Operate in Different Languages
Discover 'Operate' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'operate' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting the action of managing, controlling, or functioning in a systematic manner. Its cultural importance is evident in various fields, from medicine, where a surgeon operates on a patient, to aviation, where a pilot operates an aircraft. The term also extends to the world of technology, where we speak of operating systems and devices.
Given its wide applicability, one might be interested in knowing the translation of 'operate' in different languages. For instance, in Spanish, 'operate' translates to 'operar', while in French, it becomes 'faire fonctionner'. In German, the term is 'betreiben', and in Japanese, it is '操作する' (sōsa suru).
Delving into the translations of 'operate' offers a fascinating glimpse into the linguistic and cultural diversity of various nations. It is a journey that not only broadens our horizons but also enhances our communication skills in an increasingly globalized world.
Operate
Operate in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | bedryf | ||
| The Afrikaans word "bedryf" derives from the Dutch word "bedrijf", meaning "trade" or "business". | |||
| Amharic | መሥራት | ||
| The word "መሥራት" (mäsärät) in Amharic can also mean "to work" or "to function". | |||
| Hausa | yi aiki | ||
| The word "yi aiki" in Hausa can also mean "to do work" or "to undertake a task." | |||
| Igbo | rụọ ọrụ | ||
| The word "rụọ ọrụ" is also used to mean "to work", "to do", or "to perform a task". | |||
| Malagasy | hiasa | ||
| The Malagasy word "hiasa" is used in the context of medicine to describe an external application or procedure rather than surgical intervention | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | gwirani ntchito | ||
| In Nyanja, the word "gwirani ntchito" is also used in the context of starting or running a business or organization. | |||
| Shona | kushanda | ||
| The word "kushanda" can also mean "to work" or "to perform an action." | |||
| Somali | shaqeeyaan | ||
| The etymology of "shaqeeyaan" is uncertain, but one theory is that it is derived from "shaqo," meaning "work" in the broader sense of "task, business, occupation". | |||
| Sesotho | sebetsa | ||
| The word "sebetsa" in Sesotho can also mean "to work" or "to do". | |||
| Swahili | fanya kazi | ||
| The word "fanya kazi" can also mean "to work" or "to do something". | |||
| Xhosa | sebenza | ||
| The word "sebenza" also means "to work" or "to do something"} | |||
| Yoruba | ṣiṣẹ | ||
| In its extended sense, "ṣiṣẹ" means "working" or "doing" and it shares an etymological root with "ṣiṣe," meaning "play" or "recreation." | |||
| Zulu | sebenza | ||
| The word "sebenza" is also used in isiZulu to refer to work, employment, or occupation. | |||
| Bambara | opereli kɛ | ||
| Ewe | wɔa dɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gukora | ||
| Lingala | kosala mosala | ||
| Luganda | okukola | ||
| Sepedi | sebetsa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yɛ adwuma | ||
Operate in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | العمل | ||
| The word "العمل" also refers to labor or a task performed as duty or job | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַפְעִיל | ||
| The root "פעל" commonly occurs with the connotation of working and exerting effort. The word "להפעיל" hence has been expanded also to the sense of activating and starting a system or mechanism. | |||
| Pashto | چلول | ||
| In Pashto, the word “چلول” or “Calawul” also has the alternate meaning of “to control or to administer.” | |||
| Arabic | العمل | ||
| The word "العمل" also refers to labor or a task performed as duty or job | |||
Operate in Western European Languages
| Albanian | veproj | ||
| The word "veproj" in Albanian has a Slavic origin and is used in various languages of the region with the meaning of "operate" or "work". | |||
| Basque | funtzionatu | ||
| Funtzionatu, coming from Latin "functio, -onis," also means "performance of a duty or task" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | funcionar | ||
| The verb "funcionar" in Catalan also means "to work properly" or "to fulfill a function". | |||
| Croatian | operirati | ||
| The word "operirati" in Croatian also means "to administer" or "to manage". | |||
| Danish | operere | ||
| The Danish word for "operate" comes from the Latin word "operare," meaning "to work." | |||
| Dutch | bedienen | ||
| The word "bedienen" can also refer to "serving" in Dutch. | |||
| English | operate | ||
| The word 'operate' derives from the Latin 'operari', meaning 'to work' or 'to perform'. | |||
| French | fonctionner | ||
| In French, "fonctionner" also means to work, run, or perform. | |||
| Frisian | operearje | ||
| The Frisian word "operearje" also means "to act" or "to work". | |||
| Galician | operar | ||
| In Galician, "operar" also means "to give birth, to labor". | |||
| German | arbeiten | ||
| The German word "arbeiten" can also mean "to work" or "to labor". | |||
| Icelandic | starfa | ||
| "Starfa" is cognate with the English verb "to starve" and originally meant "to die of hunger" in Icelandic, but its meaning later shifted to "to perform a task" or "to operate". | |||
