Found in translation: "Cheer up!"

Has anyone ever said anything inconsiderate to you? The kind of thing that the more you think about it, the more inappropriate it seems... Part of you wants to give them a good smack, part of you wants to give them a piece of your mind, and part of you just shakes its head and walks away thinking, "See if I ever try talking with you again!"

Now, what if the comment was meant 100% sincerely, and the speaker had no idea that their words were hurtful or inappropriate? What if they thought that their words expressed the sympathy and understanding and hope they were honestly feeling?

You might think this is an impossible or at least highly unlikely situation. Think again.

When I say, in English, "It's good." I usually mean it in something of a flippant manner when someone makes a small mistake and says, "Oh, my bad." Or I use it to mean seriously that something looks, smells, sounds, or tastes good. However, when speaking with a native Spanish speaker (all the ones I know are from Mexico/Central/South America) I can use the direct translation, "Està bien." to mean:
"It´s ok."
"It doesn´t matter."
"Are you ok?"
"I am ok."
"It´s going to work out."
"Oh, nevermind."
"That will work."
Very likely, there are more specific ways to say each of those phrases, but as a new speaker of the language, for now, that one phrase will serve many purposes.

But what about "Cheer up!"? When do I use that phase? Usually in a somewhat joking, condescending, or empathetic manner when I think someone is making a big deal out of something small. So when my Korean friends began saying it to me during the week my Grandpa passed away, my initial reaction was one of surprise and indignation. "Who says that?! How can you tell me to cheer up when this is obviously such a painful and lonely time for me??"

But looking past the words, knowing my friends care for me and would never act flippantly at such a time, I tried to see what was being lost in the translation. I asked my suite mate, Umi, about the Korean translation for "Cheer up." Her eyes lit up and she replied quickly, "힘내!" ("heem-nae") Obviously, in their culture "힝내" has very different connotations than our expression "Cheer up." In their minds, they were communicating the sympathy and understanding and hope they were honestly feeling.

I always wonder how many times this happens and I just have no idea how much is lost in the translation.

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending: I found a good (and very easy!) way to express the sympathy, understanding, and hope I feel when my friends are feeling down!