Media in Different Languages
Discover 'Media' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Media, a term we often hear in our daily lives, has a significant impact on our cultural understanding and communication. It refers to various means of communication that reach and influence people widely. From newspapers and radio to television, social media, and films, media plays a crucial role in shaping our perspectives and knowledge about the world.
Historically, media has evolved from simple word-of-mouth communication to complex digital platforms, allowing people to connect and share ideas across borders. Its significance in society is undeniable, as it bridges gaps between cultures, disseminates information, and entertains audiences worldwide.
Understanding the translation of media in different languages is essential for anyone looking to expand their cultural knowledge or conduct business internationally. Here are a few sample translations to pique your interest:
- German: Medien
- Spanish: Medios de comunicación
- French: Médias
- Mandarin: 媒体 (MiDIA)
- Japanese: メディア (Media)
Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of media translations in various languages, providing you with a broader understanding of this significant cultural concept.
Media
Media in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | media | ||
| The Afrikaans word "media" can also refer to a specific type of spiritual medium or psychic. | |||
| Amharic | ሚዲያ | ||
| The Amharic word ሚዲያ has alternate meanings which can be translated to English as "means, agency" and "medium, way, method". | |||
| Hausa | kafofin watsa labarai | ||
| The word "kafofin watsa labarai" (media) literally translates to "means of distributing news" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | mgbasa ozi | ||
| "Mgba ozi" is a composite word in Igbo, meaning "to share information." | |||
| Malagasy | haino aman-jery | ||
| The word "haino aman-jery" in Malagasy can also mean "information" or "news". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tv | ||
| In the Nyanja language, "TV" also signifies "television set." | |||
| Shona | mhizha | ||
| The word "mhizha" in Shona also means "a vessel for carrying liquids". | |||
| Somali | warbaahinta | ||
| Warbaahinta is derived from the Arabic word 'waraaqah', meaning 'paper', highlighting the traditional association of media with print journalism. | |||
| Sesotho | bophatlalatsi | ||
| The word "bophatlalatsi" in Sesotho has its origins in the word "bophaha" which means "to blow" and "mohlalatsi" which means "news". | |||
| Swahili | vyombo vya habari | ||
| The word "vyombo vya habari" means "containers of news" in Swahili, with "vyombo" meaning "containers" and "habari" meaning "news" | |||
| Xhosa | eendaba | ||
| The etymology of the Xhosa word "eendaba" is unclear, but it may be related to the Zulu word "indaba" which means "news, matter, affair". | |||
| Yoruba | media | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "media" can also mean "children" or "relatives". | |||
| Zulu | abezindaba | ||
| The word "abezindaba" is derived from the Zulu words "aba" (people) and "izindaba" (news), emphasizing the role of media in informing and connecting people. | |||
| Bambara | kunnafonidilaw | ||
| Ewe | nyadzɔdzɔgblɔmɔnuwo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | itangazamakuru | ||
| Lingala | bapanzi-nsango | ||
| Luganda | emikutu gy’amawulire | ||
| Sepedi | boraditaba | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nsɛm ho amanneɛbɔfo | ||
Media in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | وسائل الإعلام | ||
| The Arabic word "وسائل الإعلام" can also refer to "the means of production" or "the means of communication" | |||
| Hebrew | כְּלֵי תִקְשׁוֹרֶת | ||
| כְּלֵי תִקְשׁוֹרֶת, literally means "communication vessels," and this meaning is still used in Biblical and rabbinic Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | رسنۍ | ||
| The word "رسنۍ" (media) in Pashto is derived from the Arabic word "رسالة" (message), and also refers to communication channels or ropes used for communication. | |||
| Arabic | وسائل الإعلام | ||
| The Arabic word "وسائل الإعلام" can also refer to "the means of production" or "the means of communication" | |||
