Pick a word, tell us what it means, and say why it cannot (or should not) be translated.
Sobremesa. Esta palabra de nueve letras no significa nada en ingles, pero en espańol ayuda a definir ambo la cultura de Espańa y las personas espańoles. Sobremesa es el tiempo que pasamos después de que terminamos comiendo pero antes de que salimos de la mesa. Tiempo que pasamos hablando, relajando, digiriendo, y disfrutando en la compańía de los demás. Tiempo que no nos apresuremos, y tiempo que no nos saltamos.
For me, this word is sobremesa. Roughly translated, sobremesa is the time we spend after we have finished a meal but before we leave the table. It is the time we spend socializing, enjoying, digesting, and relaxing in the company of others. Time we don't rush, and time we don't skip.
The word sobremesa does not exist in English. But why should it? There is no cultural equivalent. Our culture tends to value quantity over quality, results over method. America is society of individualism, where every man is expected to fend for himself. Though it's hard to imagine our country being any other way. These values are a part of our country's culture in the same way that sobremesa is a part of Spain's. However, sobremesa would give America an opportunity to take a step back from the chaos of life. The word itself literally means "over the table." And sobremesa is just that. It's a time when I can bring anything up for discussion, my thoughts on global politics or my feelings about my last math test. In my family, the practice has become a nightly routine. I no longer find myself eating behind the screen of a laptop, working hard to finish just one more problem before my mom realizes I'm missing from the dinner table.
For the Spanish, how they eat is just as important as what they eat. Sobremesa is a reason to spend time with one another, to talk about one's day and share stories with friends and family. It is not planned, not penciled into organizers or marked with a notification on phones. The Spanish value family, friends, and verbal communication. But more than anything, they value sobremesa. Sobremesa gives my family the opportunity to connect over food. It brings purpose to an activity that used to mean nothing. Despite the disorder of life, sobremesa is the one-hour of the day I can count on to relax. With sobremesa, there's no thinking, it just happens. For me, sobremesa is more of a feeling than a word. It's difficult to describe to an outsider, but it's easy to understand once you experience it.
I've decided that neither side is better than the other. Es imposible elegir entre dos culturas que ayudan a definir quién soy. Regardless of how busy we are, my mom always makes sure that we have time for a family dinner, and of course, sobremesa. It's become a family tradition, one I continue to this day. Even in the mayhem of today's world, siempre hay tiempo para la sobremesa. I hope to spread the practice of sobremesa in America, to teach them that there is always time for sobremesa.
Sobremesa. Esta palabra de nueve letras no significa nada en ingles, pero en espańol ayuda a definir ambo la cultura de Espańa y las personas espańoles. Sobremesa es el tiempo que pasamos después de que terminamos comiendo pero antes de que salimos de la mesa. Tiempo que pasamos hablando, relajando, digiriendo, y disfrutando en la compańía de los demás. Tiempo que no nos apresuremos, y tiempo que no nos saltamos.
For me, this word is sobremesa. Roughly translated, sobremesa is the time we spend after we have finished a meal but before we leave the table. It is the time we spend socializing, enjoying, digesting, and relaxing in the company of others. Time we don't rush, and time we don't skip.
The word sobremesa does not exist in English. But why should it? There is no cultural equivalent. Our culture tends to value quantity over quality, results over method. America is society of individualism, where every man is expected to fend for himself. Though it's hard to imagine our country being any other way. These values are a part of our country's culture in the same way that sobremesa is a part of Spain's. However, sobremesa would give America an opportunity to take a step back from the chaos of life. The word itself literally means "over the table." And sobremesa is just that. It's a time when I can bring anything up for discussion, my thoughts on global politics or my feelings about my last math test. In my family, the practice has become a nightly routine. I no longer find myself eating behind the screen of a laptop, working hard to finish just one more problem before my mom realizes I'm missing from the dinner table.
For the Spanish, how they eat is just as important as what they eat. Sobremesa is a reason to spend time with one another, to talk about one's day and share stories with friends and family. It is not planned, not penciled into organizers or marked with a notification on phones. The Spanish value family, friends, and verbal communication. But more than anything, they value sobremesa. Sobremesa gives my family the opportunity to connect over food. It brings purpose to an activity that used to mean nothing. Despite the disorder of life, sobremesa is the one-hour of the day I can count on to relax. With sobremesa, there's no thinking, it just happens. For me, sobremesa is more of a feeling than a word. It's difficult to describe to an outsider, but it's easy to understand once you experience it.
I've decided that neither side is better than the other. Es imposible elegir entre dos culturas que ayudan a definir quién soy. Regardless of how busy we are, my mom always makes sure that we have time for a family dinner, and of course, sobremesa. It's become a family tradition, one I continue to this day. Even in the mayhem of today's world, siempre hay tiempo para la sobremesa. I hope to spread the practice of sobremesa in America, to teach them that there is always time for sobremesa.
