Let’s talk about common Hindi words with no English equivalent on International Translation Day

Every language across the globe has its flavour and common and sometimes fun words or even expressions, which, if translated into any other language, lose their meaning. On International Translation Day, &TV artists talk about untranslatable common Hindi words and how their meaning completely changes when translated to some other language. These artists include Neha Joshi (Yashoda, Doosri Maa), Yogesh Tripathi (Daroga Happu Singh, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan), and Shubhangi Atre (Angoori Bhabi, Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai). As Yashoda in &TV's Doosri Maa, Neha Joshi shares, “The beauty of any language lies in its words, and some are just so perfect that one cannot translate them as they lose their flavour, pun and meaning. For example, the word ‘Chalega’ literally means “will move” or “will walk” or ‘this works’. However, it’s most often used as a question or statement as to whether something will work. It's particularly common in Mumbai slang. For example, you’re shopping for a dress with a friend, and she picks one up and says, “Chalega?” If you like it, you’d reply “chalega”. If you like it, you could even add another “chalega” for emphasis and say “chalega, chalega” (laughs).”

As Daroga Happu Singh, Yogesh Tripathi in &TV's Happu Ki Ultan Paltan, shares, “Trust me, Words travel worlds. Translators do the driving. Without translation, we would be living in provinces bordering on silence. I come from an academic background, so literature holds much significance for my family and me. When I moved to Mumbai, I had a funny instance of misinterpreting a word like ‘Accha’ This multi-purpose word means "good". But it can have several meanings depending on the intonation it is given or its usage in a sentence. It could also mean "okay", "really?", "I understand", "oh!" or "I have a question". Shubhangi Atre as Angoori Bhabi in &TV's Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai, shares, “Languages are very beautiful and tricky. When I used to train for classical dance, I came across a word called Rasa, which is a Hindi word that is difficult to translate into English because its meaning is so visual. While talking of performance arts, dance forms, theatre, or cinema, rasa is a form of communication with coordinated movements of the eyes, feet, and vocal cords to express emotions and tell a story that reaches the audience. It can also be used more widely to refer to the look or tone of a work of art, although it’s translated literally as juice, taste, or essence. It requires a lot of focus and holds on languages to understand and translate content.”

Watch Doosri Maa at 8:00 pm, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan at 10:00 pm, and Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai at 10:30 pm, airing every Monday to Friday  on &TV!