Updated on March 6, 2024
Marketing: it's a term that's become so ubiquitous, it's hard to imagine a world without it. But what does it really mean, and why does it matter in different languages?
At its core, marketing is the process of identifying, anticipating, and satisfying customer needs through the creation, promotion, and distribution of products or services. It's a critical function in any business, and its significance can't be overstated.
But marketing is more than just a business function. It's a cultural phenomenon that's shaped societies and influenced the way we think, feel, and behave. From the earliest forms of advertising to the latest digital marketing campaigns, marketing has played a vital role in shaping our world.
So why might someone want to know the translation of marketing in different languages? For one, it can help bridge cultural divides and facilitate cross-border communication. It can also provide insight into how different cultures approach marketing and business, and highlight interesting cultural nuances and differences.
Here are a few sample translations of marketing in different languages:
Afrikaans | bemarking | ||
The Afrikaans word "bemarking" originates from the Dutch word "bemerkening", meaning "note" or "remark". | |||
Amharic | ግብይት | ||
The word 'ግብይት' can also mean 'taxation' or 'revenue'. | |||
Hausa | talla | ||
The word "talla" in Hausa also means "a mark or sign." | |||
Igbo | ahia | ||
The word "ahia" in Igbo also means "a meeting place" or "a place of assembly". | |||
Malagasy | -barotra | ||
The word "barotra" in Malagasy can also refer to a "store" or "shop". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutsatsa | ||
The Nyanja word "kutsatsa" comes from the verb "kutsata," meaning "to buy or sell," and is related to the Swahili word "kuuza," meaning "to sell." | |||
Shona | kushambadzira | ||
The word | |||
Somali | suuqgeynta | ||
The Somali word "suuqgeynta" originates from the Arabic word "suq" (meaning "market") and the Somali suffix "-geynta" (meaning "the act of"). | |||
Sesotho | ho bapatsa | ||
The word "ho bapatsa" can also mean "to trade" or "to exchange" in Sesotho. | |||
Swahili | uuzaji | ||
The word "uuzaji" is derived from the word "kuuza," which means "to sell" in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | ukuthengisa | ||
The word 'ukuthengisa' originally meant 'to hawk' or 'to peddle' goods. | |||
Yoruba | titaja | ||
"Tì taja" is also an idiomatic expression meaning to be in charge of a business. | |||
Zulu | ukumaketha | ||
In Nguni languages, "uku-maketha" means "to make known". | |||
Bambara | jagokɛcogo | ||
Ewe | asitsatsa | ||
Kinyarwanda | kwamamaza | ||
Lingala | kosala mombongo | ||
Luganda | okutunda | ||
Sepedi | papatšo | ||
Twi (Akan) | aguadi ho aguadi | ||
Arabic | تسويق | ||
The Arabic word "تسويق" also means "leading an animal to water" | |||
Hebrew | שיווק | ||
The Hebrew word שיווק (marketing) is derived from the root שווק, which means "to sell or trade in a marketplace." | |||
Pashto | بازارموندنه | ||
The term "بازارموندنه" also bears meanings like "negotiation, selling, purchasing" in Pashto. | |||
Arabic | تسويق | ||
The Arabic word "تسويق" also means "leading an animal to water" |
Albanian | marketing | ||
The Albanian word "marketing" is derived from the English word "marketing" and has the same meaning. | |||
Basque | marketina | ||
The word "marketina" in Basque, besides meaning "marketing," also refers to a "place where goods are sold." | |||
Catalan | màrqueting | ||
El término catalán «màrqueting» proviene del inglés «marketing» y también puede referirse al área de una plaza pública destinada a un mercado. | |||
Croatian | marketing | ||
The word marketing derives from the late Middle English word "market" and the suffix "-ing", which indicates a process or activity. | |||
Danish | markedsføring | ||
The word "markedsføring" likely originated from the Old Norse word "markaðr", meaning "market". | |||
Dutch | marketing | ||
The Dutch verb "markten" originally meant "to trade at a market" or "to peddle goods" and later came to mean "to sell" or "to market" in general. | |||
English | marketing | ||
Originating from the French "marcher" (to trade) in the 16th century, "marketing" has also referred to the activities of peddlers and street vendors, as well as the act of buying and selling goods. | |||
French | commercialisation | ||
En français, le mot "commercialisation" peut aussi désigner l'action de rendre une activité économique plus commerciale. | |||
Frisian | marketing | ||
It is derived from Middle English and Latin words meaning 'merchandise' and 'trader' respectively | |||
Galician | márketing | ||
The word "márketing" evolved from the Galician word "mercar" (to buy) in the sense of "commercial transaction", and from "feira" (fair), where goods were displayed and transactions were carried out. | |||
German | marketing | ||
In German, "marketing" can also refer to "market research" or "market analysis." | |||
