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Finding the appropriate word

  • Writer: Hannah Telluselle
    Hannah Telluselle
  • Aug 21, 2021
  • 1 min read

Updated: Aug 7, 2022

Ever since I became bilingual in 2014, after I had finished compiling and writing my second book and had collapsed, I can think in either language. It's quite fascinating!

Yesterday, a girlfriend shared how her Dad had passed away just this past Monday and my immediate reaction was to say "I'm sorry" in Swedish (Förlåt). While this is appropriate in English, it certainly isn't in Swedish, where the exclamation for excuse is solemnly an acknowledgment of your mistake or bad behavior.


I continued by saying that I don't know what to say and asked if I could give her hug, which she gladly accepted. Sometimes, a hug is the most appropriate word.


Have you ever gotten lost in translation?


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