Untranslatable?
Mitdenken
“Mitdenken” is a lovely little word in German, and difficult to translate. It implies conscientiousness and collaboration all in one.
Waldeinsamkeit
My love of German language and culture was sparked by my exposure as a teenager to German Romanticism and its evocative vocabulary
Schadenfreude
In defense of the German people, I don’t think there is anything uniquely German about “Schadenfreude”!
eingefleischter Vegetarier
My best attempt is rabid vegetarian, since “rabid” also alludes to the animalistic and introduces a similar (humorous) dissonance.
Die Elenden
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.