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All language is but a poor translation

 Recently I came across this Quote by Franz Kafka. 

“All Language is but a poor translation”. 
Or as I like to say it, “A language is nothing but a poor translation of feelings”. And the more I think about it, It makes more sense. 

On first thought, this idea seems conflicting. We made the languages, and every culture in the world should have
perfected this skill to be able to express themselves completely, right? Well, Not really. 
I am fortunate enough to know more than one language and I can see this gap between languages where no one is really perfect to be able to express ourselves completely. 

Even with my native language, Urdu. There have been times when I have felt a certain way towards someone or towards myself and did not know how I could have expressed that. And I am sure you must have felt this way too. There are some things that just can not be expressed in the most perfect way that we would like to express them. No matter which language we use. 

In the list of languages I am familiar with, Arabic is the language that I would say comes closest. It has the biggest Library of words and a very comprehensive grammar that gives us the most precise control over our expressions. (at least I hope so, I heard that Arabs these days speak horribly). 

Just like even a good translation tool can’ t translate between languages perfectly and we are left frustrated, Languages can be same. In thousands of years we may have evolved the languages to fit the needs of our expressions as close as we thought we needed it, Its still not perfect. and I guess it never will be perfect. 

Human brain and the emotions it creates are the most complicated. And no matter how much we try in how much languages, we can never fully translate them perfectly. The language we speak, the words we choose and the expressions we make, are all just a translation that is simply trying to map this complex set of ideas and emotions to something more familiar. 

We see tourists, who travel to a new place, whose language they don’t know and simply by having a good heart they match perfectly with locals and have amazing experiences. Simply by smiling, moving their faces rapidly and speaking with a few broken words. But that does not stop them from being able to connect with people. Its the heart that connects and not the tongue, and who would know it better than me? 


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