Media in Western European Languages
| Albanian | media | ||
| Basque | komunikabideak | ||
| The Basque word “komunikabideak” (“media”) comes from the Latin word “communicare” (“to share”). | |||
| Catalan | mitjans de comunicació | ||
| The Catalan term 'mitjans de comunicació' (media) comes from the Latin 'medium', meaning 'between' or 'middle', indicating its role as an intermediary between the sender and receiver of information. | |||
| Croatian | mediji | ||
| The word 'mediji' in Croatian also refers to 'medicine' and is related to the Latin word 'medicus', meaning 'physician'. | |||
| Danish | medier | ||
| The Danish word “medier” is related to the word “middel”, which can mean “way, channel” or “middle ground” and was first used to refer to means of communication and information in the 1800s. | |||
| Dutch | media | ||
| In Dutch, "media" also refers to a type of storage medium, such as a CD or DVD. | |||
| English | media | ||
| The word "media" (singular: "medium") comes from the Latin word "medium," meaning "middle" or "intermediary." | |||
| French | médias | ||
| The word "médias" can refer to both singular and plural forms of "media" in French. | |||
| Frisian | media | ||
| In Frisian, "media" can also mean "meadow" or "pasture". | |||
| Galician | medios de comunicación | ||
| The Galician word "medios de comunicación" also means "means of transportation". | |||
| German | medien | ||
| The German word "Medien" also refers to | |||
| Icelandic | fjölmiðlum | ||
| The word "fjölmiðlum" in Icelandic can also refer to the individual mass media, such as newspapers, television, or radio. | |||
| Irish | meáin | ||
| Italian | media | ||
| In Italian, "media" can also refer to the act of mediation or intercession. | |||
| Luxembourgish | medien | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Medien" (plural of "Medium") can also refer to people with psychic abilities. | |||
| Maltese | midja | ||
| The word "midja" in Maltese originates from the Arabic word "wāsiṭ" (وسيط), meaning "intermediary" or "channel". | |||
| Norwegian | media | ||
| The Norwegian word "media" comes from the Latin plural "medium", in the sense of "means". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | meios de comunicação | ||
| In Portuguese, 'meios de comunicação' not only refers to media outlets but also means 'means of communication'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | meadhanan | ||
| The word meadhanan in Scots Gaelic also means 'means' or 'opportunity'. | |||
| Spanish | medios de comunicación | ||
| The term "medios de comunicación" can also refer to the means or resources used to transmit information or communicate with others. | |||
| Swedish | media | ||
| Media is also used to refer to the middle, the average, or the medium in Swedish, in addition to the usual reference to news and entertainment outlets. | |||
| Welsh | cyfryngau | ||
| The Welsh word "cyfryngau" is derived from the word "cyfrwng" meaning "medium" and its plural "cyfryngau" refers to multiple means of communication. | |||
Media in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | смі | ||
| СМІ is the plural form of the Belarusian word смех ("smeh") meaning "laugh". | |||
| Bosnian | mediji | ||
| Bosnian word 'mediji' originated from medieval Latin and means 'physician' | |||
| Bulgarian | медии | ||
| The word "медии" in Bulgarian also has the archaic meaning of "mediums" in the spiritual sense, referring to individuals with supposed abilities to communicate with the dead or other supernatural beings. | |||
| Czech | média | ||
| The Czech word "média" can also refer to a person who mediates or a place where mediation takes place. | |||
| Estonian | meedia | ||
| In Estonian, "meedia" can also refer to the mass media as a whole, or to specific types of media such as newspapers, television, or radio. | |||
| Finnish | media | ||
| The word 'media' can also refer to a middleman or mediator in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | média | ||
| In Hungarian, "média" can also refer to a medium-sized city, a person or a thing of average abilities or size. | |||
| Latvian | plašsaziņas līdzekļi | ||
| The Latvian word “plašsaziņas līdzekļi” literally translates to 'wide-scale communication means' | |||
