Negotiate in Different Languages
Discover 'Negotiate' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Negotiate: it's a small word with big implications. To negotiate is to engage in a dialogue, to seek a mutually beneficial solution, to bridge gaps and build connections. It's a skill that transcends cultures and languages, and understanding how to negotiate in different languages can open up a world of opportunities.
Negotiation has been a crucial aspect of human interaction since the dawn of time. From ancient trade negotiations to modern-day business deals, the ability to negotiate effectively is a skill that has been honed and refined throughout history. And as our world becomes increasingly interconnected, the importance of being able to negotiate in different languages cannot be overstated.
For example, did you know that in Mandarin, the word for negotiate (谈判) is composed of two characters? The first character, 谈, means
Negotiate
Negotiate in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | onderhandel | ||
| The Afrikaans word "onderhandel" is derived from Middle Dutch "onderhandelen", meaning "intervene". | |||
| Amharic | ድርድር | ||
| Amharic ድርድር also applies to a game of chance involving dice (where the highest roll wins), or to a person who acts as an intermediary. | |||
| Hausa | yi shawarwari | ||
| The word 'yi shawarwari' in Hausa also means 'to discuss' or 'to confer' with someone. | |||
| Igbo | kpakorita | ||
| The word "kpakorita" in Igbo has alternate meanings such as "bargain" and "plead". | |||
| Malagasy | hifampiraharaha | ||
| The word "hifampiraharaha" in Malagasy derives from the root "pira" meaning "to take" and the prefix "hifa" meaning "with", suggesting a reciprocal exchange of something of value in a negotiation. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukambirana | ||
| "Kukambirana" also means "to persuade someone to do something"} | |||
| Shona | taurirana | ||
| The word 'taurirana' is a Shona term used to describe the negotiation process of finding an agreement between two parties. | |||
| Somali | gorgortan | ||
| The word "gorgortan" is derived from the Somali word "gorgor", meaning "to speak" or "to talk". | |||
| Sesotho | buisana | ||
| The etymology of 'buisana' is likely to be related to 'bua,' meaning 'speak' or 'tell,' and 'sa,' which is a causative suffix. | |||
| Swahili | kujadili | ||
| The word 'kujadili' also means 'to argue' in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | thethana | ||
| The term "thethana" (to negotiate) is also employed in the context of "bargaining over the price of goods". | |||
| Yoruba | duna | ||
| The Yoruba word 'duna' also carries meanings such as 'barter', 'trade', and 'exchange'. | |||
| Zulu | xoxisana | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'xoxisana' is an informal variant of 'xoxela', meaning 'to talk to' or 'to converse'. | |||
| Bambara | ka tɛrɛmɛ | ||
| Ewe | ƒo asi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gushyikirana | ||
| Lingala | kokakola | ||
| Luganda | okuteesa | ||
| Sepedi | rerišana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | di ano | ||
Negotiate in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تفاوض | ||
| تفاوض is also used in Arabic to refer to a 'bid' or 'bargain' | |||
| Hebrew | לָשֵׂאת וְלָתֵת | ||
| The Hebrew word "לָשֵׂאת וְלָתֵת" (lasa ve'latet) literally means "to carry and give," referring to the exchange of goods or ideas during negotiations. | |||
| Pashto | خبرې کول | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning as "negotiate," the Pashto word "خبرې کول" can also mean "to talk" or "to communicate." | |||
| Arabic | تفاوض | ||
| تفاوض is also used in Arabic to refer to a 'bid' or 'bargain' | |||
Negotiate in Western European Languages
| Albanian | negocioj | ||
| The word "negocioj" can also mean "business" or "trade" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | negoziatu | ||
| The term "negoziatu" originates from the Latin term "negotiatus," meaning business dealing or transaction. | |||
| Catalan | negociar | ||
