10 fascinating words from indigenous languages ​​of Mexico that can hardly be translated into Spanish

In Mexico are 69 different ways of referring to the same reality. 63 different ways of seeing the world.

This is not an exaggeration. In such a large country with an even greater cultural diversity, there are —besides Spanish— 68 indigenous languages ​​spoken 364 variants grouped in 11 language families.

This makes Mexico among the 10 countries in the world with the most native languages ​​and the second in Latin America, only behind Brazil.

But this impressive richness not only allows us to call the same thing in many ways thanks to these languages, but also some of their concepts are so special them and reflect such a particular way of understanding what surrounds us that they do not have a direct translation into Spanish.

“These are authentic linguistic treasures that the speakers of Mexico give us and that express everything from feelings to ways of eating or observing nature”, sums up Gabriela Lavalle, coordinator of the book “Untranslatable”, which compiles some of these words that need several description phrases to know their meaning in Spanish.

Tribute to the “resistance”

The result of this publication was a beautiful compendium of words from native Mexican peoples with whom they share a small sample of their cosmogony, customs, moments of daily life and gastronomy.

But keeping them alive and not falling into oblivion requires, of course, that these languages ​​continue to be spoken.

In Mexico, however, only 7.3 million people speak any of their original languages. That is, barely 6% of the country’s total population, according to the latest data from the Mexican National Institute of Statistics (INEGI).

And, despite the omnipresence of the Spanish language in Mexico and its overwhelming majority spread compared to the languages originating, another fact reflects the importance of betting on their conservation: the 12% of those who speak any language indigenous do not speak Spanish.

For this reason, Lavalle emphasizes that the “Untranslatable” project is a kind of tribute to all these original speakers who fought, through their words, to preserve their identity against the language that was imposed on them in their territories.

“Have 500 years of resistance, to continue betting on their origins and their way of communicating. It is a tribute to all those people who have defended their wealth and who deserve to be given importance and value”, he assures in an interview with BBC Mundo.

“But above all, our project wants to reconnect the people, especially children and young people, with this part of Mexico’s multiculturalism so that they don’t lose those roots either and that they understand that the more we know about all cultures, the greater our wealth,” he adds.

The difficulty of translating

Sometimes it happens to any speaker of at least two languages ​​that they are not able to find an exact translation for a word, so it is forced to express that idea through a longer definition.

The same thing happened with the task of translating into Spanish these unique original words with such richness that they cannot be translated directly , and even less without altering its original meaning.

Percentage of the population (3 years of age and over) speaking an indigenous language in Mexico. (Photo: INEGI. CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING 774)

“That was a complicated job but one that we looked at from the beginning: trying have a kind of translation but without intervening in the origin of the words and respecting what the speaker wanted to convey”, admits Lavalle.

“Because, at the end of the day, we cannot ‘castellanizar’ a word that is not ours nor does it belong to our language. It belongs to them”.

Of some 86 proposals sent by native language speakers from all over the country, were finally selected 68 words for “Untranslatable”, which in the book are accompanied by their illustrations and by poems of the Zapotec writer Irma Pineda that help their understanding.

Below, we present ten of these untranslatable words into Spanish that represent authentic donations from the original Mexican peoples to the world. To know the rest, you can read the complete book on the website untranslatable.org

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Ndúyuu

This word in Zapotec refers to the action of placing oneself in a fetal position, with the knees in the ground, the butt raised and the hands close to the head or torso.

In general, it is not associated with any ritual or celebration, but rather is a daily action and is done to relax the body, for belly pain or for fun.

Ndumui

Have you felt deep sadness? What would you call it?

Devastating emotional pain is named in the Otomi language with the word ndumui, a feeling that manifests from the stomach to the heart.

For those who speak this language, heart and stomach are the same and represent the energy center of people.

Ch’uuk’

Mayan word that implies company, generosity, the will to share, and also its meaning is related to the taste of food.

In general, this word invites you to make a taco with everything on the table; however, its deepest meaning refers to holding the tortilla and rubbing it with another element so that it is impregnated with that flavor.

Esom

This word in the Tsotsil language refers to things that appear and disappear for no apparent reason.

When this happens, no person is blamed, because that is not about a being, but about a notion of time and space, perhaps a dimension where the lost has gone.

Makiepë

To greet during assemblies, family ceremonies or with the Mixe community , it is said

makiepë.

This is a universal greeting that tries to say “the creator of the life take care of you…, guide you and accompany you”.

B’etsja

In Mazahua, it is used to refer to a person who is hardworking, light and quick to do your chores.

Pandamojmi

in Mazahua. In the community of Santiago Coachochitlán, State of Mexico, if by chance you played pandamojmi

would recommend you stay away from pots, as it is a plant that turns slippery the hands that touch it.

This plant does not exceed 80 cm tall, its flowers are reddish orange and, to be appreciated, it is only seen in the rainy season.

Unfortunately , in his name he bears his fault: páná means pull and ndamojmï, casserole; that is, “slingshot”.

Ta’kjuii

There are ways to express the respect and joy that we lovingly keep for our old sages: the grandparents.

In Mazahua, it is said ta ‘kjuii

to respectfully greet and pay tribute to those, guardians of the memory, they weave the braid of history and guide the young generations with their steps.

When visiting a house, ta’kjuii expresses the joy of those who arrive and the gratitude of those who receive.

Uila

From Nahuatl. The grandmothers and grandfathers of Xochitlán, a town in the Sierra Norte de Puebla, are the only ones among its inhabitants who can give some details about the appearance of the being called uila.

They say it’s a bad wind, a monster, a supernatural being that drags a chain and only has half its body.

They say that looking at it causes numbness in the extremities and that it can only be warded off with tobacco, elderberry, prayers or blessed images. Although no one knows its nature, everyone is certain of its evil.

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Ya bialash

A profound expression in Zapotec that means “I understand that it is not possible, I did everything I could, but I see that it is impossible and I retire with tranquility and peace”.

This article is part of the Hay Festival Querétaro, a meeting of writers and thinkers that takes place from September 1 to 4, 2020. You can see all our coverage by clicking here.

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