Žodis ne šakalas, iš medžio nekris
is a Lithuanian proverb. It translates to: “A word is not a hawk that falls from a tree.”
It’s a proverb from rural Luthianian life that has been passed on over centuries. It showed up in my Claude today when I asked for a befitting proverb in her local language, to define a conversation I had with a friend.
The saying is about choosing your words carefully, which is rare in a world where LLMs are starting to choose our words. And we shouldn’t let them pick everything.
We shouldn’t be lazy. Nor should we take our job to choose words lightly.
Language is precious, and each word matters.
Nuance makes all the difference in the world.
In a translation, we can capture meaning, but also emotional nuance.
Every written piece of communication is an opportunity for nuance. To meticulously pick your words and capture the feeling you seek to exchange, rather than just passing on the information.