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In Other Words (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Simon Winchester (Foreword)

3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Translation is tricky, especially when the language belongs to a people whose culture is very different from one's own. In this short but enthusiastic book, Moore, a linguist, selects from languages across the world words and phrases that are impossible to translate neatly into English. In many cases, the difficulty arises because our culture simply doesn't share the same experiences as others. For instance, the Cantonese word gagung literally means "bare sticks," but represents the growing group of men who will not be able to find a wife because China's one-child policy, and desire for sons, has reduced the proportion of women. Other untranslatable words are those used for a feeling or situation that English only describes in a roundabout way, such as the indigenous word from Tierra del Fuego, mamihlapinatapei, which connotes "an expressive and meaningful silence," romantic or otherwise. Moore ranges through 10 different groups of languages (ancient and classical, indigenous, Nordic and African among them) and breaks a few into individual tongues. He introduces each with a few entertaining anecdotes and literary quotes to provide context, and his style in the definitions is equally witty and accessible. Strangely, the entries are not alphabetized, and some have meanings that are more familiar than he implies, particularly those found in the section on Sanskrit, which is made up entirely of words that have already entered the English vocabulary, such as guru and mantra. Overall, this book will fascinate anyone who loves linguistic oddities or has ever felt "lost in translation."
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`A lexicon of words that capture a notion but defy translation' Arts Telegraph --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Walker & Company; Original edition (October 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802714447
ISBN-13: 978-0802714442
Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #419,634 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

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3.8 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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112 of 119 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars author comment, January 20, 2005

By	Christopher J. Moore "CJMoore" (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As the author of In Other Words, I am grateful to Michael for his interest in my book and his reflections on language in general. My aim was to celebrate variety among nations and to see what might be learnt from our differences. My approach is therefore cultural and is not dictionary-bound. Where for instance he suggests that Arabic has a perfectly good word "tawfiq" for compromise, this may be so in narrow dictionary terms. But as one who has spent many years living in Arab countries, I can assure him that the idea of compromise does not exist culturally in the same way as it might in Britain or the United States. Similarly in Chinese, we may translate guanxi in a dictionary context as "connection" but my interest is how the social and cultural reality of being connected works in China, or say in Italy, Poland, Saudi Arabia or Spain. Each place has its own "meaning" for connectedness. Meaning arises out of culture not out of books, and language is a living and dynamic phenomenon which will not be pinned down. This is something to enjoy and explore, the very thing I have tried to do and convey to others in my book.
CJMoore

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90 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Inaccurate, but..., January 19, 2005

By	Michael (Islamabad, Pakistan) - See all my reviews

"In Other Words," by Christopher Moore is touted as a compendium of words which are unique to a certain language or group of languages. A book of this kind comes out every few years and usually makes for fun reading -- showcasing all the subtleties of foreign vocabulary. Unfortunately, they are not usually very accurate or well researched, and this is sadly the case with "In Other Words."

A couple examples: In the Arabic section, Moore repeats the myth that Arabic has no word for "compromise." In fact, their word for compromise is "tawfiq" (spelled tey-waw-fey-yey-qoph, if you want to check it up), and it covers very exactly the meaning of our own English word. Then in the Chinese section, Moore -- like others before him -- tries to sell the idea that "guanxi" is an untranslatable term that looks deeply into Chinese culture. Really, I think the English word "connection" covers "guanxi" just fine, both in the literal and figurative meaning. (The Chinese "Gen zhege mei you guanxi" meaning "(It) has no connection with this," while "Ta you hen duo de guanxi" means "She has a lot of connections" or "She is well connected.")

Some of the terms are coinages from literature, like the famous "esprit de l'escalier," invented by Diderot to describe thinking up a witty remark after it's too late. But I don't agree with the thesis that such a term gives us special insight into French people. Or maybe it does. Maybe the equally made-up word "shart" from the movie "Along Came Polly" says something deep about us Americans?

As someone who has devoted much of his life to learning foreign languages, I am a little bothered by people who try to present other cultures as inscrutable and existing on a different plane from our own. But that said, "In Other Words" might be an enjoyable read, so long as we don't take it too seriously. It offers a nice taste of world languages. And certainly the words in Moore's book are real foreign terms, even if he does tend to read too much into them.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the Phrasebook...the Unintentional Barriers of Language, January 27, 2005

By	Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

When I grew up around my Japanese-speaking mother, she often used the phrase "yoko meshi" when she would get particularly frustrated about having to speak English. Only in hindsight do I see that she was using a particularly Japanese expression of linguistic frustration. This is one of the 250-plus words and phrases that language expert Christopher J. Moore has compiled from around the world that do not have a simple translation in English. Yet what they do convey are life experiences with which we Americans can relate.

Words that originate within one culture might as easily have been produced by another at any time. But often one culture may recognize a more immediate need for a word to express an emotion or situation. Consequently there are inconsistencies in how we describe commonalties we have in the human experience. And then there are the cases of words and phrases he introduces that seem specific to their native cultures such as the Czech word, litost, which is a state of torment only experienced by Czechs where they have the sudden sight of their own misery. Bottom line, languages develop in response to a culture's needs and interests. Moore has provided a nice, light tome that clearly expresses our cultural differences through words that truly get lost in translation. It's a great way to get a smidgen of what another culture may be like.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Great to dip in and out of
A very enjoyable read with fascinating looks at a variety of fascinating words from the languages of the world

Published 8 months ago by I. Holder

5.0 out of 5 stars Lighten up, everyone!
And try translating my title into a foreign language.

I read this informative little book while using a friend's bathroom (the perfect setting), and I must say, I... Read more

Published 19 months ago by F. S. L'hoir

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun book, but don't take it very seriously.
Michael, another viewer, wrote: "As someone who has devoted much of his life to learning foreign languages, I am a little bothered by people who try to present other cultures as... Read more

Published 19 months ago by A reader

5.0 out of 5 stars A feast of insights
This is a wonderfully enriching collection of juicy words from cultures around the world. The author is to be commended for the breadth of his trolling in the waters of many... Read more

Published on March 27, 2006 by Daniel J. Benor

4.0 out of 5 stars A veritable buffet for logophiles
Believe me, I really wanted to give this book five stars. It is five-star quality in almost every respect. Read more

Published on September 28, 2005 by David Edwards

3.0 out of 5 stars Differences between the matter and present Japanese
I only read about the chapter of Japanese, but I think it is a little bit strange. Some Japanese words the author chose are not used resently. Read more

Published on May 15, 2005 by Makiko T 17

1.0 out of 5 stars I'm Aya T 17
I don't agree with this author. I think he is a realy stereotype. These words which he shows, are not modan any more. There is no person who use them. Read more

Published on May 15, 2005 by Aya,T

4.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening look at language and culture
I just finished reading two books about language: "In Other Words" and a book called "Zounds!" that looked into the origins of interjections.

The author of "Zounds! Read more

Published on May 11, 2005 by Dennis Laycock

5.0 out of 5 stars The inner workings of language
Christopher Moore has produced a small but significant work with "In Other Words"....how certain words and phrases from other languages can't simply be translated (or not at all)... Read more

Published on April 28, 2005 by Jon Hunt

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classy Gem
A beautiful little book of high production quality with enchanting engraving-style artwork to complement the subject matter. Read more

Published on February 18, 2005 by C. Hodgson

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