| Lithuanian | žiniasklaida | ||
| The word "žiniasklaida" is derived from the Latin word "medium" and the Lithuanian word "sklaida" meaning "dissemination". | |||
| Macedonian | медиуми | ||
| The word "медиуми" can also refer to psychics or people who claim to have the ability to communicate with the dead. | |||
| Polish | głoska bezdźwięczna | ||
| "głoska bezdźwięczna" is a Polish word for "voiceless consonant". | |||
| Romanian | mass-media | ||
| In Romanian, the word "mass-media" is often used in a broader sense to refer to all forms of communication, including interpersonal communication. | |||
| Russian | средства массовой информации | ||
| "Средства массовой информации" (media) is derived from "масса" (mass) and "информация" (information). | |||
| Serbian | медија | ||
| The word "медија" is the plural form of "медиј" ("medium") and can refer to the various means of communication. | |||
| Slovak | médiá | ||
| The Slovak word "médiá" also means "mediums" in the spiritualistic sense. | |||
| Slovenian | medijev | ||
| Although derived from the English word “media”, medijev also has the colloquial meaning of “news” in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | змі | ||
| The word "ЗМІ" (media) in Ukrainian can also be interpreted as "means of mass information" or "methods of mass information." | |||
Media in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মিডিয়া | ||
| The word "মিডিয়া" (media) in Bengali can also refer to a woman who acts as an intermediary between two parties, or to a medicine that is applied to the skin. | |||
| Gujarati | મીડિયા | ||
| The word 'મીડિયા' ('media') is derived from the Latin word 'medium', which means 'an intervening substance' or 'a means of communication'. In Gujarati, the word is used to refer to various forms of mass communication, such as newspapers, radio, television, and the internet. | |||
| Hindi | मीडिया | ||
| The word 'मीडिया' (media) in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'मध्यम' (madhyam), meaning 'middle'. | |||
| Kannada | ಮಾಧ್ಯಮ | ||
| In 1960s, ಮಾಧ್ಯಮ (mādhayama) was primarily used to denote 'newspapers', whereas now it predominantly means 'radio, television, and internet'. | |||
| Malayalam | മീഡിയ | ||
| The word "മീഡിയ" ("media" in English) also means "middle" or "means" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | मीडिया | ||
| The word "मीडिया" in Marathi can also refer to a type of drum used in traditional music. | |||
| Nepali | मिडिया | ||
| In ancient Latin, 'media' referred to a middle entity, something that comes in between, and was used in a neutral sense. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੀਡੀਆ | ||
| ਮੀਡੀਆ (media) means 'intermediary' and comes from the Latin word 'medius' which means 'middle'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මාධ්ය | ||
| The Sinhala word "මාධ්ය" can also mean "middle" or "medium". | |||
| Tamil | மீடியா | ||
| The word "மீடியா" (media) comes from the Latin word "medium", meaning "a means of communication". | |||
| Telugu | మీడియా | ||
| Urdu | میڈیا | ||
| In Urdu, "میڈیا" (media) also refers to the middle ground or mediator in a dispute. | |||
Media in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 媒体 | ||
| 除了「媒體」外，媒體還有「中介」或「渠道」的意思 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 媒體 | ||
| 媒體（Méiti）源自拉丁文「媒介」（Medius），意指「在兩個事物之間」。」} | |||
| Japanese | メディア | ||
| The word "メディア" (media) also has the meaning of "middle" or "medium" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 미디어 | ||
| The Korean word "미디어" can also refer to "intermediary" or "mediator" in Chinese characters. | |||
| Mongolian | хэвлэл мэдээллийн хэрэгсэл | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မီဒီယာ | ||
Media in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | media | ||
| "Media" in Indonesian can refer to a middleman or intermediary, as well as a means or method. | |||
| Javanese | media | ||
| In Javanese, "media" can also mean "water" or "liquid" | |||
| Khmer | ប្រព័ន្ធផ្សព្វផ្សាយ | ||
| In English, "media" originally meant "middle", and in this sense, it is the plural of "medium". | |||
| Lao | ສື່ມວນຊົນ | ||
| Malay | media | ||
