Untranslatable?

Mitdenken

By Michael Schubert | March 18, 2019

“Mitdenken” is a lovely little word in German, and difficult to translate. It implies conscientiousness and collaboration all in one.

Waldeinsamkeit

By Michael Schubert | February 14, 2019

My love of German language and culture was sparked by my exposure as a teenager to German Romanticism and its evocative vocabulary

Schadenfreude

By Michael Schubert | January 1, 2019

In defense of the German people, I don’t think there is anything uniquely German about “Schadenfreude”!

eingefleischter Vegetarier

By Michael Schubert | November 19, 2018

My best attempt is rabid vegetarian, since “rabid” also alludes to the animalistic and introduces a similar (humorous) dissonance.

Die Elenden

By Michael Schubert | January 12, 2018

Les Misérables is a tale of great humanity that bears revisiting, and Victor Hugo’s keen mind and exquisite prose come through beautifully in translation.