One of the most difficult words to translate ... - Krystian Aparta

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As simple as it seems, it’s often impossible to accurately translate the word "you" without knowing a lot more about the situation where it’s being said. Krystian Aparta describes the specific reasons why it can be difficult, citing examples from many different languages.

Lesson by Krystian Aparta, animation by Avi Ofer.

Which is the hardest word
to translate in this sentence?

"Know" is easy to translate.

"Pep rally" doesn't have a direct analog
in a lot of languages and cultures,

but can be approximated.

But the hardest word there
is actually one of the smallest: "you."

As simple as it seems,

it's often impossible
to accurately translate "you"

without knowing a lot more about
the situation where it's being said.

To start with, how familiar are you
with the person you're talking to?

Many cultures have different levels
of formality.

A close friend,

someone much older or much younger,

a stranger,

a boss.

These all may be slightly
different "you's."

In many languages, the pronoun
reflects these differences

through what's known
as the T–V distinction.

In French, for example,

you would say "tu" when talking
to your friend at school,

but "vous" when addressing your teacher.

Even English once had something similar.

Remember the old-timey "thou?"

Ironically, it was actually
the informal pronoun

for people you're close with,

while "you" was the formal
and polite version.

That distinction was lost

when the English decided
to just be polite all the time.

But the difficulty in translating
"you" doesn't end there.

In languages like Hausa or Korana,

the "you" form depends on
the listener's gender.

In many more, it depends on
whether they are one or many,

such as with German "Du" or "ihr."

Even in English,

some dialects use words
like "y'all" or "youse" the same way.

Some plural forms, like the French "vous"

and Russian "Вы"

are also used for a single person

to show that the addressee
is that much more important,

much like the royal "we."

And a few languages
even have a specific form

for addressing exactly two people,

like Slovenian "vidva."

If that wasn't complicated enough,

formality, number, and gender
can all come into play at the same time.

In Spanish, "tú" is unisex
informal singular,

"usted" is unisex formal singular,

"vosotros" is masculine informal plural,

"vosotras" is feminine informal plural,

and "ustedes" is the unisex formal plural.

Phew!

After all that,

it may come as a relief

that some languages often leave out
the second person pronoun.

In languages like Romanian and Portuguese,

the pronoun can be dropped from sentences

because it's clearly implied
by the way the verbs are conjugated.

And in languages like Korean,
Thai, and Chinese,

pronouns can be dropped
without any grammatical hints.

Speakers often would rather have

the listener guess
the pronoun from context

than use the wrong one
and risk being seen as rude.

So if you're ever working as a translator

and come across this sentence
without any context:

"You and you, no, not you,

you, your job is to translate
'you' for yourselves" ...

Well, good luck.

And to the volunteer community
who will be translating this video

into multiple languages:

Sorry about that!