{"id":8618,"date":"2025-09-22T08:57:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T12:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.attlc-ltac.org\/translating-hygge\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T10:55:41","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T14:55:41","slug":"translating-hygge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.attlc-ltac.org\/fr\/translating-hygge\/","title":{"rendered":"Translating Hygge<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Translating <\/b>hygge<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

On one of my annual treks to Denmark to visit family and do research in Danish literature, I noticed a huge stack of identical books arranged in the shape of a pyramid in the airport\u2019s 7-Eleven Read & Fly shop. The book covers announced <\/span>The Little Book of Hygge<\/span><\/i> (Penguin) with a pronunciation guide <\/span>{pronounced: HOO-GA}<\/span><\/i> and subtitle<\/span> Danish Secrets to Happy Living<\/span><\/i>. It was in 2016 when author Meik Wiking launched his first book on the \u2018<\/span>hygge\u2019<\/span><\/i> theme, and the stack, along with its companion piece <\/span>My Hygge Home: How to Make Home Your Happy Place<\/span><\/i>, has grown ever since.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The books are written in English, not in Danish, and my first reaction was rather confrontational. After all, what would a non-Dane know about this very Danish and deep-rooted cultural concept? It turned out I was wrong, for Mr. Wiking is indeed Danish and CEO of The Happiness Research Institute and <\/span>The Happiness Museum<\/span><\/a> located in Copenhagen, and with his clever talent for marketing he has chosen to address incoming\u00a0 tourists and readers abroad hungry for tips on how to find happiness and create a cozy home. It didn\u2019t take long before other writers abroad took up the cause and cashed in on the <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> idea. In my local library in Western Canada, there are more than a dozen nonfiction books on the subject \u2013 from advice on cozy living to cozy home design and cooking, and the cultivation of happiness in the everyday \u2013 all referring to the secret ingredient of <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One title in particular caught my eye in the library, not the least because it was fiction: <\/span>Anna and Elsa\u2019s Hygge Life. A Comfy, Cozy Story<\/span><\/i>, a Disney book for ages 6-8. Who hasn\u2019t been moved by Elsa\u2019s song \u201cLet It Go\u201d in the Nordic-themed musical <\/span>Frozen<\/span><\/i> and been entertained by the adorable snowman Olaf, the very embodiment of innocence. I took the extra step to listen to the read-along ebook version, which was a mistake as the reader\u2019s pronunciation of <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> made me cringe (hugh-guh). While the theme in the picture book deals with comfy-coziness, fuzzy socks, hot chocolate, candles, board games and snacks \u2013 some of the marketed staples of <\/span>hygge <\/span><\/i>\u2013 the happiness message here had gone completely off the rails, grammatically and semantically speaking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem lies in a form of Disneyesque Danglish where Danish words are used in English sentences without the writer giving any attention to the inflections and nuanced meanings of the original words.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this American book for kids, Elsa says to Olaf in one breath: <\/span>\u201cTo know Kristoff thought of me and bought me the chocolates just because he loves me filled me with happiness. Even after I ate too many of them and my stomach was a bit upset, I was still <\/b>hyggeligt<\/i><\/b>, or filled with contentment, for the rest of the day.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Hyggelig<\/span><\/i> is an adjective, and adjectives are inflected according to gender, number, definiteness and position in relation to the noun (attributively or predicatively). Inflecting <\/span>hyggelig<\/span><\/i> (with \u2013t) seems to be a random choice here, and even though <\/span>hyggeligt<\/span><\/i> sometimes functions as an adverb, it does not work in this instance. Semantically, a person can be <\/span>hyggelig<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>hyggeligt<\/span><\/i>, as in \u201c<\/span>min onkel er en hyggelig mand<\/span><\/i>\u201d (my uncle is a nice\/kind man) or \u201c<\/span>min onkel er et hyggeligt menneske<\/span><\/i>\u201d (my uncle is a nice\/kind human being), but Elsa cannot be <\/span>hyggelig<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>hyggeligt<\/span><\/i> in the sense of her feeling fine, filled with contentment. If a person is <\/span>hyggelig<\/span><\/i>, he or she is nice, kind, warm, sociable, radiating warmth and care. Your <\/span>hyggelige<\/span><\/i> (attributive adjective) uncle might be a bit of a storyteller, maybe he even smokes a pipe. He would not be hot-tempered, and he would be of a certain age, not an inexperienced youngster, and he would definitely not use the descriptor about himself, as he is neither vain nor self-centered. The adjective is typically a compliment bestowed on him by others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hygge<\/span><\/i> and happiness are related concepts but not exactly the same thing. If the first part of Elsa\u2019s utterance were to be translated into Danish, it would be \u201c<\/span>Det at vide at Kristoff t\u00e6nkte p\u00e5 mig og k\u00f8bte chokolade til mig fordi han elsker mig, gjorde mig glad \/ lykkelig.<\/span><\/i>\u201d And the second part of her statement could be phrased as: \u201c<\/span>jeg var stadigv\u00e6k glad (<\/span><\/i>not<\/span> hyggelig) og tilfreds resten af dagen<\/span><\/i>.\u201d Had she insisted on using the new trendy word in the Danglish sentence, she could have said \u201cthe rest of my day was still <\/span>hyggelig<\/span><\/i>\u201d (predicative adjective), because a day, a meeting, a party can indeed be <\/span>hyggelig<\/span><\/i> (or <\/span>hyggeligt<\/span><\/i>, depending on the gender of the chosen noun), implying nice and pleasant. Obviously the Walt Disney Company had not consulted with a human translator, which shows their linguistic ignorance, arrogance and disrespect for the \u2018other\u2019 language.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Disney title <\/span>Anna and Elsa\u2019s Hygge Life<\/span><\/i> is also odd. <\/span>Hygge<\/span><\/i> can be a noun, an intransitive verb or a reflexive verb, each category with its own specific inflections, but in Olaf\u2019s snow-filled head it probably translates into an adjective connoting \u2018happy\u2019 or \u2018cozy\u2019. Moreover, living a <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> life makes little sense to a native speaker of Danish; it is semantically off. In modern Danish <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> is a special form of happiness, not a continuous state or a life style, but an atmosphere that can occur spontaneously under the right circumstances. You cannot plan or buy <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> and rely on it being a success. It just happens \u2013 or it doesn\u2019t. You can light the candles, put on pleasant music, serve lovely food and drinks, but your guests might still go home feeling that the evening was not very <\/span>hyggelig<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the real world of Denmark, <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> is a complex concept that doesn\u2019t always carry the same degree of positivity it has acquired in English. An unspoken contract among members of a social gathering that have succeeded in creating a sense of <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> is not to break the spell. <\/span>Hygge<\/span><\/i> requires consensus. Participants will avoid conflicts, serious disagreements and unwanted intrusions, and political discussions are usually discouraged unless the opinions voiced are shared. <\/span>Hygge<\/span><\/i> is a fragile balloon that can easily be pricked by a critical remark. It is a subtle form of social control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Various informal organizations \u2013 church groups for instance \u2013 appeal to the coziness factor and often call their club <\/span>Hyggeklubben<\/span><\/i>. In this safe haven people can count on a welcoming space where hugs (cognate of <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i>) are in plenty along with pleasant small-talk (<\/span>hyggesnak<\/span><\/i>) and most definitely coffee and cookies. Any sort of discord is discouraged.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, too much hominess and uncontroversial conversation tend to generate a closed-in ambience of <\/span>fimset enighed<\/span><\/i> (stuffy-stinky consensus), to use a much-quoted phrase coined by Danish philosopher and writer Suzanne Br\u00f8gger.(<\/span>1)<\/span> That being said, it is entirely possible to enjoy a <\/span>hyggelig<\/span><\/i> gathering where discussions are lively and opinions many. But maintaining <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> in a space where diversity and differences reign necessitates trust and openness as well as a willingness to tackle controversial subjects.