Interpret in Different Languages
Discover 'Interpret' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'interpret' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, as it allows us to understand and communicate the meaning behind words, actions, and even art. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as interpretation is a crucial aspect of every human interaction and cultural exchange. From literary analysis to musical performances, interpretation is what brings ideas to life and allows us to connect with one another on a deeper level.
Moreover, the ability to interpret in different languages is a valuable skill in today's globalized world. Knowing how to translate 'interpret' into languages such as Spanish (interpretar), French (interpréter), German (interpretieren), Mandarin (解释), or Arabic (تفسير) can open up new opportunities for cross-cultural communication and collaboration.
Did you know that the word 'interpret' comes from the Latin 'interpretari,' which means 'to explain or understand'? Or that in ancient times, interpreters were highly respected figures who facilitated communication between different cultures and societies? Understanding the many nuances of this word can enrich our appreciation for language and culture.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'interpret' in various languages and learn more about the fascinating history and significance behind this word.
Interpret
Interpret in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | interpreteer | ||
| In Afrikaans, "interpreteer" can be traced back to the Old French verb "interpreter" and refers to the process of translating, explaining, or clarifying. | |||
| Amharic | መተርጎም | ||
| መተርጎም can also mean to translate or to explain. | |||
| Hausa | fassara | ||
| The Hausa word fassara, in addition to its primary meaning of "interpret", may also refer to "explaining, clarifying, describing, or translating." | |||
| Igbo | ikowa | ||
| 'Ikowa' in Igbo also refers to a kind of storytelling performance. | |||
| Malagasy | mandika teny | ||
| The word "mandika teny" may also refer to paraphrasing or summarizing. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tanthauzirani | ||
| The Nyanja word "tanthauzirani" shares a root morpheme with the verb "tanthauza" (hear) and the noun "tanthauzo" (sound), suggesting an etymological connection between the concepts of interpreting, hearing, and making sound. | |||
| Shona | dudzira | ||
| "Dudzira" also means to explain, clarify or elucidate | |||
| Somali | tarjuma | ||
| Tarjuma can also mean "to clarify" or "to explain something in a different way" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | toloka | ||
| The word "toloka" also means "to help" or "to assist" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | kutafsiri | ||
| Kutafsiri is derived from the Proto-Bantu verb -tafsiri, meaning 'to make clear'. | |||
| Xhosa | ukutolika | ||
| The word 'ukutolika' is also used to describe the act of explaining or making something clear. | |||
| Yoruba | itumọ | ||
| "Itumọ" can also mean "understanding" or "knowledge" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ukuhumusha | ||
| 'Ukuhumusha' also means 'to translate' in Zulu | |||
| Bambara | ka dalaminɛli kɛ | ||
| Ewe | ɖe nya me | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gusobanura | ||
| Lingala | kobongola | ||
| Luganda | okuvvunnula | ||
| Sepedi | hlatholla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kyerɛ mu | ||
Interpret in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تفسر | ||
| The verb تفسر could also be used to refer to a person who makes an excuse for someone to hide their mistakes. | |||
| Hebrew | לפרש | ||
| לפרש can also mean 'to separate or break into pieces'. | |||
| Pashto | تشریح کول | ||
| تشریح کول means 'to interpret' but can also mean 'to decipher' or 'to explain'. | |||
| Arabic | تفسر | ||
| The verb تفسر could also be used to refer to a person who makes an excuse for someone to hide their mistakes. | |||
Interpret in Western European Languages
