Towards a dictionary of urban untranslatables
- DOI
- 10.5922/2225-5346-2025-4-10
- Pages
- 181—195
Abstract
The article presents a comprehensive study of urban untranslatables — unique cultural practices, terms, and semiotic codes deeply rooted in specific historical and social contexts. Focusing on phenomena such as Russian ‘ЖКХ-арт’ (municipal utility art), French ‘flânerie’, Indian ‘jugaad’, Spanish ‘tertúlia’, and Argentine ‘merendero’, the authors demonstrate that these concepts resist translation due to their embeddedness in local collective memory and everyday practices. The central thesis is that urban texts are fundamentally ‘untranslatable’ because of their multimodal nature (combining verbal, visual, and spatial elements), dynamism (constant real-time transformation), and contextual depth (ties to historical and social frameworks). The methodology employed is based on an interdisciplinary approach: hermeneutic analysis of urban texts, decoding hidden cultural and historical layers; comparative analysis of urban practices across cultures (e. g., Russian ‘porch gatherings’ versus Spanish ‘tertúlia’ or Indian ‘jugaad), revealing gaps in the perception of seemingly similar phenomena; visual anthropology; linguistic analysis of key terms, tracing their etymology, semantics, and usage in oral/written speech (e. g., in blogs and social media). A proprietary classification matrix has been developed to evaluate urban phenomena according to four parameters: formalization (F), temporal dynamics (T), social involvement (I), and material-symbolic components (M). This matrix systematizes diverse cases and highlights cultural specificity. The conclusion proposes a "Dictionary of Urban Untranslatables" (inspired by Barbara Cassin’s project), advocating for multimedia documentation (visual, auditory, tactile) alongside textual descriptions. Special attention is paid to cryptographic urban codes — spontaneous graffiti, inscriptions, and spatial modifications that are legible only to locals.