untranslatable

adj, noun — 2 senses

untranslatable

adj

UK /ˈʌnˌtɹænz.leɪt.ə.bəl/

Etymology From un- + translatable.

1

Not able to be translated.

They referred to de Gaulle as a chienlit, a totally untranslatable term that suggests defecation in bed.
This glyph's data contains references to energy conversion or respiration; however, it may also be describing a transformation via some untranslatable process. It pays close attention to mass-energy equivalence, though the ratios are strange.2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Thermodynamic Glyph:

1 more example

In translating untranslatable words, there is a need to use a sentence or phrase before the message can be passed across.2024 July 23, Moses Famuyiwa, “12 Untranslatable English Words You Should Learn”, in LiveXP, archived from the original on 19 Jul 2025:

Antonyms: translatable
Derived terms: untranslatability

untranslatable

noun

Etymology From un- + translatable.

1

A word or phrase that is impossible to translate satisfactorily from one language to another.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.