One of the trending topics in the world of Translation is the question of untranslatable words. Such words designate a parcel of reality so important that the speakers of that language have given it a name. They have encapsulated this salient aspect of their culture in a single word. Since such terms may have no direct equivalent in the target language, the only way to translate them is to gloss their meaning. Examples include the following:
- ‘sobremesa’ [Spanish]: the moment after eating a meal when the food is gone but the conversation is still flowing at the table.
- ‘gökotta’ [Swedish]: to wake up early in the morning with the purpose of going outside to hear the first birds sing.
- ‘arigata-meiwaku’ [Japanese]: an act that someone does for you that you didn’t want to have them do and tried to avoid having them do. However, they went ahead anyway because they wanted to do you a favor, and then things went wrong and caused you a lot of trouble; yet in the end, social conventions required you to express gratitude.
All of these activities can and do occur throughout the world but other languages have no specific term to designate them. This is what makes them so difficult to translate. However, sometimes, one of these words can catch on in another culture. It then may become a candidate for adoption.
This is the case of the German, ‘Schadenfreude’, which means pleasure derived from another’s misfortune. Most of us, regardless of our culture or language, have experienced this feeling at some time in our lives. In fact, ‘schadenfreude’ is probably an excellent candidate for an emotional universal because it has been documented throughout the world, in exotic cultures in the present as well as in ancient cultures of the past.
For instance, for Melanesians in Papua New Guinea, ‘schadenfreude’ is known as ‘banbanam’. It involves gloating at rival villagers when their feast day is rained on because the spells of their Weather Magician failed. It also involves laughing at a cheating husband, whose wife grabs him by the testicles as she ignores his pleas for mercy. Even the ancient Romans harbored this feeling, which was known as ‘malevolentia’.
Nevertheless, for whatever reason, English never got around to creating a word for this ubiquitous concept. There was a failed attempt in the 1500s when someone tried to introduce ‘epicaricacy’, a term derived from the ancient Greek. However, ‘epicaricacy’ never became popular and was eventually buried in the cemetery of forgotten words.
Finally, in 1853, a writer in the Victorian era decided that this lexical gap should be filled and borrowed ‘schadenfreude’ from German. In contrast, its less popular antonym, ‘Glückschmerz’ (sorrow and discomfort felt at the good fortune of others) was totally ignored.
Though not on the most frequent word list, ‘schadenfreude’ has since been incorporated into the English language and can be found in most dictionaries. It is even the topic of a book, “Schadenfreude: The Joy of Another's Misfortune” by T. W. Smith.
‘Schadenfreude’, however, comes at a price. In certain contexts, experiencing it may make us feel guilty and a little ashamed of ourselves. In our heart of hearts, we acknowledge that ‘schadenfreude’ is a negative feeling. However, all of this changes when we think that the other person’s suffering is deserved. Gloating is justified, when the misfortune is construed as a comeuppance.
For example, in 2015, U.S. pastor Tony Perkins proclaimed that the floods in the Bahamas triggered by Hurricane Joaquin were sent by God to punish abortion and gay marriage. However, a year later in 2016, a flood of biblical proportions inundated his own house, and he was forced to escape in a canoe. If such floods are indeed sent by God, one can only wonder what the pastor was being punished for. In such circumstances, one feels entitled to a bit of schadenfreude.
Now, in Times of Coronavirus, guilt-free schadenfreude has once again become a reality. As you may recall (www.timesofcoronavirus.com), one of the most prominent members of the Ostrich Alliance is President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil.
Back in April, he stated that Brazilians would not be affected by the coronavirus. He said that they were probably already immune to it because there were Brazilians that went diving in the sewers, and nothing happened to them. Like a few other important world leaders, he claimed that Covid-19 would simply disappear. However, now in July, his perceptions have been proven erroneous.
Largely thanks to Bolsonaro, the current infection rate in Brazil is now over 40,000 cases per day, and the death count exceeds 1000 per day. Against all scientific evidence, President Bolsonaro has stated that the reason for such high numbers is because people are afraid of the virus, which is no worse than the flu.
Oddly enough, throughout the world, there are a number people that actually believe this, and even affirm that 99% of all coronavirus cases are totally harmless. Unfortunately, there is no possibility of intelligent discussion with these Covid flat-Earthers, who have lost touch with reality and are utterly convinced that they have a monopoly on the truth. It is easier to argue with a brick wall.
Bolsonaro is not in favor of wearing masks and only does so because the judicial system in Brazil has obliged him to. Even so, he takes his mask off whenever possible and encourages large gatherings. By not setting an example for his followers, who lack a brain of their own and strive to emulate their ‘dear leader’, he has caused the death rate to soar even higher than it would have. His empathy for those who have suffered from the virus or for those who have lost loved ones would not fill a thimble. He is only interested in getting re-elected.
Three days ago, President Bolsonaro (65) tested positive for coronavirus. He started feeling weak on Sunday. On Monday, the situation worsened. He experienced tiredness, muscle pain, and a fever of 38ºC. He is currently being treated with the controversial antimalarial drug chloroquine, which he believes is the ultimate cure for Covid-19.
Since Bolsonaro has an aversion to science, he may well have prescribed it for himself. Recently, two health ministers, both of them trained doctors, were fired in rapid succession simply because they did not agree with him. Their replacement was an active-duty army general, who is currently dealing with the health crisis in Brazil. With 1.6 million confirmed cases and at least 70,000 deaths, Brazil’s death toll trails only that of the United States.
I asked my eldest son, the doctor, if he had experienced ‘schadenfreude’ when he heard the news of Bolsonaro’s diagnosis. He nodded his head, but he mitigated his affirmation by saying, “Even though I think that he deserves the disease, I have no wish for him to die. Better that he should suffer some of the side effects of the coronavirus, effects that can take years to recover from. These include lung scarring, myocarditis, chronic fatigue, blood clots, kidney failure, and neurocognitive disorders. After all of the suffering that his ignorance has caused, that would be a more fitting punishment.”
