Updated on March 6, 2024
The term 'long-term' is a common phrase in our daily vernacular, denoting a period of significant duration. Its significance lies in its ability to convey a sense of sustainability, commitment, and endurance. This concept is culturally important across the globe, as it helps us structure our plans, goals, and expectations in both our personal and professional lives.
Interestingly, the word 'long-term' has fascinating historical contexts. In ancient civilizations, long-term planning was crucial for survival, from farming and irrigation to architecture and governance. This need for foresight has persisted throughout history, influencing modern philosophy, economics, and environmentalism.
Understanding the term 'long-term' in different languages can provide valuable insights into various cultural perspectives on time, planning, and commitment. Here are a few translations to pique your curiosity:
Afrikaans | lang termyn | ||
The Afrikaans word "lang termyn" derives from the Old Dutch phrase "langhen termijn", meaning "long time" or "extended period". | |||
Amharic | ረዥም ጊዜ | ||
The term "ረዥም ጊዜ" literally translates to "stretched out time" and can also refer to long-distance relationships. | |||
Hausa | dogon lokaci | ||
The Hausa term "dogon lokaci" can refer to both "long-term" and "long ago". | |||
Igbo | ogologo oge | ||
The word "ogologo oge" is also used to describe something that is permanent or lasting. | |||
Malagasy | maharitra | ||
The Malagasy word "maharitra" also means "to persevere". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | nthawi yayitali | ||
The Nyanja word "nthawi yayitali" can also mean "in the past" or "in the future". | |||
Shona | nguva refu | ||
The Shona phrase "nguva refu" can also refer to a large body of water. | |||
Somali | muddada dheer | ||
The word "muddada dheer" can also refer to a period of time that is not specific or definite. | |||
Sesotho | nako e telele | ||
Swahili | muda mrefu | ||
The word "muda mrefu" in Swahili can also refer to a person who is physically tall. | |||
Xhosa | ixesha elide | ||
The word "ixesha elide" can also mean "in the future" or "for a long time to come." | |||
Yoruba | igba gígun | ||
Igba gígun can also mean 'forever' or 'eternity' in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | isikhati eside | ||
The Zulu word "isikhati eside" also refers to a prolonged situation or a chronic ailment. | |||
Bambara | waati jan kɔnɔ | ||
Ewe | ɣeyiɣi didi aɖe | ||
Kinyarwanda | igihe kirekire | ||
Lingala | ntango molai | ||
Luganda | okumala ebbanga eddene | ||
Sepedi | nako e telele | ||
Twi (Akan) | bere tenten mu | ||
Arabic | طويل الأمد | ||
The Arabic phrase "طويل الأمد" also refers to something that is distant or far-off. | |||
Hebrew | טווח ארוך | ||
טווח ארוך literally means "long range" but is used to refer to "long-term". | |||
Pashto | اوږده موده | ||
The word "اوږده موده" in Pashto can also refer to "prolonged" or "lengthy". | |||
Arabic | طويل الأمد | ||
The Arabic phrase "طويل الأمد" also refers to something that is distant or far-off. |
Albanian | afatgjatë | ||
Basque | epe luzera | ||
The Basque term "Epe luzera" literally means "time far away" | |||
Catalan | llarg termini | ||
The Catalan word "llarg termini" literally means "long term" but can also be used to refer to a destination or goal. | |||
Croatian | dugoročno | ||
In the context of employment, "dugoročno" is often used to describe a person employed for a period of more than 6 months. | |||
Danish | langsigtet | ||
In Icelandic, the word 'langsigtet' means 'far-sighted'. | |||
Dutch | langetermijn | ||
The word "langetermijn" can also refer to a long-term relationship or a long-term goal. | |||
English | long-term | ||
"Long-term" derives from "long" and "term" in the sense of "end", so "long-term" could have meant "having a long end" as well as "lasting a long time". | |||
French | long terme | ||
The French "long terme" is used to describe something that lasts a long time, but can also refer to a long-term financial investment. | |||
Frisian | lange termyn | ||
The Frisian word "lange termyn" has a secondary meaning of "autumn" or "harvest time". | |||
Galician | largo prazo | ||
"Largo prazo" has its roots in the Latin phrases "largus," meaning "abundant or copious," and "plazo," meaning "term or period." | |||
German | langfristig | ||
The word "langfristig" is derived from the Old High German word "langa", meaning "long", and "frist", meaning "time". Similarly to the English word "term", it has various meanings beyond "long-term", including "period" and "date". | |||
Icelandic | langtíma | ||
"Langtíma" is an Icelandic word that can also mean "for a long while" or "a long time". | |||
Irish | fadtéarmach | ||
