One of the challenges that every translator has to surpass is translating no English equivalent words. This happens in almost every language, there are always words that hard to explain in English. One of it is Tagalog. Tagalog is a vast Filipino language, which means used by many citizen and it have word for everything. So it is hard to do tagalog to english translation. From words with unique meaning to anything, you can find the example in this article.
Some Filipinos Word That Hard To Translated To English You Need To Know

1. The Expression Of TAMPO
Let’s start with the word ‘tampo’ it is hard to explain in English, since this word is an expression or emotion when someone doesn’t really angry. But you also not that happy, so you feel a little bit underestimated. There is no English word that can express that emotion. If you are using disappointed, it is a little bit the same but slightly miss the idea. While using pissed off or angry is too much. So if you can mix all of it, it may be the best translation.
2. PITIK The Word With Many Meaning
If one word is not enough then the sentence using ‘Pitik’ can be harder to understand. Basically the main meaning of this word is finger flick. However, if it used in the sentence with no finger related then the Tagalog to English translation sentence have different meaning. For example, is a sentence “pumitik ‘yung ilaw’” in here it means flicker. The idea can be total different from each sentence, so the word is hardly able to translated in English.
3. BANGUNGOT A Sleep But Not Quite Right
This word doesn’t really means nightmare, because nightmare or even the very bad dream won’t cause dead. This is doesn’t really express the word ‘Bangungot’. For the tagalog to english translator sentence, this word can be described as a going to bed with full stomach and having bad dream so end up never waking up or death. There is no an exact English word that can explain that. Even the term Acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis can’t really relate to this word.
4. The GIGIL A Desire To Pinch
This word is expression that someone have as an urge to squeeze or pinch something that looks cute. In tagalog to english translation what is the right term? There is nothing suitable. But this word is a more subjective. The urge to pinch is not always because of cuteness. As if the urge surged suddenly, with different cause for everyone. As for example, it expresses the feeling when you got swooned and want to express it with pinch or kiss or squeeze.
There are more Filipino words that hardly able to translated to english language. The main reason is basically the english vocabulary is not vast enough to cover everything. While tagalog have many word that have more than one meaning (depend on the sentence structure) or explain something trivial. However, this doesn’t mean that as translator you have to give up. With more experience and better skill later on you will able to express this word.