| The Catalan word 'negociar' means 'negotiate' but also 'deny' or 'refuse' | |||
| Croatian | pregovarati | ||
| The Croatian word "pregovarati" also has the meaning of "intercede" and "make a request". | |||
| Danish | forhandle | ||
| "Forhandle" is also used in Danish to refer to the handlebars of a bicycle. | |||
| Dutch | onderhandelen | ||
| In the Netherlands, "onderhandelen" can also refer to a type of horse-trading or bargaining. | |||
| English | negotiate | ||
| The word 'negotiate' comes from the Latin 'negotiari' which means 'to trade' and can also refer to the process of finding a compromise or agreement. | |||
| French | négocier | ||
| In French, "négocier" can also mean "to trade" or "to deal in". | |||
| Frisian | ûnderhannelje | ||
| The Frisian word 'ûnderhannelje' is related to the Dutch 'onderhandelen' ('negotiate') and has a root meaning of 'deal underhandedly'. | |||
| Galician | negociar | ||
| In Galician, "negociar" can also mean "to trade" or "to bargain". | |||
| German | verhandeln | ||
| "Verhandeln" can also mean to trade, sell, or dispose of property. | |||
| Icelandic | semja | ||
| Semja is cognate to the English word 'seemly' and originally meant 'to show respect' or 'to act politely'. | |||
| Irish | idirbheartaíocht a dhéanamh | ||
| Italian | negoziare | ||
| The Italian word "negoziare" derives from the Latin "negotium," meaning "business" or "affair," and can also mean "to trade" or "to deal with. | |||
| Luxembourgish | verhandelen | ||
| Maltese | tinnegozja | ||
| The word "tinnegozja" in Maltese likely derives from the Sicilian word "nijuzziare", meaning "to chat" or "to gossip". | |||
| Norwegian | forhandle | ||
| "Forhandle" comes from the old Norse words "for" (before) and "hand" which meant to touch with the hand, to feel. Thus the original word "forhandle" meant to examine something by touch. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | negociar | ||
| "Negociar" also used to mean "deny" in old Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | co-rèiteachadh | ||
| The Gaelic word "co-rèiteachadh" not only means "negotiate", but also "to talk in a lively and friendly way". | |||
| Spanish | negociar | ||
| In Spanish, "negociar" also means to trade or do business. | |||
| Swedish | förhandla | ||
| "Förhandla" (negotiate) is derived from the Old Norse word "forhandel" meaning "to bargain" or "to compromise." | |||
| Welsh | trafod | ||
| The word "trafod" in Welsh can also mean "to consider" or "to discuss." | |||
Negotiate in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дамаўляцца | ||
| The word "дамаўляцца" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *domъlъviti, meaning "to agree" or "to make a deal." | |||
| Bosnian | pregovarati | ||
| The word "pregovarati" in Bosnian was borrowed from the French word "préjuger" meaning "to presume" or "to prejudge". | |||
| Bulgarian | преговарям | ||
| "Преговарям" in Bulgarian can also mean "to chat informally" or "to make an arrangement." | |||
| Czech | vyjednávat | ||
| The Czech word "vyjednávat" also has the meanings "to argue" and "to talk one's way out of something". | |||
| Estonian | pidama läbirääkimisi | ||
| The idiom pidama läbirääkimisi, meaning to negotiate, originated in the early 19th century from the nautical term pidama (to hold), meaning that ships should slow down and take precautions when passing close to each other. | |||
| Finnish | neuvotella | ||
| In Finnish, "neuvotella" also means "to discuss" or "to counsel". | |||
| Hungarian | tárgyalni | ||
| The word "tárgyalni" also means "to discuss" or "to debate". | |||
| Latvian | vienoties | ||
| Vienoties comes from the verb vienot, meaning to unite, and the suffix -ties, which indicates a process or action, so it literally means to come together or unite in order to reach an agreement. | |||
| Lithuanian | derėtis | ||
| "Derėtis" comes from "dera", which means "proper" or "rightful", and refers to reaching a mutually agreed-upon arrangement. | |||
| Macedonian | преговара | ||
| The verb 'преговара' in Macedonian is derived from the Slavic word 'govoriti', meaning 'to speak', and also has the alternate meaning of 'conversation'. | |||