Icelandic | markaðssetning | ||
The Icelandic word 'markaðssetning' is derived from the Old Norse word 'markaðr,' meaning 'marketplace,' and the suffix '-setning,' meaning 'action or process.' | |||
Irish | margaíocht | ||
Margaíocht can also refer to 'horse trading' or the act of haggling in general. | |||
Italian | marketing | ||
The Italian word "marketing" can also refer to the commercialization of agricultural products. | |||
Luxembourgish | marketing | ||
Maltese | kummerċjalizzazzjoni | ||
The Maltese word "kummerċjalizzazzjoni" likely originates from the Italian "commercializzazione" and the Latin "commercium", both meaning trade or commerce. | |||
Norwegian | markedsføring | ||
"Markedsføring" is derived from the old Norse words "markaðr" (market) and "fara" (to go), and originally meant "going to market". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | marketing | ||
The term "marketing" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) can also refer to the act of trading goods or services, making it a more comprehensive concept than its English counterpart. | |||
Scots Gaelic | margaidheachd | ||
Spanish | márketing | ||
"Marketing" comes from the Spanish verb "marcar," meaning "to mark" or "to brand." | |||
Swedish | marknadsföring | ||
The Swedish word 'marknadsföring' is derived from the German word 'markt' ('market') and the Swedish suffix '-föring' ('promotion'), and essentially means 'market positioning'. | |||
Welsh | marchnata | ||
"Marchnata" is derived from the Welsh word "march" meaning "horse" and "nata" meaning "market". |
Belarusian | маркетынг | ||
Слово "маркетынг" было заимствовано из английского языка | |||
Bosnian | marketing | ||
U bosanskom jeziku riječ 'marketing' se može odnositi i na tržište kao mjesto gdje se obavlja kupnja i prodaja roba i usluga. | |||
Bulgarian | маркетинг | ||
In Bulgarian, “маркетинг” can also mean “advertising.” | |||
Czech | marketing | ||
In Czech, "marketing" can also refer to the market price of a product or service, or to the process of buying and selling goods. | |||
Estonian | turundus | ||
"Turundus" is a loanword from Swedish "turundus" which means "marketing". | |||
Finnish | markkinointi | ||
Markkinointi, cognate with "market", derives from an Old Germanic word for "boundary, border" and thus also means "trade fair" in Finnish. | |||
Hungarian | marketing | ||
A szó a német "Marktplatz" ("piac") szóból ered, magyarul közvetlenül a kereskedelem-nek felel meg. | |||
Latvian | mārketings | ||
"Mārketings" (marketing) is derived from the Latin word "mercatus," meaning "market," and also shares a root with the word "merchant." | |||
Lithuanian | rinkodara | ||
The word "rinkodara" (marketing) derives from the German "Rinkodara" (marketing), which in turn comes from the English "marketing" (marketing). | |||
Macedonian | маркетинг | ||
The word "маркетинг" in Macedonian comes from the English word "marketing", which in turn comes from the Old French word "marquier", meaning "to mark" or "to trade". | |||
Polish | marketing | ||
The Polish word "marketing" is derived from the French word "marcher" meaning "to trade". | |||
Romanian | marketing | ||
In Romanian, "marketing" also means "the action of marking or marking out, the act of setting boundaries or limits." | |||
Russian | маркетинг | ||
The word "маркетинг" is derived from the Latin word "mercatus", meaning "market" or "trade". | |||
Serbian | маркетинг | ||
The Serbian word "Маркетинг" also means "direct mail". | |||
Slovak | marketing | ||
Slovenským ekvivalentom slova marketing je slovo trh. | |||
Slovenian | trženje | ||
Trženje is derived from the verb tržiti, meaning 'to trade' or 'to sell'. | |||
Ukrainian | маркетинг | ||
The word "маркетинг" in Ukrainian is derived from the German word "Markierung", meaning "marking" or "labeling". |
Bengali | বিপণন | ||
The word 'বিপণন' derives from the Sanskrit word 'विक्रयण', meaning 'sale, purchase, or transaction'. | |||
Gujarati | માર્કેટિંગ | ||
Hindi | विपणन | ||
The Hindi word "विपणन" ("marketing") is derived from the Sanskrit word "विपण" ("market"), which itself is derived from the root "विप्" ("to exchange"). | |||
Kannada | ಮಾರ್ಕೆಟಿಂಗ್ | ||
Malayalam | മാർക്കറ്റിംഗ് | ||
Marathi | विपणन | ||
The word 'विपणन' ('marketing') in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'विपणि' ('marketplace') and originally meant 'a place for trading' or 'a marketplace'. | |||
Nepali | बजार | ||
बजार also refers to Nepali currency and can also mean 'market value', 'fare' or 'premium'. | |||
Punjabi | ਮਾਰਕੀਟਿੰਗ | ||
In addition to its primary meaning, "marketing" can also refer to "marketplace" or "market day" in Punjabi. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අලෙවි | ||
The word "අලෙවි" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अलिव" meaning "sale" or "trade" | |||
Tamil | சந்தைப்படுத்தல் | ||
Telugu | మార్కెటింగ్ | ||
The word "marketing" in Telugu (మార్కెటింగ్) can also refer to a meeting or gathering, similar to a conference or symposium. | |||
