The idea of untranslatable words is both fun and fascinating. Countless online lists claim that words like flâner, saudade or Schadenfreude have no English equivalents. But how true is that?

When Dutch is translated into English, readers can sometimes feel like they're being barked at or babied. Why is that?

English is a minefield. A charming, expressive, often beautifully elegant minefield, but a minefield all the same.