Its conversational ubiquity has rendered it something of a cliché, but the phrase “lost in translation” truly does apply to certain words, phrases, and ideas that don’t have an exact English counterpart; translating them requires a series of words, or sometimes just a picture or pointing at one’s body. At any rate, the helpful folks over at the Maptia blog have not only pinpointed several of the most interesting untranslatable words; they’ve also worked up original illustrations to go with them. After the jump, those 11 images, and the words you can use to dazzle your multi-lingual chums.

Image credit: Maptia blog

Image credit: Maptia blog

Image credit: Maptia blog

Image credit: Maptia blog

Image credit: Maptia blog

Image credit: Maptia blog

Image credit: Maptia blog

Image credit: Maptia blog

Image credit: Maptia blog

Image credit: Maptia blog

Image credit: Maptia blog