07/05/2026
We work with more than 50 languages every single day, but despite the data and the deadlines, we have never lost our sense of awe for the magic behind them. We asked our team to share the words that started it all—the "sparks" that revealed a hidden beauty or a truth that brought them back to their center.
For our first edition, we start with words that define our resilience and the hidden places we call home.
🌟 Sisu (Finnish) — Shared by Rositsa Shishkova
Sisu is the Finnish concept of guts, inner strength, and the determination to keep going when things feel impossible. For Rositsa, it represents the courage it took to leave everything behind and build a life from scratch in an unknown place.
🌟 Utepils (Norwegian) — Shared by Tsveta Asenova
This Norwegian term refers to the first beer enjoyed outdoors in the sunshine after a long winter, literally "outdoors lager". Tsveta fell in love with it because it perfectly described the experience of embracing Northern beauty after the long cold months.
🌟 smultronställe (Swedish) — Shared by Devora Kotseva
Literally meaning a "place where wild strawberries grow," it figuratively refers to a secret, special place you treasure. Devora treats it as a "hidden pearl"—a reminder to return to the places, moments, or time periods that bring us joy and calmness.
🌟 Ojalá (Spanish) — Shared by Sara Merino
A word meaning "I hope" or "I wish," originally derived from the Arabic "insha'Allah". For Sara, it’s a beautiful balance of desire and acceptance: "hoping for something to happen in the future and, at the same time, surrendering to whatever fate might bring".
🌟 Виждам (Bulgarian) — Shared by Irina Zhivkova
It means "I see," but its depth lies in an ancient Indo-European root shared with the word "wisdom". Irina loves it as a reminder of the "hidden threads that bind seemingly unrelated cultures together," showing that the act of seeing and the state of being wise are intertwined.
📖 This series is created in honor of May 24th, the Bulgarian holiday of literature and culture.
👉 Next up: A celebration of the art of living via concepts some languages somehow managed to capture perfectly. Stay tuned! 😉