| In Malay, the word "media" refers specifically to the print and broadcast news media. | |||
| Thai | สื่อ | ||
| The Thai word "สื่อ" can also mean "middleman" or "means of communication." | |||
| Vietnamese | phương tiện truyền thông | ||
| The Vietnamese word "phương tiện truyền thông" can be literally translated as "way to spread information". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | media | ||
Media in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | media | ||
| In Azerbaijani, the word "media" can also refer to "the middle" or "the center". | |||
| Kazakh | бұқаралық ақпарат құралдары | ||
| Kyrgyz | медиа | ||
| "Медиа" is the plural form of the word "медио" (medium), which can refer to a person or thing that is in the middle of a range or series. | |||
| Tajik | вао | ||
| The word "ВАО" in Tajik can also mean "means, way, opportunity" or "news, information". | |||
| Turkmen | metbugat | ||
| Uzbek | ommaviy axborot vositalari | ||
| The word "ommaviy axborot vositalari" is derived from the Arabic word "ommah," meaning "community," and is used to refer to any form of mass communication that reaches a large audience. | |||
| Uyghur | media | ||
Media in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pāpāho | ||
| The word pāpāho can also mean 'board', 'panel', 'newspaper', 'magazine', 'platform', 'stage', 'pulpit', 'screen', or 'billboard'. | |||
| Maori | pāpāho | ||
| Pāpāho's original meaning is 'mouth' or 'speech' and has evolved to refer to a variety of communication methods, particularly those used in a journalistic sense. | |||
| Samoan | ala o faasalalauga | ||
| Ala o faasalalauga is composed of "ala," a pathway for information, and "faasalalauga," the process of making something known throughout a group. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | media | ||
| Aside from "media," in Tagalog, the word "midya" refers to a "medium", either a go-between or an intermediary. | |||
Media in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | medios de comunicación ukanaka | ||
| Guarani | medios de comunicación rehegua | ||
Media in International Languages
| Esperanto | amaskomunikiloj | ||
| The word "amaskomunikiloj" is a compound of the words "amaso" (mass) and "komuniki" (to communicate), meaning "mass communication". | |||
| Latin | media | ||
| In Latin, "media" also refers to an average or middle value. | |||
Media in Others Languages
| Greek | μεσο μαζικης ενημερωσης | ||
| Μεσο ΜΑΖΙΚΗΣ ΕΝΗΜΕΡΩΣΗΣ is a compound word that can mean either "mass media" or "the media." | |||
| Hmong | tawm | ||
| In the Hmong language, the word "tawm" also refers to "news", "information", and "speech." | |||
| Kurdish | medya | ||
| The word "medya" in Kurdish derives from the Persian "madeh" and is also used to describe a person who praises or eulogizes others. | |||
| Turkish | medya | ||
| The Turkish word "medya" also means "fabric" or "cloth" and derives from the Arabic word "middaa". | |||
| Xhosa | eendaba | ||
| The etymology of the Xhosa word "eendaba" is unclear, but it may be related to the Zulu word "indaba" which means "news, matter, affair". | |||
| Yiddish | מעדיע | ||
| In Yiddish, "מעדיע" can also refer to a newspaper or publication. | |||
| Zulu | abezindaba | ||
| The word "abezindaba" is derived from the Zulu words "aba" (people) and "izindaba" (news), emphasizing the role of media in informing and connecting people. | |||
| Assamese | মিডিয়া | ||
| Aymara | medios de comunicación ukanaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | मीडिया के ह | ||
| Dhivehi | މީޑިއާ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | मीडिया | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | media | ||
| Guarani | medios de comunicación rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | media | ||
| Krio | midia | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاگەیاندن | ||
| Maithili | मीडिया | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯤꯗꯤꯌꯥꯗꯥ ꯑꯦꯟ.ꯗꯤ.ꯑꯦ | ||
| Mizo | media a ni | ||
| Oromo | miidiyaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମିଡିଆ | | ||
| Quechua | medios de comunicación nisqakuna | ||
| Sanskrit | मीडिया | ||
| Tatar | массакүләм мәгълүмат чаралары | ||
| Tigrinya | ሚድያታት | ||
| Tsonga | vuhangalasi bya mahungu | ||