| Irish | oibriú | ||
| The Irish word 'oibriú' also means 'to work', or 'to labour'. | |||
| Italian | operare | ||
| In Italian, the word "operare" can also mean "to work" or "to produce" something. | |||
| Luxembourgish | bedreiwen | ||
| The word "bedreiwen" in Luxembourgish derives from the Middle High German "bedrīben" ("to carry out") and can also mean "to manage" or "to carry out a business". | |||
| Maltese | joperaw | ||
| The word "joperaw" in Maltese derives from the Italian "operare", meaning "to work" or "to act". | |||
| Norwegian | operere | ||
| The word "operere" in Norwegian is derived from the Latin verb "operari," meaning "to work" or "to perform a task." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | operar | ||
| Portuguese 'operar' (operate) ultimately derives from Latin 'opus' (work), and also has the alternate meaning of 'work'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | obrachadh | ||
| The Gaelic word 'obrachadh' is derived from the Old Irish word 'obraic', meaning 'work', and can also refer to the process of making something work or function properly. | |||
| Spanish | funcionar | ||
| The Spanish verb 'funcionar' can also refer to working properly, carrying out a function as expected. | |||
| Swedish | fungera | ||
| The word "fungera" in Swedish can also mean "to work" or "to function". | |||
| Welsh | gweithredu | ||
| The Welsh word "gweithredu" can also mean "to work" or "to act". | |||
Operate in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзейнічаць | ||
| The word "дзейнічаць" can also mean "to take action", "to function", or "to work" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | operirati | ||
| The word 'operirati' comes from Latin 'operare', meaning to 'work' and is related to 'opera', which means 'work' or 'activity'. | |||
| Bulgarian | работят | ||
| The word "работят" (operate) has an alternate meaning of "work" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | fungovat | ||
| The verb "fungovat" also has the meaning of "to work" or "to function" in the context of machines or systems. | |||
| Estonian | tegutsema | ||
| The verb "tegutsema" can also mean "to act" or "to perform" an action. | |||
| Finnish | käyttää | ||
| The word "käyttää" can also mean "to use", which stems from the original usage of the word that described the operation of a mill. | |||
| Hungarian | működtet | ||
| The word 'működtet' also means 'to work' or 'to operate a machine' but it is only used transitively. | |||
| Latvian | darboties | ||
| In Latvian, "darboties" can also mean "to perform, act, play" or "to function, be active". | |||
| Lithuanian | veikti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "veikti" can also refer to an action or a task. | |||
| Macedonian | работат | ||
| The word 'работат' (operate) in Macedonian also means 'work' in Bulgarian, and 'function' or 'run' in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Polish | obsługiwać | ||
| The verb "obsługiwać" also means "to service" (machines, customers, etc.), and is derived from the noun "obsługa" (attendant, technical service). | |||
| Romanian | a functiona | ||
| The word "a funcționa" shares its root with the Romanian word "funcție," meaning "function." | |||
| Russian | работать | ||
| The verb "работать" (operate) derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "рабъ" (slave), reflecting the fact that in the past, most manual labor was performed by serfs or slaves. | |||
| Serbian | оперишу | ||
| The Serbian verb "оперишу" is derived from the Latin "operari", meaning "to work" or "to perform a task." | |||
| Slovak | pracovať | ||
| The word "pracovať" in Slovak also has the alternate meaning of "to work". | |||
| Slovenian | delujejo | ||
| The Slovenian word 'delujejo' can also refer to the act of playing a musical instrument. | |||
| Ukrainian | експлуатувати | ||
| Експлуатувати also means to use something in a way that does not take into account the needs of the people involved. | |||
Operate in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পরিচালনা | ||
| The term 'পরিচালনা' also denotes the act of managing, conducting or directing something | |||
| Gujarati | કામ | ||
| The Gujarati word "કામ" (pronounced "kaam") also means "work" and "action". | |||
| Hindi | संचालित | ||
| संचालित also means "to execute a task or plan" and comes from the Sanskrit root "cal" meaning "to move". | |||
| Kannada | ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸಿ | ||
| Malayalam | പ്രവർത്തിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | चालवा | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "operate," "चालवा" can be metaphorically used in Marathi to mean "manage" or "run" something. | |||
| Nepali | सञ्चालन | ||
| The word "सञ्चालन" ultimately derives from the Sanskrit "चल" (cala), meaning "to move, go, or run". | |||
| Punjabi | ਚਲਾਓ | ||
| The word 'ਚਲਾਓ' in Punjabi can also refer to the act of driving a vehicle. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ක්රියාත්මක වන්න | ||
| Tamil | செயல்பட | ||
| The Tamil word "செயல்பட" derives from the root word "செயல்" (action), implying an active state of doing or accomplishing. | |||
