What Gets Lost When a Word Travels?

A word can cross into another language and arrive with its basic meaning intact, yet feel different in the mouth: warmer, sharper, more formal, or less connected to the people who first used it.

When a word or phrase matters to you, what carries its meaning most—the literal definition, its sound, the setting where you learned it, or the people you associate with it? You can answer with a familiar expression, without sharing anything private. There may be more than one honest translation.