Flight of the bumblebee: how translators make the impossible journey between languages

“Say what we may of the inadequacy of translation, yet it is, and will always be, one of the weightiest and worthiest undertakings in the general concerns of the world.” — Goethe

Language is our greatest intangible artefact. People feel, talk, dream and communicate in thousands of language systems which evolved with its users. They are for the most part unintelligible to one another and have distinctly different features. Some languages — notably Indian — don’t have words for certain colours: consider mauve, cyan, teal, sienna. What about burnt sienna? Any equivalences on the subcontinent? Our angry “ Eeaayh… ?” could translate as “Whattt?” but loses the snarl of authority behind the Indian huff.