Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders

Reviewed by Kristin

Once again, Book Bingo is taking me to strange places and helping me to find books I never would have picked up otherwise. This one is a little bit more roundabout than that, as I searched for a translated book. Tennessee R.E.A.D.S. included this little book in that search and it really caught my eye. Lost in Translation pinpoints unique words for very interesting concepts from around the world.

Did you know that there is a word for the time needed to eat a banana? In Malay, you would call that pisanzapra. For most people, that is about two minutes. Who knew?

Measuring distance rather than time, the Finnish language finds it important to describe poronkusema, the distance reindeer usually roam before needing to stop and rest. At 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) that means that Santa and his crew might need a few more breaks that commonly thought.

In German, a word exists for the tangled state that computer cables and cords get into—kabelsalat, which literally means, “cable salad.” As I look toward my feet, I see that I have a kabelsalat right here.

Sanders explores much deeper concepts as well. In Portuguese, saudade describes a “vague, constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, a nostalgic longing for someone or something loved and then lost.” Brazilians even recognize and celebrate a day of saudade every January.

Waldeinsamkeit is German for a very calm feeling, that “feeling of being alone in the woods, an easy solitude and a connectedness to nature.” I think we could all use a lot more of that these days.

A Swedish co-worker recognized fika, meaning “gathering together to talk and take a break from everyday routines, usually drinking coffee and eating pastries…often for hours on end.” She said this is much more commonly used than the Swedish word for a third cup of coffee, tretår.

I keep coming back to German words, and was rather amused by warmduscher, referring to “someone who would only take a warm shower (not an icy cold or burning hot one), implying that they are a bit of a wimp, and unwilling to step outside of their comfort zone.”

I’ll leave you wondering if I have kummerspeck, possibly from exploring pålegg, or if it is just a good case of meraki. It probably has something to do with my habit of tsundoku.

Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins by Michael Quinion

Reviewed by Laurie

I happened upon a show called “American Slang” on the History Channel.  It was so interesting because it explained the origins of words like “saloon,”  “hillbilly,” and “Yankee.” It was so good that I decided to look for a book about word origins at the library and found Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds by Michael Quinion.  He worked on the Oxford English Dictionary so he really knows his stuff and traces the words back to the first times they were used.

Quinion tells you about the history of slang words and phrases but also tells you what isn’t true.  There are a lot of stories that sound good but aren’t factual.  For example, I had heard a story about “Stow High In Transport.”  The story was that animals being shipped would relieve themselves and the results would seep into passengers’ boxes and luggage.  Therefore these fouled items would be chalked “S.H.I.T.” to warn of the excrement  and that was where we got the word.  However, he says this is an urban legend.  He debunks a number of the more fantastical word origins, and his explanation for others is a bit different than I expected.

One of these is the word “Dixie” meaning the South.  Quinion describes several of these, including the one about the money (“dix” is French for “ten” and referred to Louisiana banknotes).  He believes it goes back to the Mason-Dixon Line and therefore refers to the name of the surveyor John Dixon.

I have really enjoyed reading this book.  It’s set up alphabetically by words and phrases so you can pick and choose what you want to know about.  Some of the most interesting ones to me were actually ones I’d never heard of, like “Black Maria.”  That’s the name for a police van to transport prisoners.  Quinon traces it back to a famous black racehorse.  This was back when these police vans were horse drawn and usually black. Now they’re better known as “paddy wagons” but he doesn’t explain that one, darn it.

Needless to say, I could go on and on like this but it would be easier for you to pick it up—once I put it back on the shelf, that is!  Enjoy!

the Signal Mountain Spelling Book of JuliUn Tod

 Reviewed by Nancy

If you enjoy words, word-play and good spelling in general, Wow! Have I got the book for you! "The Signal Mountain Spelling Book of JuliUn Tod" by Jud Barry (F BAR Main & Avoca)  is a book that's all about words. I don't just mean the words in the story that allow the story to unfold. I mean that this is a book that loves words, discusses words, our understanding of words and the way we use them, the impact of words on our lives, and of course, the spelling of words.

The narrator of this book is Juliun Tod, a pet frog who hates bad spelling. In fact, his name is the result of bad spelling:  the book’s main character, Casey, intended to name him “Julian Toad” but couldn't spell Julian or toad, so when he made a name-plate for Julian's terrarium Julian Toad turned into Juliun Tod.  Julian relates to us, not just the story of how he came to be Casey's pet, but also the story of how he became a frog in the first place.

Other characters included are Casey’s brother Dudley (appropriately nicknamed Dud); Solomon, a philosopher pig; Boudiccia, the evil cat; and Rowf, the dog.  Angel, a wild girl of uncertain origins, appears late in the story.

I was on pins and needles through the greater part of the book wondering if Juliun Tod was going to survive the evil machinations of Dud. There were many evil machinations, culminating with JuliUn taking a ride on a science fair rocket. This scared the doo-wah-diddy out of me, but turned out alright in the end.

This story is also a sort of fable in which the author offers his views on religion, the afterlife, and science fair projects, among other things.

As Mr. Barry asserts, "spelling matters." He assures us that after we die we must face what seems to be some sort of judgmental committee called the Iota Subscript Subcommittee of the Hereafter Admissions Review Committee (HARK). Yes, HARK, ha ha. This is immediately followed by a reference to herald angels singing, to help us grab hold of that joke, just in case we were snoozing when we read it and it slipped by us.

In this presentation, one faces the HARK committee after going through the "Winnowing" which seems to be the term for what happens when a soul separates from the body it has been traveling around in since it was born. Somewhere in the author's vision fits a place called "Mezzanine" which I believe loosely equates with Purgatory.

Correct spelling seems to prominently feature in our success or lack of success in the afterlife. As the book states, "In the beginning was the Word; in the end will be - the dictionary." 

By the way, the author of this book, Jud Barry, is the Director of the fabulous Bristol Public Library. What a deal. He directs the library, and writes books to fill the shelves, too.