| Polish | negocjować | ||
| The word "negocjować" is derived from the Latin word "negōtiārī", meaning "to carry on business" or "to trade". | |||
| Romanian | a negocia | ||
| In Romanian, "a negocia" can also mean to "engage in trade" or "to make a deal." | |||
| Russian | вести переговоры | ||
| The Russian word вести переговоры, meaning "negotiate," originally referred to transporting goods and livestock by ship. | |||
| Serbian | преговарати | ||
| The verb 'преговарати' is derived from the root 'говор', which means 'speak', and originally meant 'to talk through something'. | |||
| Slovak | vyjednávať | ||
| "Vyjednávať" means "to negotiate," but it can also mean "to haggle" or "to bargain" | |||
| Slovenian | pogajati se | ||
| The word "pogajati se" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*pogačati", meaning "to buy" or "to trade". | |||
| Ukrainian | домовлятися | ||
| "Домовлятися" in Ukrainian literally means "to make an agreement at home" and has connotations of compromise and consensus. | |||
Negotiate in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আলোচনা করা | ||
| আলোচনা করা also means 'confer' and 'consult'. | |||
| Gujarati | વાટાઘાટો | ||
| The word 'વાટાઘાટો' has its roots in the Sanskrit word 'patra', meaning 'a leaf' or 'letter', and 'ghat', meaning 'to strike' or 'to beat'. This is because in ancient times, negotiations were often conducted through the exchange of written letters or documents. | |||
| Hindi | खरीद फरोख्त | ||
| The word "खरीद फरोख्त" is also used to refer to transactions or exchange of goods or services. | |||
| Kannada | ಮಾತುಕತೆ | ||
| Malayalam | ചർച്ച | ||
| The Malayalam word "ചര്ച്ച" has a Sanskrit root meaning discussion, but also can mean "to consider," "to examine," or "to debate" | |||
| Marathi | वाटाघाटी | ||
| The word वाटाघाटी is derived from 'वाट' meaning 'path' and 'घाटी' meaning 'valley' and together implies finding a common path or reaching a middle ground during negotiations. | |||
| Nepali | कुराकानी | ||
| The word 'कुराकानी' can also refer to a casual conversation, implying a more informal negotiation process. | |||
| Punjabi | ਗੱਲਬਾਤ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සාකච්ඡා කරන්න | ||
| The word "negotiate" derives from the Latin word "negōtiārī", meaning "to do business". | |||
| Tamil | சொல்லாடல் | ||
| The word "சொல்லாடல்" derives from the root word "சொல்" (word), and can also refer to the act of speaking or communicating. | |||
| Telugu | చర్చలు | ||
| The word "charchaalu" in Telugu, meaning "negotiate," is derived from the Sanskrit word "charcha," which means "discussion" or "discourse." | |||
| Urdu | گفت و شنید | ||
Negotiate in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 谈判 | ||
| 谈判 originally meant 'to talk while walking', with 谈 'talk' and 判 'go to court' or 'judge' | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 談判 | ||
| 談判 originated from a combination of "語言" and "辦", meaning 'handling using words'. | |||
| Japanese | 交渉する | ||
| 交渉する (交渉する) is derived from the Chinese word 交渉 (jiāoshè), meaning "to communicate" or "to exchange ideas." | |||
| Korean | 협상하다 | ||
| The word "협상하다" (negotiate) in Korean is derived from the Chinese characters "協商". The first character, "協", means "together" or "mutual", while the second character, "商", means "discussion" or "trade". | |||
| Mongolian | хэлэлцээр хийх | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ညှိနှိုင်းသည် | ||
Negotiate in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | negosiasi | ||
| Negosiasi comes from the Latin word "negare" meaning "to deny" and "otium" meaning "leisure time". | |||
| Javanese | rembugan | ||
| In Javanese, the word 'rembugan' can also refer to the process of mutual consultation and consensus-building among individuals or groups. | |||
| Khmer | ចរចា | ||
| In Khmer, ចរចា (charcha) derives from Sanskrit where it originally meant 'to go', 'to go around', 'to move about', and hence 'to consult'. | |||
| Lao | ເຈລະຈາ | ||
| Malay | berunding | ||
