Choose a nonzero supported in a ball of radius , and let
Translation preserves both the norm and the weak-derivative norms, so
for every . Thus is bounded in the Sobolev space .
Distinct translates have disjoint supports. Hence, for ,
No subsequence is Cauchy in , so no subsequence converges there. The embedding is therefore not a compact operator. This is the noncompactness of a Sobolev embedding by translation caused by loss of compactness at infinity.