Welcome to the final round of the Lost In Translation word bracket tournament.
Anyone requiring a refresher should go here for a summary of the first two rounds.
This link will take you to the writeup for the first semifinal and this link will take you to the second.
Everyone ready? Let's get going...
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*iktsuarpok / Inuit noun
The act of repeatedly going outside to keep checking if someone (anyone) is coming
--vs--
*komorebi /Japanese noun
The sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees
At the start of this tournament, I wrote that the main idea was to determine 'my favorite word' from Lost In Translation, doing so by considering words two at a time in bracket format. I did not really consider the logistics, partly out of laziness, but more so because I thought using rigid scoring criteria would take some of the spontaneity out of the process.
So, looking back, I am pleasantly surprised to see that a loose organization emerged in the judging process. Broadly speaking, round one rewarded words that I considered objectively better and the quarterfinal saw words culled for glaring weakness.
The semifinal round was defined by narrower margins. I considered again my original intent and decide to split hairs by examining my own recent experiences and looking for ways in which the words fit. That process brings us here (*).
*In round one, 'komorebi' went through because I liked how it simply stated a fact and left the interpretation of it to the listener. I gave 'iktsuarpok' the nod because I assumed that each passing minute brings us closer to a future where 'akihi' is an irrelevant concept. The quarterfinals advanced 'komorebi' because its opponent, 'tima', did not align very neatly to the way I thought about spending time or money. 'Itksuarpok' deservedly moved on because its opponent, 'mangata', is a limited word when the context of universal application is considered. The penultimate round related each word to my process over the past year.If I had to go back and repeat the tournament, I would consciously try and replicate this structure. But I would also try to incorporate the semi-fundamental (or perhaps philosophical) question I am considering for this final pairing- what is the point of language?
Such a consideration would be true to the book on which it is based. What Lost In Translation ultimately makes a reader understand is why these small pockets of non-translated words or expressions exist. The book shows that although we all think, laugh, or cry just like our out of sight neighbors do, the catalysts for those actions vary greatly across geography, culture, or experience.
The finalists bring this concept forward in their own way. 'Komorebi' implies that one valuable use of language is to acknowledge what moves us and provides a word that gives us the ability to share this depth of feeling with another. 'Iktsuarpok' meets the need to explain our world and the motivations of those within it through storytelling by giving us a deeper way to look at someone who appears to merely be waiting.
Unfortunately, looking at the two words in this light does not point me to a winner. Like was the case in the second semifinal, fairly equal arguments could be made for and against each. And I think those three criteria I loosely covered earlier that framed the first three rounds do not provide much, either, in the context of the final. I like both words, do not find much in terms of weaknesses, and see little to split the difference when I compare each word to my own experience of the past year.
So, what now? Overtime? A draw? Penalty kicks (*)?
*Yes, please! Unfortunately, I could not come up with a sane way to do this.I think the answer to the question is found in a different place. I considered what the point of learning another language is- after all, knowing one (especially English) is more than good enough. So, when we learn new words and languages, what are we actually doing?
One thing is that we are learning- or perhaps equipping ourselves with a communication tool to learn- from different places, people, and cultures. By exposure, what does not translate into the native tongue is communicated through experience. How does the word here exemplify that idea?
'Komorebi' is a way to look at beauty which naturally occurs in nature. Anyone who has left the house to look around can relate. People from all over visit my area of the country in the fall just to look at leaves from a great distance. They look at the foliage and take in the sight of all the colors from the dying leaves coming together. Others travel to places like Colorado where you might stand on a dry, sunny hilltop to watch a thunderstorm happen on the other side of a plain, fifteen miles away.
The concept that you can sit under a tree, look up, and be moved is perhaps original but not really one that is difficult to relate to. And I suspect this is the case for most people. Learning about 'komorebi' is like learning what someone in another country eats- maybe you find the food delicious, or not. But before you got to that country, you understood hunger and the community that emerges around a dining room table and the delight in finding something your taste buds agree wholeheartedly with. The end result of what we recognize as beautiful is different but the desire to seek beauty is a universally understood one.
'Iktsuarpok' comes in a little differently. Everyone waits. But in our culture, the waiting is generally expected to end. This expectation allows things like stoplights, security lines, and customer service calls to operate (somewhat) smoothly. We talk about paying our dues and remind each other that good things come to those who wait.
Learning about 'iktsuarpok' is an expansionary moment for those who ponder the meaning of waiting. Through this word, a perspective opens up that allows us to relate to those who wait without guarantee of a payoff. And this is a valuable thing to understand as soon as possible, I think, because the pattern of innovation in technology seems intent on making waiting for anything an obsolete (or at least discouraged) concept.
A tool like Google, for example, eliminates the waiting required to commit a detail to memory. Uber allows us to reduce or eliminate the wait time that was once a given for a cab or a bus. A drive through window could only be invented in a society where driving sixty-five miles per hour is not fast enough to get somewhere. Even the candy bars are getting into the mix. Snickers asks, hungry? Why wait?
Why indeed? If what you are waiting for is sure to arrive, why wait? Shouldn't it just get here faster? In a culture obsessed with consuming, this is the accepted mentality. But in those places where the mentality differs, those questions lead to different answers.
The difference I found in these two words is how they bridged the gap between their respective cultures and our own. 'Komorebi' acknowledges our similarities by agreeing with the principle that beauty is found in nature and relates our differences by utilizing a different example tailored to its native landscape.
What I found in 'iktsuarpok' is more compelling because it looks at what is usually kept locked away on the inside. It shows us that identically decorated treasure chests do not guarantee identically valuable bounties within.
Meeting words like 'iktsuarpok' help me on the journey of understanding others, cultivating empathy, and living compassionately. I think this ability to relate on the deepest level is the most powerful function of language. Without the right words and phrases, the potential each person has to act as a healing presence and bring joy to those around them might get locked away inside an expressionless vessel.
'Iktsuarpok' does this the best in this matchup. It did this best out of any word in the book. It is my pick for the this final matchup and as the winner of the tournament.
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(waiting)
(waiting...)
(...still waiting...)
(...)
...the ending there was kind of anti-climactic, no?
No trophies, confetti, even parades...I guess that is how these things are destined to go. Maybe I'll do a 'postgame show' next month to wrap things up.
Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend. In fact, please enjoy the entire coming week.
I will see you back here next Friday for Proper Admin August.
Tim
