.
Design Case study
Illustration Series on various Untranslatable Words
Visual expression of words and their Etymology in world’s languages
by
Existing Work and Inspiration
1. Lost in Translation: an Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World written by Ella Frances Sanders, USA
Published in 2014, the publisher describes the book as “An artistic collection of 52 drawings featuring unique, funny and poignant foreign words that have no direct translation into English.”
This illustrated book consists of 52 square traditionally hand-drawn sketches, each pertaining to a respective untranslatable word. The illustrations are simple, for the most part “rough” in their aesthetic, and embody a childlike charm and sense of wonder. Some of these illustrations are displayed here-
2. Untranslatable Words created by Marija Tiurina, UK
This was a series of 14 illustrations released on May 12, 2015, as an online collectible card set on the website www.neonmob.com These images were digitally made, with a moderate amount of detail and heavy stylisation. A cheeky, almost comical tone is present throughout the visualisation.
The artist has also attempted to create small narratives in each image, using characters or objects. Some of Tiurina’s work-