| Albanian | interpretoj | ||
| This word comes from Italian "interpretare" and Latin "interpretari". | |||
| Basque | interpretatu | ||
| 'Interpretatu' could also be translated to 'interpret' in English | |||
| Catalan | interpretar | ||
| Apart from its common meaning, "interpretar" (interpret) can also mean "understand" or "explain". | |||
| Croatian | protumačiti | ||
| Protumačiti in Croatian derives from "tumačiti", which in turn stems from Greek "hermeneuein", meaning "to bring to light"} | |||
| Danish | fortolke | ||
| "Fortolke" derives from the Old Norse word "fortelja," meaning "to tell," and is related to the English word "forthtell." | |||
| Dutch | interpreteren | ||
| The word "interpreteren" in Dutch can also mean "to translate" or "to act as an intermediary between two parties" | |||
| English | interpret | ||
| ‘Interpret’ derives from the Latin ‘interpretari’, ‘to mediate between’, which in turn comes from the Latin ‘interpres’, ‘a mediator’. | |||
| French | interpréter | ||
| In French, "interpréter" can also mean "to perform" or "to translate"} | |||
| Frisian | ynterpretearje | ||
| In Old Frisian, "ynterpretearje" also meant "to tell" or "to relate". | |||
| Galician | interpretar | ||
| O termo galego «interpretar» pode significar «interpretar» ou «representar teatralmente», enquanto em português apenas tem o significado de «interpretar». | |||
| German | interpretieren | ||
| "Interpretieren" also means "to extrapolate" in German. | |||
| Icelandic | túlka | ||
| The Icelandic word "túlka" was borrowed from Old Norse *þýðla, "to make known or clear." | |||
| Irish | léirmhíniú | ||
| Italian | interpretare | ||
| The Italian word "interpretare" comes from the Latin verb "interpretari," meaning "to mediate between," and it can also mean "to explain" or "to translate." | |||
| Luxembourgish | interpretéieren | ||
| Maltese | tinterpreta | ||
| "Tinterpreta", meaning “interpret” in Maltese, originates from the Italian word “interpretare” of the same meaning. | |||
| Norwegian | tolke | ||
| Tolke can also mean 'to talk' in the context of two speakers who communicate in the same language. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | interpretar | ||
| "Interpretar" originated from the Latin verb "interpretārī" (to mediate), from "inter" (between) and "petere" (to seek, to ask). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | eadar-mhìneachadh | ||
| As well as 'interpret', eadar-mhìneachadh can be translated as 'translate' or 'give the meaning of'. | |||
| Spanish | interpretar | ||
| The Spanish word "interpretar" can also mean "to translate" or "to perform". | |||
| Swedish | tolka | ||
| 'Tolka' can also mean 'to push someone', 'to force an opinion on someone', or 'to do something against someone's will'. | |||
| Welsh | dehongli | ||
| The word "dehongli" is thought to have originated from the word "hongli," which means "to explain" or "to make clear." | |||
Interpret in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | інтэрпрэтаваць | ||
| The Belarusian word “інтэрпрэтаваць” also means “to give an official opinion, to pass a judgment” in legal language. | |||
| Bosnian | interpretirati | ||
| The verb "interpretirati" in Bosnian derives from Latin "interpretare", meaning both "interpret" and "explain". | |||
| Bulgarian | тълкувам | ||
| The word "тълкувам" can also mean "to explain" or "to translate". | |||
| Czech | interpretovat | ||
| "Interpretovat" can also mean "to translate" or "to decipher" | |||
| Estonian | tõlgendama | ||
| The verb "tõlgendama" is a derivative of "tõlk" (translator), which in turn is derived from the Old Norse word "þulkr", meaning "speaker or orator." | |||
| Finnish | tulkita | ||
| The word "tulkita" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "tulkota," meaning to explain or make something clear. | |||
| Hungarian | értelmez | ||
| The word "értelmez" can also mean "to conceive of" or "to understand". | |||
| Latvian | interpretēt | ||
| The Latvian word "interpretēt" has alternate meanings including "rephrase" and "translate". | |||