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Moussa Mchangama, former chairperson of non-profit Mino Danmark that represents ethnic minorities, the national Danish soul suffers from conflict avoidance as seen in the disturbing silence that surrounds problems facing migrants and Danes of colour.(<\/span>2)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact some Danes are known for cultivating a type of \u2018soft\u2019 racism that they protect by means of <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i>. It\u2019s called <\/span>hyggeracisme<\/span><\/i>, a supposedly harmless form of bigotry. The official Danish dictionary gives the following definition: \u201c<\/span>Hyggeracisme<\/span><\/i> is a type of discourse where the speaker uses racist words and expresses bias towards people of another ethnic origin, done in a way the speaker believes is funny and unproblematic but that is hurtful and offensive to those who listen to the utterances and\/or are directly subjected to the bias.\u201d(<\/span>3)<\/span> Even in my childhood in the 1960s when migrants were less common, people would banter words around that were not only racist but also sexist if not misogynist and pornographic in their <\/span>hyggelige<\/span><\/i> get-togethers. One uncle at family lunches, I recall, would jokingly ask for someone to pass the platter with <\/span>indianerpigel\u00e5r<\/span><\/i> (meat from an Injun girl\u2019s thigh(<\/span>4<\/span>)), a term that was probably half understood as being transgressive and for that reason received with a quiet tee-hee. It wasn\u2019t till years later I realized how disgusting that particular expression was and how harmful the easy delivery of it would be in a room with children present. With repetition and acceptance, the discourse of <\/span>hyggeracisme<\/span><\/i> becomes normalized and hard to root out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet back in the mid-nineteenth century when the noun <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> was still relatively new in Denmark, while common in Norway, the central meaning connoted domestic safety, shelter and comfort as opposed to the brutal outdoors, especially in the winter that was and still is long and dark with storms, rain, sleet and snow. In a narrative poem from 1867 by Danish poet Christian Winther, the raging December storm, the cold and gloomy streets of Copenhagen are juxtaposed with the sitting room where \u201c\u2026 <\/span>der var hygge, luun og god; \/ I ovnen lystigt ilden br\u00e6ndte, \/ Og aftensbordet d\u00e6kket stod<\/span><\/i>\u201d (\u2026 it was comfy, warm and fine; \/ fire danced with joy in the stove, \/ the table was set for folks to dine).(<\/span>5)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No wonder the <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> concept was greatly valued by city folks and rural dwellers alike for whom <\/span>hygge<\/span><\/i> by the stove was a physical and emotional space that would mitigate the gloominess and rawness of winter. At the same time, the desirable cozy enclosure with its intimacy and conflict-free atmosphere can also lead to a tightly controlled club mentality that oozes exclusivity and where undesirable humans become the equivalent to harsh weather conditions. <\/span>Hygge<\/span><\/i> as such does not encourage change and diversity, and it can easily take a 180-degree turn when cultivated in closed groups.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NOTES<\/span><\/p>\n

1<\/span> Suzanne Br\u00f8gger, <\/span>Tone. Epos<\/span><\/i> (Rhodos, 1981), p. 105. My translation.<\/span><\/p>\n

2<\/span> https:\/\/www.alt.dk\/artikler\/moussa-mchangama-om-racisme<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.scandinaviastandard.com\/what-is-hygge-racism-how-did-it-become-so-pervasive-in-danish-culture\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

3<\/span> \u201chyggeracisme,\u201d <\/span>Den Danske Ordbog<\/span><\/i>. My translation. <\/span>https:\/\/ordnet.dk\/ddo\/ordbog?query=hyggeracisme<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

4<\/span> A type of cold cut, thinly sliced smoked beef typically cut from a bottom round roast.<\/span><\/p>\n

5<\/span> Christian Winther, three lines from \u201dOnkels Lise\u201d (1867). My translation. https:\/\/kalliope.org\/en\/text\/winther2018082649.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marina Allemano, St. Albert, Alberta<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>