The Irish word "fadtéarmach" means not just "long-term" but also "hereditary" or "chronic". | |||
Italian | lungo termine | ||
"Lungo termine" literally means "distant term" in Italian. | |||
Luxembourgish | laangzäit | ||
Laangzäit is also used to describe a long-lasting friendship or relationship. | |||
Maltese | fit-tul | ||
The word "fit-tul" can also refer to a protracted period of discomfort, such as an illness or financial setback. | |||
Norwegian | langsiktig | ||
The word "langsiktig" is composed of the words "lang" (long) and "siktig" (sighted), which means "having a long view." | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | longo prazo | ||
In Portuguese, "longo prazo" refers to both a long period of time and to a financial investment that matures in over a year. | |||
Scots Gaelic | fad-ùine | ||
Fad-ùine means both long-term and lifetime, as it literally translates to "long time". | |||
Spanish | a largo plazo | ||
"El término 'a largo plazo' proviene de la expresión italiana 'a la lunga' que significa 'a la larga' o 'a lo largo del tiempo'" | |||
Swedish | långsiktigt | ||
In Swedish, "långsiktigt" literally means "long-sighted", emphasizing the ability to see and plan for the future. | |||
Welsh | tymor hir | ||
The word 'tymor hir' literally means 'long time' in Welsh. |
Belarusian | доўгатэрміновыя | ||
Bosnian | dugoročno | ||
The word "dugoročno" can also refer to something that is far-reaching or comprehensive. | |||
Bulgarian | дългосрочен | ||
The Bulgarian word "дългосрочен" (long-term) is derived from the Slavic root "dъlgъ" (long), which is also found in other Slavic languages such as Russian and Polish. | |||
Czech | dlouhodobý | ||
"Dlouhodobý" also means "chronic" in Czech. | |||
Estonian | pikaajaline | ||
In Estonian, the word "pikaajaline" can also mean "chronic" or "lasting". | |||
Finnish | pitkäaikainen | ||
The Finnish word "pitkäaikainen" is composed from the words "pitkä" (long) and "aikainen" (temporary), but its meaning is "long-term". | |||
Hungarian | hosszútávú | ||
The Hungarian word "hosszútávú" can also mean "long-range" or "long-standing". | |||
Latvian | ilgtermiņa | ||
**Ilgtermiņa** derives from the Latvian words **ilgs** (meaning "long") and **termiņš** (meaning "term"). | |||
Lithuanian | ilgas terminas | ||
The term "ilgas terminas" can refer to a long or a specific period of time, depending on the context. | |||
Macedonian | долгорочно | ||
The word "долгорочно" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "долг", meaning "long" or "extended". | |||
Polish | długoterminowy | ||
Długoterminowy is a compound word derived from "długi" (long) and "termin" (term), and can also mean "permanent" or "chronic". | |||
Romanian | termen lung | ||
The Romanian word 'termen lung' is cognate with Latin 'terminus', referring to a boundary or endpoint. | |||
Russian | долгосрочный | ||
The word "долгосрочный" literally means "long-term" or "long-range" in Russian. | |||
Serbian | дугорочни | ||
The term "дугорочни" also refers to a type of debt or investment that matures in more than one year. | |||
Slovak | dlhý termín | ||
The word "dlhý termín" in Slovak can also mean "date of maturity" or "due date". | |||
Slovenian | dolgoročno | ||
The word dolgoročno is derived from the Slavic root *dolgъ*, meaning "long," and *rokъ*, meaning "time," and can also refer to a period of time beyond one year. | |||
Ukrainian | тривалий період | ||
The Ukrainian word "тривалий період" derives from the Latin word "trivium", meaning "a place where three roads meet" |
Bengali | দীর্ঘ মেয়াদী | ||
The Bengali word "দীর্ঘ মেয়াদী" literally means "long-term", but can also be used to describe something that is lasting, enduring, or permanent. | |||
Gujarati | લાંબા ગાળાના | ||
லாம்பா காளா is a compound word made up of the Sanskrit words लम्ब ( | |||
Hindi | दीर्घावधि | ||
The word "दीर्घावधि" can alternately mean "chronic" or "long-lasting." | |||
Kannada | ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲದ | ||
Malayalam | ദീർഘകാല | ||
Marathi | दीर्घकालीन | ||
दीर्घकालीन can refer to either long-term or chronic conditions. | |||
Nepali | लामो समयको लागि | ||
This Nepali word is a compound formed from words meaning long and time, but is not used to describe the weather. | |||
Punjabi | ਲੰਮਾ ਸਮਾਂ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දීර්ඝ කාලීන | ||
Tamil | நீண்ட கால | ||
Telugu | దీర్ఘకాలిక | ||
The word "దీర్ఘకాలిక" in Telugu derives from the Sanskrit root "दीर्घकाल" meaning "of long duration". It can also refer to something that is "chronic" or "persistent". | |||
Urdu | طویل مدتی | ||
The Urdu word "طویل مدتی" literally translates to "long-time", signifying the enduring nature of something. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 长期 | ||