| Lithuanian | interpretuoti | ||
| The word "interpretuoti" comes from the Latin word "interpretari," which means "to explain or translate." | |||
| Macedonian | толкуваат | ||
| The word "толкуваат" can also mean "to explain" or "to clarify". | |||
| Polish | interpretować | ||
| Interpret can also mean "to be a representative of a country", as in "The Polish team interpretowały do the international competition." | |||
| Romanian | interpreta | ||
| In Romanian, "interpreta" also means "to perform (music)". | |||
| Russian | интерпретировать | ||
| Russian word "интерпретировать" (interpret) also means "to perform" or "to present" in the context of music or theatre. | |||
| Serbian | протумачити | ||
| The word "протумачити" comes from the Old Church Slavonic "тоумати," meaning "to think" or "to understand." | |||
| Slovak | vykladať | ||
| In addition to "interpret", "vykladať" also means "tell fortune" or "explain" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | razlagati | ||
| Razlagati's etymological and alternate meanings include 'to explain' and 'to resolve a problem'. | |||
| Ukrainian | інтерпретувати | ||
| "Інтерпретувати" is derived from the Latin word "interpretari," which also means "to translate" or "to explain." | |||
Interpret in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ব্যাখ্যা করা | ||
| ব্যাখ্যা করার অন্য একটি অর্থ হলো 'কিসের অর্থ সেটা বোঝানো'। | |||
| Gujarati | અર્થઘટન | ||
| The word 'અર્થઘટન' is derived from the Sanskrit words 'अर्थ' (meaning) and 'घट' (to compose), implying the process of putting together different elements to understand the meaning of something. | |||
| Hindi | व्याख्या | ||
| The word "व्याख्या" can also mean "explanation" or "commentary" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ವ್ಯಾಖ್ಯಾನಿಸಿ | ||
| The word "ವ್ಯಾಖ್ಯಾನಿಸಿ" has additional meanings besides "interpret" such as to explain or to define. | |||
| Malayalam | വ്യാഖ്യാനിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | अर्थ लावणे | ||
| The Marathi word 'अर्थ लावणे' can also mean 'to understand' or 'to make sense of'. | |||
| Nepali | व्याख्या | ||
| The Nepali word "व्याख्या" is derived from the Sanskrit word "व्याख्यान", which means "to explain or expound". | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਆਖਿਆ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අර්ථ නිරූපණය කරන්න | ||
| This word can also mean "to assign a meaning to something". | |||
| Tamil | விளக்குவது | ||
| The word "விளக்குவது" in Tamil also means "to explain" or "to teach". | |||
| Telugu | అర్థం చేసుకోండి | ||
| Urdu | تشریح کرنا | ||
| The word “تشریح کرنا” derives from the Arabic word “شرَح” meaning “to spread out or explain” and also means “to cut open” in Urdu and other South Asian languages, referring to the practice of dissection in medical studies. | |||
Interpret in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 解释 | ||
| 解释 means “to explain” and it also means “explanation.” | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 解釋 | ||
| 解釈 (jieshi) can also mean 'to answer', 'to explain', or 'to clarify'. | |||
| Japanese | 解釈する | ||
| In Japanese, the word "解釈する" (interpret) can also mean "to explain"} | |||
| Korean | 새기다 | ||
| The verb 새기다 can also mean 'to engrave' or 'to carve'. | |||
| Mongolian | тайлбарлах | ||
| The word ''тайлбарлах'' (interpret) is originally derived from the Persian/Arabic language. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စကားပြန် | ||
| The word စကားပြန် means "translate" in Myanmar (Burmese) and is derived from the Pali word "paccavekkhati" meaning "to look at something again". | |||
Interpret in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menafsirkan | ||
| The word 'menafsirkan' also means 'to infer', 'to determine', and 'to make a conclusion' in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | napsirake | ||
| The word "napsirake" originally meant "to understand (language), translate, write, and read". In Old Javanese this word was spelt "mañcraka". | |||
| Khmer | បកស្រាយ | ||
| “ធានុន់ច” ភ់ឌិនកិន គ៓យងាន ក្តាគកិនញច្យញក្គកភ់គកភ់ឌិនកិន ក្តាគកិនញក្តាន់នកិន. | |||
