Why the Word "Stuff" Is So Hard to Translate (A Thanksgiving Story)

We lived in Barcelona for three years (from 2011 to 2014) and as we worked, and sometimes struggled, to understand a new language at a deeper level, we would often get stymied trying to understand certain idiomatic sayings.

Some make sense because they have close parallels in English. Like “costar un ojo de la cara” which means “costs an eye from your face.” Not sure how that compares dollar wise to “costs an arm and a leg” but the parallel is easy to understand. Other phrases like “cago en la leche” don’t seem to have a comparable counterpart in English. I’ll let you Google the direct translation, but the phrase is used when one is disappointed or very frustrated.

And while we were sometimes frustrated, and oftentimes amused, by the translation of an idiom, we rarely ran into an individual word that we struggled to understand. For our Spanish friends learning English, we found our language is not always that straightforward.

For example, take the word “stuff.” It’s a versatile word we use day in and day out, with multiple meanings, and countless subtleties in definition when used in different contexts. Try explaining it to a non-English speaker some time. Not easy.

We were talking about the word “stuff” this weekend – and Thanksgiving provides the perfect storm of many of its possible definitions.

Take Thanksgiving dinner, where the aroma of some of my dinner specialties filled the air. After my third helping, I leaned back in my chair, patted my belly, and declared with a groan, “I’m stuffed!” Around the table, laughter erupted, and someone asked if there was any more turkey stuffing left. (This is a bit of poetic license here, as I did not prepare turkey stuffing this year!  But if I had, that moment would begin to highlight how confusing the word “stuff” can be; not just for non-English speakers, but for anyone).

And when I said, “I’m stuffed,” clearly I didn’t mean I was full of bread cubes and herbs like a turkey would be. In English, “stuff” can mean almost anything - from the sage and sausage mixture inside a turkey (turkey stuffing), to all the things spread out on the holiday table, to the things I had to do before we sat down for the meal. In many languages, you need a specific word for each of these situations, but English lets “stuff” cover them all.

The dinner conversation included updates about close friends, family and folks we haven’t seen in a while. When someone shared that one friend “was going through some stuff” – that didn’t mean they were rummaging through their belongings, but that some things were happening in their life that are emotionally challenging. An entirely different (and deeper) layer of meaning.

Because Thanksgiving kicks off a big weekend of eCommerce for us, we also took time to pack out some orders when we had a moment of downtime. One of the most popular things we sell are “stuffed animals” (or stuffies). Soft and cuddly golden retrievers filled with fluff and love (we have versions from both Vermont Teddy Bear (VT) and Douglas Co.(NH) – two of our New England based partners). In other languages, these are often called “plush toys” or “soft toys,” but the word “stuffed” links back to the verb “to stuff” or to fill something, whether it’s a turkey, a toy, or a person with food.

At the end of the weekend, Emma said to Benji, “We need to get our stuff and load the car.” Here, “stuff” meant coats, purses, leftovers, (laundry!)—anything they brought with them.

So as the weekend draws to a close and the kids head back to their respective homes in Boston and Chicago, we’re also reminded that Thanksgiving isn’t really about all this “stuff” - the food, the clutter, the playful confusion of language, or the soon-to-be-cuddled stuffies waiting to be shipped. What lingers long after the last scoop of Graeters (the world’s best ice cream shipped here from Cincinnati) is the laughter around the table, stories shared with our kids, and the warmth of being together.

As always, a healthy reminder that it’s not “stuff” that fills us, but the time spent with family and the memories made through shared experiences. We know it’s our Golden Retriever Experiences that have put Golden Dog Farm on the map and on the national media radar -- it’s not our stuff – the sweatshirts, hats and Golden Retriever calendars. They sell well because they are tangible reminders of the magic that our guests experience when they visit. A feeling that is impossible to put into words, but that fills (dare I say stuffs?) everyone with happiness. That’s the real heart of what we do. And it is also the real magic of Thanksgiving. It’s something no single word, no matter how flexible, can adequately capture.

Thanks for staying with me to the end. I appreciate it, as I’m sure you have more important “stuff” to do.

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