One "Personal" Word - UChicago Supplement

In French, there is no difference between "conscience" and "consciousness." In Japanese, there is a word that specifically refers to the splittable wooden chopsticks you get at restaurants. The German word "fremdschämen" encapsulates the feeling you get when you're embarrassed on behalf of someone else. All of these require explanation in order to properly communicate their meaning, and are, to varying degrees, untranslatable.Choose a word, tell us what it means, and then explain why it cannot (or should not) be translated from its original language. - Inspired by Emily Driscoll, an incoming student in the Class of 2018

One "Personal" Word

Are there any words unique and dear to you, ones cannot live without? If, say, Esperanto was to substitute all languages in the world and this/these words were to become non-existent, you would feel as if the only mean to explain your very soul to others was lost. For me there is one such "personal" word - samokopaniye.

Samokapaniye is literary translated from Russian as digging into oneself. But don't worry - it doesn't hurt. On the contrary, it is very rewarding in the plainest sense of the word. I am convinced that the great and invaluable treasure is concealed inside every person's soul, one that nobody could steal or stain. This is the treasure of emerald kindness, golden compassion, ruby truthfulness and crystal selflessness etc. All these virtues surface up in normal human's life with various degree of consistency. For them to do so, it takes a lot: to undergo a judgment of egoism, to outrun a good portion of pride and to outscream the call of gain. Samokapaniye facilitates retrieving those virtues more easily and more often.

[...]

Alina, I will try to help you align the essay with the prompt. I can see the effort that you have placed in doing the same thing but it is not sufficient at this point. I hope you won't mind if i revise the essay for you. It will be your reference for your own revision of the essay.

- In all languages, there are certain words the touch the heart. It is a unique word to the language that makes it impossible to translate, and yet have an emotional connection or definition that resonates with everyone who hears and begins to understand the word. For me, that word is "Samokopaniye" -- digging into oneself.

- Russian grammar is quite descriptive by nature and thus, can seem to be quite painful to the imagination. "Samokopaniye" sounds more painful than it actually is. It is actually a very pleasurable and rewarding activity. It is the word that people use to ask others to dig deep into their souls for a meaning that nobody can steal or stain. It is the word that allows a person the freedom to evaluate his life and the events that have transpired in it so far in relation to his current situation. It is a philosophical word that asks a person to look beyond his superficial self and dig into the the hidden self that we all have in order to understand himself. "Samokopaniye" in effect means "do dig deep into oneself in order to find his truth".

Alina, you should delete this part of the essay and instead, discuss the portion of the prompt that you failed to focus on:


The simple meaning of the word in relation to your point of view will suffice for its definition. The important topic that you need to cover now is why you believe that even though the word has equivalents in other languages, the original word must always be used. Without that explanation, this is an incomplete essay.

Thank you so much for you ever-so-helpful corrections!!!! I'll work on the essay today and try to improve it further according to your advice. However, I don't quite understand what you mean by "even though it has equivalents"? The word from the example they provide - spittable chopsticks in Japanese - also can be explained in a few words.. I am a little lost as to how to approach the part I failed to focus on.

Alina, there are some words that seem to carry more depth and emotion when left untranslated, words such as "Te Amo" in Spanish means "I love you". While you can say the same words in English, Saying it in the original Spanish term, due to the emotions that are included in the pronunciation of the word in the original language, makes it more dramatic and emotional when heard. I stirs an emotion in the person who hears the original word, thus making the word more meaningful when left untranslated. That is why certain words, such as "Samokopaniye" should not be translated. Sometimes, the importance of the word and its meaning is better delivered in the original language. I am sure that "splittable chopsticks" sounds better and more dramatic in its original Japanese from than the rough English translation would lead us to believe. The same goes for the word that you chose. To put it another way, foreigners react better to learning the original word and its meaning rather than having it roughly translated for them so that is one reason why some words should remain personal and untranslated.

Do you understand what I have just explained? Feel free to ask more questions if you still need clarifications :-)

So my idea of the first paragraph was that if the word ceased to exist, the language would loose its capasity to translate a portion of my feelings into words. That's why I like the Esperanto sentence.. Do you think I could use a better hook? Is that the case with the first paragraph??

Alina, From what I understand of the prompt, you need to choose a word that carries a special meaning in its original sense. A meaning that is far deeper than any common definition or translation can give. It is a word that when translated, cannot seem to carry the same meaning as when it is said in its original form. That is why I used "Te Amo" as an example for you. That is the essence of an essay. You need to choose a word that is so special to your language that it could lose its essence if translated. That is the essence of the prompt portion that says:


If you look at my explanation about the word "Te Amo" and why it should not be translated to any other language, you will see that I was able to meet the essay prompt because I said that ;


Did I clarify the prompt for you now? Don't hesitate to ask more questions if you need to :-)

Okay, I think I see your point. How about this begining?