| Lao | ຕີຄວາມ ໝາຍ | ||
| Malay | mentafsir | ||
| "Mentafsir" is derived from Persian "ma tafsir" (meaning "what is the explanation") and is also used to mean "analyze" or "comment on". | |||
| Thai | ตีความ | ||
| The word "ตีความ" originated from Old Khmer and Javanese words meaning "to measure" and "to make sense of," respectively. | |||
| Vietnamese | thông dịch | ||
| "Thông dịch" in Vietnamese also means "to explain" or "to teach". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bigyang kahulugan | ||
Interpret in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şərh etmək | ||
| The word "şərh etmək" can also mean "to explain" or "to comment on" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | түсіндіру | ||
| "Түсіндіру" is related to the Turkic root *tüš-*, meaning "to understand" and "to show". | |||
| Kyrgyz | чечмелөө | ||
| "Чечмелөө" has multiple meanings in Kyrgyz, including "to translate", "to explain", "to disclose", and "to expound". | |||
| Tajik | тафсир кардан | ||
| The word "тафсир кардан" is also used in the sense of "to explain" in addition to its meaning as "to interpret". | |||
| Turkmen | düşündir | ||
| Uzbek | izohlash | ||
| The word "izohlash" can also mean "to explain" or "to analyze" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | چۈشەندۈرۈش | ||
Interpret in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | unuhi | ||
| "Unuhi" is also a verb meaning "to translate" or "to explain." | |||
| Maori | whakamaori | ||
| Whakamaori also means to make something Maori or in the Maori style, or to be or act in accordance with Maori custom and tradition. | |||
| Samoan | faʻamatala | ||
| The word "fa'amatala" has an alternative meaning of "clarifying or explaining something". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bigyang kahulugan | ||
| The word "bigyang kahulugan" can also mean "to make sense of" or "to explain". | |||
Interpret in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amuyt'aña | ||
| Guarani | ñeikũmby | ||
Interpret in International Languages
| Esperanto | interpreti | ||
| The Esperanto word "interpreti" is derived from Latin and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰwer- ("to speak"). | |||
| Latin | interpretaretur | ||
| The word "interpretaretur" also means "translate" or "explain" in Latin. | |||
Interpret in Others Languages
| Greek | ερμηνεύω | ||
| The word ερμηνεύω in Greek means both "interpret" and "explain". | |||
| Hmong | txhais | ||
| "Txhais" can also mean "translate" or "explain" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | jêderxistin | ||
| 'Jêderxistin' also means 'to express one's opinion' or 'to utter in words'. | |||
| Turkish | yorumlamak | ||
| "Yorumlamak" kelimesi Arapça "urlama" kelimesinden türemiştir, dolayısıyla "bağırmak, ses çıkarmak" anlamına da gelmektedir. | |||
| Xhosa | ukutolika | ||
| The word 'ukutolika' is also used to describe the act of explaining or making something clear. | |||
| Yiddish | טייַטשן | ||
| In Yiddish, the verb "טייַטשן" (taytshn) can also refer to translating from one language to another or explaining the meaning of something in a more accessible language or manner. | |||
| Zulu | ukuhumusha | ||
| 'Ukuhumusha' also means 'to translate' in Zulu | |||
| Assamese | ব্যাখ্যা | ||
| Aymara | amuyt'aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | व्याख्या कईल | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަސްދޭހަ | ||
| Dogri | व्याख्या | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bigyang kahulugan | ||
| Guarani | ñeikũmby | ||
| Ilocano | itarus | ||
| Krio | intaprit | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لێکدانەوە | ||
| Maithili | अनुवाद करनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯍꯟꯊꯣꯛ ꯍꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | letling | ||
| Oromo | hiikuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବ୍ୟାଖ୍ୟା କର | ||
| Quechua | tikraq | ||
| Sanskrit | व्याख्याति | ||
| Tatar | тәрҗемә итү | ||
| Tigrinya | ምትርጓም | ||
| Tsonga | toloka | ||