Untranslatable Terms of Cultural Practices – A Shared Vocabulary

The publication  Untranslatable Terms of Cultural Practices is published on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the international and transdisciplinary artist residency Akademie Schloss Solitude. The publication brings together 22 contributions by authors from the international network of Akademie Schloss Solitude.

Untranslatable proposes a new vocabulary of terms that remain untranslated in their original language. These are words that convey cultural practices, attitudes and value systems and are explained from their respective language and word canon. Terms are presented that broaden perspectives, facilitate new perspectives, and thus enrich collective thinking as a global community. The Shared Vocabulary presents an expanded cultural and etymological understanding of the world and our cultural actions. This publication makes global knowledge systems visible and promotes the accessibility of valuable everyday practices.

For this purpose, this anthology brings together texts by former fellows of the Akademie, authors, thinkers, scientists, journalists, poets, and visual artists who are connected to cultural practices in different ways. Untranslatable Terms of Cultural Practices addresses pressing questions with which both artists and scientists alike are confronted: Which value systems are necessary to sustain our living conditions on this planet? What sort of collective wisdom and cultural practices can we learn from as a society? And how can we translate this knowledge into sustainable and peaceful action for a global community?

Kindly supported by Wüstenrot Stiftung