When English Ain't Assez

Do ever find that the English word just isn't as good as its literal translation in another language? In "Eat, Pray, Love", the author mentions that her favorite word in Italian is "attraversiamo" which is such a better word than the clunky English "Let's cross over to the other side." I have been writing several letters of application recently where I'm trying to express that I'd like to deepen my education. But I hate the way that sounds. Every time I try to think of a substitute work I get stuck on the French "Approfondir" which is infinitely superior than "deepen". I wish I could include French words in these essays without looking like a tool. Alas, I don't think that's possible