Black Friday: the history, language and curiosities behind a global phenomenon It comes around every year. First it was just a day, then a week, and now, an entire month. Are we talking about Christmas? Not quite — but we’re not that far off. We’re talking about the event everyone seems to be waiting for to grab the best deals on the market: Black Friday, the Friday following Thanksgiving. But how did a shopping day that first took shape in the United States manage to conquer so much of the world? Italy is no exception!

🎙 Some time ago, Roberta – the founder of LangXpress – was invited to speak on Story Time, a radio show aired on Radio Canale Italia, to talk about how our agency was founded and what our daily work looks like. 🎧 You can now listen to the interview on our brand-new YouTube channel: Since then, a few things have changed: we’re now on social media, and artificial intelligence has become a central topic in the industry. Let’s talk about it.

In our last article, we explored the first 5 untranslatable words  of this series, showing how some emotions and concepts are so deeply rooted in a culture that they have no direct equivalent elsewhere. So, even if we sometimes feel like we can’t find the right word, it might already exist somewhere in the world, Today, once again, we’ll go beyond geographical, linguistic, and cultural boundaries with 5 more unique words, still accompanied by Jessica Cozzi’s precious original illustrations.

In an increasingly interconnected world, marketing has become a true driving force. Translation plays a crucial role in this context. When everything appears seamless, it’s likely thanks to the meticulous work behind the scenes. Conveying an advertising message, a pun or a saying is a very delicate task: not only because the target language differs, but also because the culture of an entire country is at play. This involves a localization process, ensuring that a commercial product conceived and developed in one country is adapted for acceptance in others with different languages and cultures. Let’s explore some cases where things didn’t quite go as planned.

Expressing what we feel is not always easy, especially when feelings slip beyond the grasp of words. Have you ever tried to capture a feeling in a single word, only to realize your language falls short? Or attempted to translate an important concept only to be confronted with a linguistic void? Some words are so deeply rooted in their culture that finding a direct equivalent feels impossible. And it’s precisely this uniqueness that makes them special. In this article, we explore five untranslatable words tiny windows into fascinating worlds, each reflecting the Soul of a culture. Each word is paired with a unique illustration, designed to bring the untranslatable to life.

After exploring the realm of geopolitics and the impact of decisions shaped by a single word, it’s time to delve into another equally critical field: medicine. Here, every detail matters, and a translation error can leave deep marks—not just on paper, but also on the skin. Let’s uncover two emblematic cases that show just how much words can truly make a difference.