There're words in Russian that are unique and dear to people, ones each of them cannot live without. If, say, Esperanto was to substitute all languages in the world and these words were to be translated for universal use, it would feel as if the only mean to express the very soul was lost.

This is not jealousy or greed or arrogance, not a fear to lose a privilege of being the only nation to know it, which makes those combinations of letters untranslatable. The real cause is the meaning that is far deeper than any common explanation or translation can hope to offer. These are words that when translated, refuse to retain the true message that they encapsulate in their original form.

One of these "personal" words that is speaks as vividly about me as it does about every true Russian - samokopaniye.

I want to go on then writing how this word encloses the true russian soul with its vices and virtues and about how when it is translated it is not anymore the same word as made Leo Tolstoy write War and Peace etc - ???

Alina, let me try my hand at this. Let's see what happens :-) I think we need to lose the Esperanto part in order to make this work.

There are just some words in foreign words that defy translation.Words like Esperanto, which is Russian for (insert English translation here) just cannot be translated for universal use. To do so would make the very word lose its essence and spirit. For me, the "personal" word that defies definition and translation, and therefore should remain unchanged is the Russian word "Samokopaniye".

Does this work for you?

Vangiespen, Esperanto is a so-called universal language - you can look it up - it's an amazing invention and I wonder if it will work some day. I doubt it

Do you think the essay is too long? Because it seems to me that on the contrary it might be too little and I am not sure it would be a good idea to shorten it much more

Alina, that is exactly the problem. The essay prompt asks you to consider a word that should not be translated. Esperanto is your attempt at sounding more intelligent than you need to be in the essay. The main objective of the prompt is clear. Choose a word that is personal to you, from your language, which is Russian, and explain why, in your opinion, the word should not or cannot be translated into another language. There is nothing in the essay prompt that asks you to discuss Esperanto. It is trying to be a universal language like English is. How exactly does that relate to the prompt? Do you see where I am headed? The prompt is not asking you to consider a universal language, just your mother tongue. Your native language. The emergence of Esperanto has nothing to do with the prompt and therefore should not be discussed. I appreciate your opening my eyes to Esperanto but the more I learned about it, the more I understood that it has no place in your essay and deviates from the actual objective of the prompt.

I apologize if I sound harsh but this Esperanto thing needed to be addressed because it seems to be a fixation for you that you need to get over :-) it will not help you meet the prompt of the essay in any way so it should not be mentioned. Do you think you can make the essay work without it?



- Add this to the part where I cancelled Esperanto. That should work as an introduction for you and show that you really understood the prompt and will be sticking to its requirements :-)

Overall, the new and final version of your essay works well, just drop the Esperanto reference. It adheres to the essay prompt and discusses the word on a personal basis for you very well :-)

I completely see your point and I guess I really got caught by a sophisticated analogy I could mention. Anyway, how about this now? It is still just a draft so I appreciate enormously your criticism as usual! I am particularly concerned about division into paragraphs and if my ideas seem reasonable, interesting and on answer the topic completely.

A "Personal" Word

There're words in Russian that are unique and dear to people, ones each of them cannot live without. This is not jealousy or greed or arrogance, not a fear to lose a privilege of being the only nation to know it, which makes those combinations of letters untranslatable. The real cause is that the meaning is far deeper than any common explanation or translation can hope to offer. These are words that when translated, refuse to retain the true message that they encapsulate in their original form.

[...]

Alina, we are polishing the essay now. It is almost there, bear with me :-)


- There are ... words each of them...


- Russian is ...


- ... one's beliefs ...


- I am not sure what you are trying to say here. It does not make sense. Can you reword it for clarity purposes?


- I believe that people should not judge one another. Instead they should have the sense of responsibility and courage to face their own weaknesses in life.


- Change all the questions into statements because these are historical facts.
- This is what the great Russian ...

If you will kindly apply these changes, we may have a solid and ready essay at the end of it :-)

I just love your style of editing. It is so comfortable to work with :) Here it comes! Yey!
[...]

I think we have just one problem sentence left to fix. Let me try to see how I can help you with it.


- Perhaps you can better say it this way "These eleven letters may seem random to foreigners but to the Russian people, it means preserving who they are as a people and as an individual."

