Abstract
Untranslatable terms, which reflect the differences between languages, have become a method for identifying—and perhaps more immediately understanding—significant differences between languages, cultures, and practices.
We have applied this method both to glossaries used by the French government —intended for those who welcome and those who are welcomed—and to the vast, ongoing project of a Dictionary of Untranslatables in the Three Monotheistic Religions .
The key point in each case is to understand that we are dealing with words—words in languages—and not with what we assume to be a pure concept. The boundary between poetry and philosophy is far more complex than it appears. It is also through language that we engage in philosophy.