| The word "berunding" is originated from the word "runding" which means round and circle, representing the idea of going around in circles to reach a consensus. | |||
| Thai | ต่อรองจัดการ | ||
| "ต่อรองจัดการ" (negotiate) derives from "ต่อ" (to extend) and "รอง" (to support), implying extending support or finding a compromise. | |||
| Vietnamese | đàm phán | ||
| The word "đàm phán" is derived from Chinese and can also mean "talk," "discuss," or "converse." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makipag-ayos | ||
Negotiate in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | danışıqlar aparmaq | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "danışıqlar aparmaq" is derived from the Persian word "danestan," meaning "knowledge" and "parmak," meaning "finger." | |||
| Kazakh | келіссөздер жүргізу | ||
| Kyrgyz | сүйлөшүү | ||
| Tajik | гуфтушунид кардан | ||
| "Гуфтушунид кардан" in Tajik also means to hold talks, to confer, to parley, to commune, to confabulate, to palaver, to rap, to confab, to confab, and to jaw. | |||
| Turkmen | gepleşik geçirmek | ||
| Uzbek | muzokara olib borish | ||
| The Uzbek word "muzokara olib borish" comes from the Persian word "muzākara", meaning "conversation". It also has the alternate meaning of "consultation" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | سۆھبەت | ||
Negotiate in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūkā kamaʻilio | ||
| The term "kūkā kamaʻilio" can also signify "to converse" or "to hold council". | |||
| Maori | whakawhitiwhiti | ||
| Whakawhitiwhiti also means 'to go around', 'to come together', and 'to turn' | |||
| Samoan | feutanaʻi | ||
| Feutanaʻi is derived from the words feʻu (to tie, to bind) and tana (to agree). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | makipag-ayos | ||
| The Tagalog word "makipag-ayos" also means "to fix" or "to make something whole again". | |||
Negotiate in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | alakipaña | ||
| Guarani | ñemoñe'ẽpeteĩ | ||
Negotiate in International Languages
| Esperanto | negoci | ||
| "Negoci" is also the imperative form of the verb "negoci", meaning "to trade" or "to sell". | |||
| Latin | tractastis | ||
| The word "tractastis" originates from the Latin verb "tracto", meaning "to handle, deal with, or manage". | |||
Negotiate in Others Languages
| Greek | διαπραγματεύομαι | ||
| It originates in Late Latin from "negotiatus", a "businessman, merchant" and ultimately from the Latin verb "nēgōtiāri" (to do business). | |||
| Hmong | sib hais | ||
| The word "sib hais" in Hmong can also mean "to talk things out" or "to have a discussion". | |||
| Kurdish | dozkirin | ||
| 'Dozkirin' is the Kurdish word for negotiation. It also means 'mediation' and 'intercession' in Turkish. | |||
| Turkish | müzakere etmek | ||
| The word “müzakere etmek” is originally derived from the Arabic root “mzakarah” which signifies “to mention something for the purpose of remembrance.” | |||
| Xhosa | thethana | ||
| The term "thethana" (to negotiate) is also employed in the context of "bargaining over the price of goods". | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרהאַנדלען | ||
| The Yiddish word | |||
| Zulu | xoxisana | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'xoxisana' is an informal variant of 'xoxela', meaning 'to talk to' or 'to converse'. | |||
| Assamese | মীমাংসা কৰা | ||
| Aymara | alakipaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | मोल-भाव कईल | ||
| Dhivehi | ނެގޯޝިއޭޓް | ||
| Dogri | गल्ल-बात करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makipag-ayos | ||
| Guarani | ñemoñe'ẽpeteĩ | ||
| Ilocano | makitulag | ||
| Krio | tɔk prays | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دانووستان کردن | ||
| Maithili | मोल - भाव | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯔꯤ ꯁꯟꯗꯥꯏꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | indawn | ||
| Oromo | waliigaluu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବୁ ate ାମଣା କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | qatuna | ||
| Sanskrit | परक्रामणं | ||
| Tatar | сөйләшүләр | ||
| Tigrinya | ምስምዕማዕ | ||
| Tsonga | kanerisana | ||