The 50 Most Beautiful Words in the Irish Language

To celebrate the beauty and complexity of words, and to highlight the importance of translation, Smartling is proud to present 50 of the most beautiful words in the Irish language.

1. “ Words are so much more than a mere compilation of letters or characters. Each word is a reflection of the people who created it, the community or culture from which it came, and in its purest form, a message that someone wanted to share with another person. Words, the Irish Language, Translation —and Why We Should Care

2. That’s why translating words from one language into another is so challenging. Transferring the essence of word from one culture to another is very difficult. Translators use various techniques to get the meaning across by focusing on the message, not the words. Words, the Irish Language, Translation —and Why We Should Care

3. To celebrate the beauty and complexity of words, and to highlight the importance of translation, Smartling is proud to present 50 of the most beautiful words in the Irish language. Words, the Irish Language, Translation —and Why We Should Care

4. Irish (also known to people outside of Ireland as Gaelic or Irish Gaelic) is spoken by about 1.6 million people with varying degrees of fluency. Usage of the language has been in decline, but Irish was spoken quite widely in fairly recent memory. For example, there were nearly half a million people speaking Irish in the United States in the 1890s. About 36 million Americans have Irish ancestry, and many of their grandparents and great-grandparents spoke Irish. Words, the Irish Language, Translation —and Why We Should Care

5. Today, you can use Facebook in Irish and can even watch a soap opera in Irish (with English subtitles if you don’t speak it). Technology is breathing new life into languages that might have otherwise had less chance of survival. Words, the Irish Language, Translation —and Why We Should Care

6. Ireland has always been an important country for language, and today, it’s one of the most important hubs in the world for translation and localization. All of us here at Smartling hope you’ll enjoy this collection of Irish language terms, selected for you with care by Eoghan Ó Raghallaigh , an Irish translator who lives in Dublin, Ireland. Words, the Irish Language, Translation —and Why We Should Care

7. About Smartling Smartling’s mission is to make the world’s content multilingual. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in New York City, Smartling is privately held and backed by leading venture capital firms First Round Capital, IDG Ventures, Tenaya Capital, U.S. Venture Partners, and Venrock .

8. To learn more about how technology can make translation easier, better, and faster, no matter what the language, contact us. www.smartling.com + 1 866 70 SMART + 1 866 707 6278 hi @smartling.com 1375 W Broadway 14 th Floor New York, NY 10018