Urdu | مارکیٹنگ | ||
The word "marketing" in Urdu comes from the Persian word "maarkat" which means "sale or purchase" |
Chinese (Simplified) | 行销 | ||
行销,即"行之于市",是商业术语,泛指在市场上从事产品或业务的策略和方法。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 行銷 | ||
"行" means traveling while "銷" is to sell. The literal meaning of "行銷" is to travel to sell, which refers to marketing activities. | |||
Japanese | マーケティング | ||
日本では「マーケティング」は「市場開拓」や「販売促進」などの意味でも使われる。 | |||
Korean | 마케팅 | ||
The Korean word 마케팅 is derived from the English word "marketing," but it also holds connotations of public relations and sales promotion. | |||
Mongolian | маркетинг | ||
In Mongolian, 'маркетинг' also refers to the process of buying and selling livestock in the countryside. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | စျေးကွက်ရှာဖွေရေး | ||
Indonesian | pemasaran | ||
In Indonesian, the word "pemasaran" also refers to the process of distributing goods or services to consumers. | |||
Javanese | pemasaran | ||
Pemasaran also means "spread" or "broadcast" in Javanese. | |||
Khmer | ទីផ្សារ | ||
Lao | ການຕະຫຼາດ | ||
The word "ການຕະຫຼາດ" ("marketing") in Lao is derived from the Sanskrit word "kṛta", meaning "done" or "made", and the Lao word "ຫາດ" ("market"), indicating its connection to the activity of selling and trading in the marketplace. | |||
Malay | pemasaran | ||
Pemasaran is derived from the Malay word 'pasar', meaning 'marketplace'. | |||
Thai | การตลาด | ||
The Thai word "การตลาด" derives from the Sanskrit word "maraṇa" meaning "death", reflecting its original usage in the context of warfare and military strategy. | |||
Vietnamese | tiếp thị | ||
The Vietnamese word "tiếp thị" also has the meanings "to contact" or "to introduce". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | marketing | ||
Azerbaijani | marketinq | ||
"Marketinq" is also used in Azerbaijani with the meaning of "sale" and "commercial". | |||
Kazakh | маркетинг | ||
В казахском языке слово “маркетинг” имеет то же значение, что и в русском языке, и не имеет каких-либо дополнительных или альтернативных значений. | |||
Kyrgyz | маркетинг | ||
В английском языке термин «маркетинг» обычно ассоциируется с продажей товаров или услуг, в то время как в кыргызском языке он также может означать «поиск или исследование на рынке». | |||
Tajik | маркетинг | ||
Turkmen | marketing | ||
Uzbek | marketing | ||
"Marketing" is taken from the French "marcher" meaning to walk and can also mean to circulate or to move or be on the market. | |||
Uyghur | marketing | ||
Hawaiian | kālepa | ||
"Kālepa" also means "to adhere" or "to stick". | |||
Maori | tauhokohoko | ||
Tauhokohoko originates from the concept of attracting people to a place of exchange through the display of goods. | |||
Samoan | maketiga | ||
"Maketiga" is borrowed from the English word "marketing." | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pagmemerkado | ||
In Tagalog, the word "pagmemerkado" means "going to the market" and "marketing". |
Aymara | qhatuchaña | ||
Guarani | comercialización rehegua | ||
Esperanto | merkatado | ||
The Esperanto word "merkatado" derives from the Latin word "mercatus", meaning "a market". | |||
Latin | ipsum | ||
"Ipsum" in marketing is a filler text used in design and printing, and is not related to its Latin origin of "itself". |
Greek | εμπορία | ||
The Greek word "εμπορία" originally referred to trade or commerce, and its verb form "εμπορεύομαι" meant "to engage in trade." | |||
Hmong | kev lag luam | ||
The word "kev lag luam" in Hmong can also refer to "business" or "trade." | |||
Kurdish | bazirganî | ||
The word "bazirganî" has an alternate meaning of the science and art of selling, which involves the creation, communication, delivery, and exchange of offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. | |||
Turkish | pazarlama | ||
The Turkish word "pazarlama" also means "to go to the market" or "to do shopping." | |||
Xhosa | ukuthengisa | ||
The word 'ukuthengisa' originally meant 'to hawk' or 'to peddle' goods. | |||
Yiddish | פֿאַרקויף | ||
The Yiddish word "פֿאַרקויף" (marketing) literally means "to sell in advance". | |||
Zulu | ukumaketha | ||
In Nguni languages, "uku-maketha" means "to make known". | |||
Assamese | বিপণন | ||
Aymara | qhatuchaña | ||
Bhojpuri | मार्केटिंग के बारे में बतावल गइल बा | ||
Dhivehi | މާކެޓިންގ އެވެ | ||
Dogri | मार्केटिंग दा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | marketing | ||
Guarani | comercialización rehegua | ||
Ilocano | panaglako | ||
Krio | makɛtmɛnt | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بەبازاڕکردن | ||
Maithili | विपणन | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯔꯀꯦꯇꯤꯡ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | marketing tihchhuah a ni | ||
Oromo | gabaa gabaa irratti | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମାର୍କେଟିଂ | ||
Quechua | qhatuy | ||
Sanskrit | विपणनम् | ||
Tatar | маркетинг | ||
Tigrinya | ዕዳጋ ምግባር | ||
Tsonga | ku xavisiwa | ||