Margins
Translating Happiness book cover
Translating Happiness
A Cross-Cultural Lexicon of Well-Being
2018
First Published
3.90
Average Rating
272
Number of Pages

A beautifully illustrated dictionary of words from around the world that describe experiences of happiness for which there are no equivalents in the English language. Have you ever had a feeling that you couldn't quite describe because there was no word in English that captured it? Our ability to fully experience moments of joy in our lives can be limited by the words at our disposal. In this magical book, psychologist Tim Lomas surveys words from around the world to help readers put their finger on feelings of happiness that before might have lingered for only a moment in their mind's eye before disappearing. The ideal gift for language lovers, or for anyone looking for a megadose of pure joy, Happiness—Found in Translation features such "untranslatable" words as: Bazodee : A Creole (Trinidad and Tobago) word to describe a dizzy and dazed happiness, a bewildered, discombobulated joy. Charmolypi : A Greek word for the sad, joy-making sorrow when happiness and sadness intermingle. Wú wéi : A Chinese term for natural, spontaneous, and effortless action, skilfully flowing with the currents of life. Happiness—Found in Translation gives readers access to the great happiness that the world's languages have to offer.

Avg Rating
3.90
Number of Ratings
70
5 STARS
34%
4 STARS
36%
3 STARS
17%
2 STARS
11%
1 STARS
1%
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Author

Tim Lomas
Author · 4 books
Tim Lomas is a Research Affiliate at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University and the author of Translating Happiness: A Cross-Cultural Lexicon of Well-Being. His work has been featured in Time, the New Yorker, Vox, Scientific American, and the Atlantic.
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