I particularly like the Korean word ‘han’ which isn’t very translatable, but means something like simmering discord for lack of justice, or pent up feelings of remorse. It’s really an important part of the Korean identity.

and language isn’t real.. i mean.. it’s just a bunch of symbols for conveying concepts in our head..(or wherever they are) so i think some things aren’t even conveyable in any language.. just my thoughts… unless…..

I will say, though, that there are other terms to trip us up when translating to English, including 住む and 暮らす.

For example,
空が高いな – We don’t have this phrase in English. A translator would probably use instead, “Fall is in the air.” It works, and it’s natural, but it’s not the same nuance.

Another example would be addressing the people around you as 兄貴 or お姉さん when they aren’t related to you. We simply don’t do that in English. We can’t express the subtleties of 君, ちゃん, さん, 様, 氏, etc. We have to be explicit when we translate てめぇ – Sometimes even to the point where you see the term “you bastard” applied. The story translates, but the exact same feelings don’t.

So picking one sentence out, saying “there is some mystical je ne sais quoi that cannot be translated” and throwing your hands up in the air is a bit hasty. A good translator translates meaning, not words.

One problem here is that different words are used in different contexts. While both 住む and 生活する can both be translated as “live,” the contexts in which you see them are very different. 生活する sounds more formal, more likely to be used in writing than casual speech. 住む is very casual, bare-bones, matter-of-fact.

So I would expect to see ???????????? in a pamphlet for prospective students, and I might translate it as “Exchange students live and study in the International Dormitory.” And I would expect to hear ??????????? in a conversation where an exchange student is introducing himself, and I would translate it as “I live in the international dorms.”

I’m rambling now. I hope that made sense.

?????????????
????????????

I may just be overlooking it, but I’m pretty sure I’m not, because ???? has never felt like it’s something we say in English. (By the way, I asked native speakers in both Korean [my wife] and Japanese [my co-worker], and the sentences above have slightly different nuances.)

You’re right, there are often nuances that are hard or impossible to translate. But I think you’re overthinking this one.

This construction seems to be used most commonly in PSAs, as in the third result when you look up ‘??? ???’ in Google: ??? ????? ?????? (Let’s make self checks for testicular cancer a regular part of our lives)