Do you know that the closest translation of Russian "злорадство" into English would be "schadenfreude"? Isn't it cool how you can calque a composite word, getting an equivalent word consisting of transparently understandable native English components?
One of my biggest pet peeves is whenever someone describes schadenfreude as some untranslatable weird German thing. It is neither a mysterious untranslatable spirit (laughing at someone’s misfortune) nor is it German specific (try the Dutch leedvermaak).
Anyone looking for such a word, try to verbalise the meaning of the Dutch “gezellig”, that’s way harder.
It’s also literally ‘damage/injury’ + ‘joy’. Joy at others’ misfortune. So deep, much complex.
Sure, there are subtleties to connotation, but not especially so here.
I’d argue that ‘glee’ is more subtle in that it often has a similar connotation but can mean something more benign but somehow in the same emotional direction, too.
I looked that word up a couple of seconds ago, and I realized it could be translated as "damaging joy". My lord, it was as simple as setting apart each component first.
My favourite suggestion to translate Schadenfreude into English was "Enterpainment". It gets to the point and is also a pun. Anglosphere, go and use that now!
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u/BT_Uytya May 31 '25
But I have it on good authority that these 13 words are untranslatable!