With the application of this revision, I do believe the essay is ready for submission. I mean, that is if you agree with me :-) If you think there is still work to be done on it, then we shall continue to revise until you are happy and confident with it :-)

About this sentence though.. The thing I was trying to say is that once you learn the meaning of the word, even though you are a foriegner and Russian is not your native language, we would be happy to share this word. The only thing is that it should come to other languages as it is. just samokopaniye. Not selfdigging or any other translation. As only this way, in its very letters its true meaning is enclosed. I feel that if I state that this word belogs to Russians it would be greedy and unfair at my part

In the contrary, it will show why certain words must remain unique to a certain language or dialect. There is nothing selfish or greedy about it. That is the whole point of the essay prompt. Preserving the meaning of a word by using it in is original form rather than trying to roughly translate the word. to quote the reason directly from your essay prompt:


This gives you the authority to be selfish with the word that is uniquely Russian. You can say something to the effect of the Russians are willing to share the word with the world, but not in a rough translation because it will lose the very quality that makes it special or something to that effect. That selfishness or greediness is what makes the word "personal: to you and your country. So run with the sentiment. Let it be a part of the explanation as to what makes the word extremely personal to you.

Does this look better?

A "Personal" Word

There are words in Russian that are unique and dear to people, there words each of them cannot live without. This is not jealousy or greed or arrogance, not a fear to lose a privilege of being the only nation to know it, which makes those combinations of letters untranslatable. The real cause is that the meaning is far deeper than any common explanation or translation can hope to offer. These are words that when translated, refuse to retain the true message that they encapsulate in their original form.

One of these "personal" words that speaks as vividly about me as it does about every true Russian is samokopaniye. Coming from a country that made a great contribution to the world's classical literature, which partly is due to the unparalleled descriptiveness of Russian language, I am certainly carrying some imprint of its culture. Samokapaniye is literary translated from Russian as "digging into oneself". But don't worry - it doesn't hurt to dig. Samokapaniye encloses a vast meaning. It is the process of evaluating and reevaluating one's beliefs, positions on controversial topics, looking in retrospect on events that have transpired so far in relation to the current situation. Samokopaniye is basically a way of philosophical thinking that doesn't truly give any answers of a permanent nature to ethical questions but attempts to do so and allows deeper understanding oneself.

The "samo" part of the word encloses the inside world of a person who uses the word. These four letters carry every bit of individuality of human soul. Thus, Samokopaniye proves to be irreplaceable in certain aspects of life despite its seemingly impractical character, constantly reminding in its very sound that every human who uses it should prove to have a worthy "samo". Among the opinions of many friends I have in Russia and internationally, the doctrines proclaimed from TV screens, philosophical teachings expressed on pages of books, it could have been so easy to lose what I am, to have no "samo" left to dig into. These eleven letters may seem random to foreigners but to a to Russians it helps to preserve who they are as a people and as individuals. In simple words, samokopaniye shows me how to live a life being true to my unique "samo". This word cannot be translated but it all of us can benefit from sharing it as it is.

I believe that people should not rely wholly on other's judgement. Instead they should have the sense of responsibility and courage to face the evaluation of their own weaknesses in life. This is what the "kopaniye" part represents. Great Russian authors: Leo Tolstoy, Mikhail Lermontov, Anton Chekhov and many others, were able to entrust their "kopaniye" to papers that made up glorious artworks and brought fame and wonder upon the mystery of Russian soul.

In fact, it is this word that comes closest to explaining this mystery of which there are numerous examples. Russians fought Napoleon when he promised personal liberty to peasants. They suffered in Stalin's camps instead of accepting censure. The decedents who were forced to leave USSR in search of freedom, never recovered from the loss of their Motherland. This is what a great Russian poet Tutchev (trans. Anthony Liberman) tried to explain in a brilliant poem: "You will not grasp it with you mind/ Or cover it with common label". The mystery of Russian heart is concealed within samokopaniye that is so "personal" and the nation I belong to.

- Alina, the essay is , as far as I can tell, good enough to be submitted. I just need to ask you to look at the portion where you say "but to a to Russians", please remove the extra to after the a in order to correct the grammar. I did that for your earlier but you put it back so I guess you did not notice the correction that I did. Do you feel the same as I do about the readiness of your essay? If you do, then you can go ahead and submit this. Otherwise, let me know what else you want to do and I'll try to help you work it out :-)

As I recall, we already edited this essay in the past. Why are you asking to have it reviewed and edited again? Are you going to use it for a different application? If you want to know if the "word that cannot be translated" essay can be used for this "What matters most to you" prompt, then the answer is yes. It works. Why does it work? It works because you have chosen to describe a character trait of yours which is uniquely Russian. It does not exist for others or if it does, it is not represented the same way. I would have liked to have seen a representation of the "samo" in you though. By presenting a clear example of how the word works in relation to you, you will be able to properly represent why "samo" matters most to you and why. I suggest that you revise the essay by removing the part referencing the great authors and instead, presenting an example of the applicability of "samo" in your life. Choose the most important moment when your "samo" presented itself and tell us how it worked out for you.