Languages develop, evolve and change according to the culture and society that they are designed to describe, such evolution being reflected in the vocabulary. For example, the original language of a land-locked country may have had no word for 'sea' or 'beach', subsequently "borrowing" suitable words from other tongues.

As cultures have become better travelled and ever more cosmopolitan, the vocabularies of most languages are, generally speaking, comprehensive enough to cover most situations. However, there are, nevertheless, many foreign words of which there is no English equivalent and in many cases from which we would almost certainly benefit in adding them to the English vocabulary.

An example of a word that the English language has "borrowed" in recent times is that of the German word Schadenfreude, which describes taking pleasure from another's misfortune or pain. Ten further potential loan words and expressions are explained below.

Bakku-shan is a Japanese word, used to describe a girl that is beautiful only from behind! When that tall, slim girl with amazing hair and a perfect figure turns around to reveal a far from bearable face, this is apparently the word to use.

The French expression Espirit d'escalier literally means "the wit of the staircase", and describes the frustrating moment when you come up with the perfect comeback but far too late, i.e. when walking down the stairs after you have been shamefully insulted.

Mamihlapinatapai is a Yaghan word, meaning a look shared between two people suggesting an unspoken desire. It may be used to describe the look of longing shared between two people who are both too shy to act upon their feelings.

The German word Backpfeifengesicht is used to describe a face that is just asking to be slapped or punched.

The Koreans use the word Nunchi to describe an innate ability to avoid becoming a Backpfeifengesicht. People without nunchi are those that find it impossible to sense and thus avoid completely inappropriate things to say in social situations.

Shlimazl is a Yiddish word that many of us would find useful to have in the English language. It is used to describe someone who experiences endless bad luck.

The Japanese words Tatemae and Honne relate to each other, the former referring to that which someone pretends to believe, and the latter referring to that which someone actually believes. These are particularly useful words, since so much of the tension in society arises from the difference between the two.

A word to which everyone can almost certainly relate is Sgiomlaireachd, a Scottish Gaelic term referring to being interrupted at meal times. This describes precisely the situation in which you have just sat down to begin a delicious meal, only to be interrupted by an infuriating knock at the door or a phone call.

Another hatred-inducing event is described by the Pascuense word, Tingo. This means to borrow things from your friend until they have absolutely nothing left. This originates from the fascinating location of Easter Island.

Finally, the Portuguese word Desenrascanco would be particularly helpful if integrated into the English language, notably in a business context. It describes the art of coming up with a solution or plan at the last possible minute, without any resources. It literally means "disentangling" oneself out of a tricky situation.

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