| Telugu | ఆపరేట్ | ||
| The word "ఆపరేట్" (operate) in Telugu can also refer to managing or controlling something. | |||
| Urdu | کام | ||
| The Urdu word "کام" (operate) also refers to "work", "job", "business", and "function". | |||
Operate in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 操作 | ||
| "操作" (cāozuò) also means 'manipulate' in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 操作 | ||
| Chinese characters 操作 mean “manipulate”, “control”, “do”, “act”, “handle”, or “manage” | |||
| Japanese | 操作する | ||
| Although the word "操作する" commonly means "operate," it can also mean "to manipulate" or "to control." | |||
| Korean | 작동하다 | ||
| The verb "작동하다" can also mean "to function" or "to work". | |||
| Mongolian | ажиллуулах | ||
| English cognate: "active" (from Latin "agere" - "to do") | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လည်ပတ် | ||
Operate in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | beroperasi | ||
| The word "beroperasi" in Indonesian also means "to function" or "to work". | |||
| Javanese | ngoperasikake | ||
| The etymology of the Javanese word "ngoperasikake" may be related to Sanskrit words meaning "use" and "make". | |||
| Khmer | ប្រតិបត្តិការ | ||
| Lao | ປະຕິບັດງານ | ||
| Malay | beroperasi | ||
| Beroperasi, derived from the Sanskrit word 'vrt' (to move), also means to function or work. | |||
| Thai | ดำเนินการ | ||
| ดำเนินการ also means "to conduct" or "to proceed". | |||
| Vietnamese | vận hành | ||
| "Vận hành" also means to manage or organize something. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gumana | ||
Operate in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | fəaliyyət göstərir | ||
| "Fəaliyyət göstərir" originates from the Arabic word "fiˁl" meaning deed or action indicating an active state. | |||
| Kazakh | жұмыс істейді | ||
| The root of the verb "жұмыс істейді" also means "work", thus the full meaning of the word is "to make something work". | |||
| Kyrgyz | иштетүү | ||
| The Kyrgyz word «иштетүү» can also mean «to apply», «to use», or «to employ». | |||
| Tajik | фаъолият мекунанд | ||
| The verb "operate" has its origin in the Latin word “operari” and has several meanings, ranging from its medical sense (as in surgical procedure), to a legal connotation, or even a more general sense (as in making or running an organization). | |||
| Turkmen | işlemek | ||
| Uzbek | ishlash | ||
| The Uzbek word "ishlash" can also mean "to work" or "to do something." | |||
| Uyghur | مەشغۇلات قىلىڭ | ||
Operate in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hana | ||
| Hana can mean "dance" and "to move or progress". | |||
| Maori | whakahaere | ||
| The word whakahaere can also mean "to manage," "to govern," "to conduct," "to organize," or "to perform." | |||
| Samoan | galue | ||
| The word 'galue' has a secondary meaning of 'to perform a role'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magpatakbo | ||
| Tagalog verb "magpatakbo" also means to let out or rent something for others to use, like a building or vehicle. | |||
Operate in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | operar luraña | ||
| Guarani | oopera | ||
Operate in International Languages
| Esperanto | operacii | ||
| The Esperanto word "operacii" is derived from the Latin word "operari," meaning "to work." | |||
| Latin | agunt | ||
| The Latin verb 'agunt' comes from 'ago' meaning 'drive, move', and has many meanings like 'to cause' or 'to transact'. | |||
Operate in Others Languages
| Greek | λειτουργεί | ||
| The verb "λειτουργεί" comes from the noun "λειτουργία" (liturgy), indicating that it carries a sense of sacred or public duty. | |||
| Hmong | khiav lag luam | ||
| Khiav lag luam also means "to act as" or "to do" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | bikaranîn | ||
| The word "bikaranîn" also means "to perform, to make, to do, to execute, to finish" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | işletmek | ||
| 'İş' means 'work' and 'letmek' means 'to do' in Turkish. So 'işletmek' literally means 'to do work' or 'to cause to work'. | |||
| Xhosa | sebenza | ||
| The word "sebenza" also means "to work" or "to do something"} | |||
| Yiddish | אַרבעטן | ||
| "אַרבעטן" comes from the German word "arbeiten" and can also mean "work". | |||
| Zulu | sebenza | ||
| The word "sebenza" is also used in isiZulu to refer to work, employment, or occupation. | |||
| Assamese | অপাৰেট কৰা | ||
| Aymara | operar luraña | ||
| Bhojpuri | संचालित करे के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | އޮޕަރޭޓް ކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | संचालित करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gumana | ||
| Guarani | oopera | ||
| Ilocano | ag-operate | ||
| Krio | ɔpreshɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کارپێکردن | ||
| Maithili | संचालित करब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯄꯔꯦꯠ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | operate a ni | ||
| Oromo | hojjechuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ କର | ||
| Quechua | operay | ||
| Sanskrit | संचालनं कुर्वन्ति | ||
| Tatar | эшлә | ||
| Tigrinya | ይሰርሑ | ||
| Tsonga | tirha | ||