At the end of March, a conversation took place between journalist and host of the “Radio Culture” studio Iryna Slavinska and the head of the publishing house “Dukh i Litera”, Kostyantyn Sigov. The discussion focused on the publishing project “European Dictionary of Philosophies: Lexicon of Untranslatables”, which has been running for more than ten years and whose fifth volume has recently been published, but primarily on words and meanings.
We publish several excerpts from this conversation, the full version of which can be accessed via the link.
“European Dictionary of Philosophies: Lexicon of Untranslatables”
This is one of the most renowned and important projects in Europe. The French original was published in Paris in 2004. The French team involved 150 philosophers from different countries and continents. I also took part in creating the French original, being responsible for terms from Central and Eastern Europe. When the French dictionary was successfully published, I came to the presentation directly from the Orange Revolution in Kyiv, and to the surprise of the French colleagues, I said: “We must translate these untranslatables. We are starting the Ukrainian translation right now,” and it became the first one. In other words, Ukrainians became leaders of this new intellectual epic. Later, American, Spanish, Romanian, Arabic translations followed. I was very interested to read my article on “truth” in Arabic, where Cyrillic appeared in parentheses. Colleagues on five continents know that Ukrainians initiated the translation of the untranslatables.
Today, during the war, there is very active communication between Kyiv and the world through key words – important both for Slavic and other languages – that entered the Dictionary. For example, immediately after the Revolution of Dignity, the word “Maidan” became a term that signifies not only Independence Square in Kyiv. “Maidan” is not just a space; it is a major historical event. The fifth Ukrainian volume includes an entry on “Maidan”, written by Nadiia Tkach and Andrii Vasylchenko. It has been very successful in both French and other languages.
There is also a very important entry on “freedom / will” written by the prominent cultural scholar from Kharkiv, Leonid Ushkalov. A brilliant article, in my view. And we understand that “will” and “freedom” are key words alongside the first section of this volume.
We also introduced other words, for example “guest” and “hospitality” (this entry was written by Daryna Morozova). We understand that the entire history of Ukrainian travel, both within Ukraine and abroad, is connected with this theme. In many languages, for instance in French, “guest” and “the one who receives guests” is the same word. Overcoming xenophobia and opening new dimensions of xenophilia – this hospitality and interest in receiving others, other words, other visions of the world and culture – is essential for understanding the drama, and perhaps even tragedy, that Europe is experiencing today. That is why it is crucial to rediscover words.
This Dictionary is therefore not only about concepts and notions, but about the history of words. It stands at the intersection of philosophy and literature. It can be extremely interesting for teachers, students, poets, writers, journalists, and anyone who opens it simply to understand why they love a certain word. You open it and discover, from Homer and ancient classical tradition to the best Ukrainian translators such as Lukash, Kochur, and Perepadia, who together with Oleh Khoma translated Montaigne and Pascal for “Dukh i Litera”. This “hospitality” – Ukraine’s capacity to receive other works, other thoughts, other masterpieces – demonstrates the great dignity of our culture. The Dictionary can be seen as an international passport of Ukrainian culture, in the sense that it finally ends the debate about so-called “peasant language” allegedly lacking refinement. It is a highly sophisticated culture reflected in the “European Dictionary of Philosophies” across all languages, including Ukrainian.
Ihor Kozlovskyi: dignity is truthfulness
When Ihor Kozlovskyi was released from captivity, he said that the awareness of how one can remain free even in captivity – reaching a higher level of both internal and external freedom – opens a new space of meanings of freedom.
After his imprisonment in the Donetsk “Izoliatsiia” detention site, he was able to speak to others about the meanings he himself lived through. In his book “Dignity is Truthfulness”, he insists that there is always a possibility, through dialogue with oneself or with another, to share an experience of unbreakable dignity and the understanding that those who torture and imprison try to convince you that people who have lost or surrendered their dignity are the norm, and that others should not have it either. His captors were surprised, and even showed respect when they saw his attitude. After the prisoner exchange in Kyiv, Kozlovskyi spent years testifying to the human capacity to remain free despite all trials. He helped many of us overcome fear by translating this seemingly untranslatable experience of captivity into a language understandable to students and people of all ages. In this sense, what we are doing here and now is also a translation of our experience into other languages and contexts.
