Lost in Translation by Ella Frances Sanders is a beautiful book. It is a celebration of art and language that gives the read a sense of belonging to the world at large. Our collective experience as people binds us together. As a Christian reading this book, I was struck by how the relational image of God that is fundamental to our nature is revealed in the way we express ourselves in language.
The subtitle of this book is “An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World.” The illustrations are whimsical and necessary, but secondary in my mind to the description of each word. Over 50 words are included from at least a couple dozen different languages.
This is a fun book to read, but it also touches on some deeply emotional subjects like longing, homesickness, belonging, and lost love. It’s amazing how so many things I’ve wished could be expressed in a single word actually ARE expressed in the single word of another language. A couple of my favorites: Naz, an Urdu word that expresses the feeling of knowing you are loved unconditionally, and Tsundoku, a Japanese word for a pile of purchased, yet unread books. Both are so applicable to me, a redeemed sinner with piles of unread books!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the nuances of languages, and appreciates the variances of culture. This would be an excellent coffee table or bathroom book, and I mean that in a highly complementary way.
Please Note: This book was gifted as a part of the Blogging for Books Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. This has in no way influenced my opinion or review of this work.