Some words cannot be neatly translated. They hold emotions, values, or traditions that only make sense within their culture. Growing up between Hawai‘i, Korea, and international schools, I often felt those gaps where translation failed.
To capture them, I created Lost Words (lostwords.online), an interactive microdictionary featuring Hawaiian Pidgin, Korean, Chinese, and English. The site includes flashcards, user submissions, and mini-games to make cultural learning engaging.
Since launch, it has received over 12,000 views, with people contributing their own untranslatable words. Each entry reminds me that language is more than communication. It is identity and worldview.
I plan to expand Lost Words with more languages and tools for educators, but the goal remains the same: to preserve and celebrate what resists translation, because those words often reveal the most about who we are.
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