"长期" can be parsed as "长(long)" and "期(period)", or as "长(long)" and "期(expect)". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 長期 | ||
長期 derives from the Buddhist doctrine, describing a path of gradual enlightenment. | |||
Japanese | 長期 | ||
長期 (chōki) literally means "long period" or "long season" and is also used figuratively to describe something that will take a long time to complete. | |||
Korean | 장기간 | ||
장기간 can also refer to an organ transplant. | |||
Mongolian | урт хугацааны | ||
The Mongolian word "урт хугацааны" also means "permanent, long-lasting or continual, unending," or "everlasting." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ရေရှည် | ||
Etymology: a compound of ရေ (water) and ရှည် (long), meaning something that lasts as long as water flows (indefinitely). |
Indonesian | jangka panjang | ||
The word "jangka" in "jangka panjang" originally meant "span of time", so "jangka panjang" also meant "long distance" spatially | |||
Javanese | jangka panjang | ||
Jangka panjang' translates to 'long-term' in English, but it originally meant 'long-range' in Javanese, referring to a time frame beyond the immediate future. | |||
Khmer | រយៈពេលវែង | ||
Lao | ໄລຍະຍາວ | ||
Malay | jangka panjang | ||
The Malay word "jangka panjang" can also refer to a "prospect" or "estimate". | |||
Thai | ระยะยาว | ||
The phrase “ระยะยาว” derives from Pali language “दीघकालिकं (dighakālikam)”. | |||
Vietnamese | lâu dài | ||
"Lâu dài" means "long-term" in Vietnamese, but it can also mean "permanent" or "durable." | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pangmatagalan | ||
Azerbaijani | uzun müddətli | ||
The word "uzun müddətli" is derived from the Persian word "uzun" meaning "long" and the Arabic word "müddət" meaning "period" or "time". | |||
Kazakh | ұзақ мерзімді | ||
Kyrgyz | узак убакыт | ||
The word "узак убакыт" can also refer to a specific period of time or a period of time that has not yet been determined. | |||
Tajik | дарозмуддат | ||
The word "дарозмуддат" is ultimately derived from the Persian word "دراز مدت" (darāz muddat), which also means "long-term". | |||
Turkmen | uzak möhlet | ||
Uzbek | uzoq muddat | ||
"Uzoq muddat" (long-term) is a phrase in Uzbek. "Uzoq" means "far" or "distant" and "muddat" means "time." | |||
Uyghur | ئۇزۇن مۇددەتلىك | ||
Hawaiian | wā lōʻihi | ||
"Wā lōʻihi" can also mean "a long time ago" or "since a long time ago" in Hawaiian. | |||
Maori | wā-roa | ||
The term wā-roa (long-term) also carries connotations of 'timelessness' and 'enduring' in Māori culture. | |||
Samoan | taimi umi | ||
The first part of the word "taimi umi" literally means "a period of time". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pangmatagalan | ||
Aymara | jaya pachataki | ||
Guarani | ipukúva | ||
Esperanto | longtempe | ||
Esperanto “longtempe” has another alternate meaning: “in the far past.” | |||
Latin | longa-terminus | ||
"Longa-terminus" is a compound word comprised of "longa" (long, distant) and "terminus" (boundary, end), and can also mean "outpost" or "distant point". |
Greek | μακροπρόθεσμα | ||
The term "μακροπρόθεσμα" is derived from the Greek words "μακρός" (long) and "πρόθεσις" (purpose), referring to a longer period of time or a more distant goal. | |||
Hmong | mus sij hawm ntev | ||
The Hmong word "mus sij hawm ntev" can also mean "endurance" or "perseverance" in English. | |||
Kurdish | demdirêj | ||
The word "demdirêj" in Kurdish also means "permanent" or "lasting". | |||
Turkish | uzun vadeli | ||
Uzun vadeli can also refer to "in the future" or "eventually" in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | ixesha elide | ||
The word "ixesha elide" can also mean "in the future" or "for a long time to come." | |||
Yiddish | לאנגע צייט | ||
The Yiddish word "לאנגע צייט" is also used to express "a long time ago" and can mean "a long time" in a figurative sense. | |||
Zulu | isikhati eside | ||
The Zulu word "isikhati eside" also refers to a prolonged situation or a chronic ailment. | |||
Assamese | দীৰ্ঘ ম্যাদ | ||
Aymara | jaya pachataki | ||
Bhojpuri | लंबा समय तक चले वाला बा | ||
Dhivehi | ދިގު މުއްދަތަކަށެވެ | ||
Dogri | दीर्घकालिक | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pangmatagalan | ||
Guarani | ipukúva | ||
Ilocano | napaut a panawen | ||
Krio | fɔ lɔng tɛm | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | درێژخایەن | ||
Maithili | दीर्घकालीन | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯣꯡ ꯇꯔꯝ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | hun rei tak chhung atan | ||
Oromo | yeroo dheeraa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଦୀର୍ଘ ସ୍ଥାୟୀ | ||
Quechua | unay pachapaq | ||
Sanskrit | दीर्घकालीनः | ||
Tatar | озак вакытлы | ||
Tigrinya | ናይ ነዊሕ ግዜ | ||
Tsonga | nkarhi wo leha | ||