The Ukrainian poetry of Vasyl Stus
We published a bilingual Ukrainian–French edition of Vasyl Stus. Georges Nivat learned Ukrainian specifically to translate Stus. A major 500-page volume is now being prepared for publication by “Noir sur Blanc”. This French translation will likely become the largest Western-language edition of Stus. We hope that annotated editions in English and Italian will follow. The dictionary of Stus is absolutely unparalleled.
The discovery of Ukrainian poetry and essay writing helps overcome the “noise of the engine” and allows one to hear how a word suddenly draws attention. I believe that one such word will be “victory”. Dmytro Chyzhevskyi noted that, unlike “victory” or “victoire”, this word carries a deeper semantic dimension; it implies going beyond the limits of what is possible. This word must also enter other dictionaries. I believe it will play a role even greater than words like “perestroika” or “glasnost”.
The value and universality of the Ukrainian experience
Our ability to introduce the key words of our culture and experience into the languages and vocabularies of our partners and friends is extremely important. It is part of our communication with the world. There is currently enormous attention to what is happening in Ukraine.
Our task is to convert this attention into knowledge, so that understanding of Ukrainian culture, history, and worldview becomes embedded in academic programs and media spaces for the long term. A great deal still needs to be done. For example, Germany has created the “Ukrainian Voices” series with dozens of books. Similar initiatives are still lacking in Spanish or Italian. It is essential to ensure that the diversity of Ukrainian voices becomes widely accessible.
We can better understand what is happening in Kyiv today by connecting it with Athens, Jerusalem, Rome, and beyond. Our “homegrown Aeneid” helps explain the meaning of Ukrainian resistance and why it resonates with what the French and Belgians call “resistance”, as well as with German and Italian traditions.
Ukrainian resistance and human dignity
The sense that the whole country is participating in a great Maidan, that the issue of dignity has acquired a planetary dimension, and that what is written in constitutions and human rights declarations is now being tested on the battlefield, changes everything. The philosophy of dignity has not yet been fully written; there are no major textbooks or monographs. It is precisely now that dignitas must be rethought, because the attack is directed against the very idea that every human being has dignity.
Here and now, in Ukraine, the fate of key words, key concepts, and key models of European life is being decided.
Fortunately, there are people who understand this. Jonathan Littell said during his visit to Ukraine in spring 2022 that this is “our shared war”. Nicolas Tenzer writes about this in his book “Our War”. If this is understood in Brussels, Berlin, Paris, London, and Rome in its full meaning, the fate of both the continent and Ukraine will change.
European solidarity
It is crucial to ensure that Ukraine is properly understood. Writers such as Jonathan Littell, David Rieff, and Nicolas Tenzer, who have been present in Ukraine and engaged directly with its realities, contribute to creating a shared space of discussion. Ukrainian culture today is an active global player, but it needs not only military allies, but also those who strengthen its soft power.
We must ensure that key Ukrainian texts are translated into French, English, German, and other languages. Institutions such as the Ukrainian Book Institute must become as influential as the British Council, the French Institute, or the Goethe-Institut.
Not fear, but action
It is essential to overcome fear and resist narratives about a “Third World War” or nuclear threats. The task is to act, as Ihor Kozlovskyi did in Kyiv – to help people overcome fear and make decisive choices. This includes rethinking European security architecture, ensuring real defense cooperation, and recognizing that Ukraine’s struggle is existential for Europe as a whole.
We are in a shared historical space, a single vessel of collective life. European societies must understand that the sacrifices made by Ukraine fundamentally reshape the continent and that after 2022 nothing will be the same. Victory must become the central objective, shared across Europe, not merely the end or freezing of conflict.
European voices
The future depends on whether Ukrainian voices are properly heard and integrated into European discourse. Dialogue with international intellectuals is essential, even when disagreements exist. What matters is maintaining a shared space of communication and mutual understanding, not isolation.
Ukrainian culture must engage globally, while also strengthening institutions that support its dissemination and interpretation across Europe and beyond.