were previously inexpressible. Lomas examines 400 words from 80 languages arranges them thematically and develops a theoretical framework that highlights the varied dimensions of well-being and traces the connections between them. He identifies three basic dimensions of well-beingfeelings relationships and personal developmentand then explores each in turn through untranslatable words. nanda for example usually translated as bliss can have spiritual associations in Buddhist and Hindu contexts; kefi in Greek expresses an intense emotional stateoften made more intense by alcohol. The Japanese concept of koi no yokan means a premonition or presentiment of love capturing the elusive and vertiginous feeling of being about to fall for someone imbued with melancholy and uncertainty; the Yiddish term mensch has been borrowed from its Judaic and religious connotations to describe an all-around good human being; and Finnish offers sisuinner determination in the face of adversity. Expanding the lexicon of well-being in this way showcases the richness of cultural diversity while reminding us powerfully of our common humanity. Lomass website www.drtimlomas.com/lexicography allows interested readers to contribute their own words and interpretations.