Focailíocht: Beyond translation

Focailíocht = the step after translation: taking a new idea or term (usually arriving through English) and shaping it with Irish—morphology, idiom, and mouthfeel—so it belongs, not just exists.

Wholesome, clear examples:

• duine beag → “little person” (chosen over older abhac) — respectful, natural Irish.
• céardach chomhspéise → “hackerspace” — a “forge of shared interest,” Irish image over a bland calque.
• éistphéist → “earworm” — keeps the playful picture (a “listening-worm”) in Irish.
• giolc ↔ “tweet” — a bird-chirp metaphor that feels at home in Irish.
• turscar → “spam/junk” — a repurposed Irish word (sea-wrack/dregs) for digital rubbish.

In short: Aistriúchán gives the label; focailíocht makes it feel natively Irish.