Operator in Different Languages
Discover 'Operator' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'operator' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting a person who operates a machine, a mathematical function, or a telecommunication device. Its cultural importance is evident in various fields, from the early days of telephone switchboards to the present-day control rooms of power plants and manufacturing units.
Did you know that the first telephone operator was a young girl named Emma Nutt in 1878? Her employment marked a pivotal moment in the world of telecommunications. Since then, the role of operators has evolved dramatically, thanks to technological advancements.
Understanding the translation of 'operator' in different languages can be intriguing and useful, especially for those working in global industries or studying linguistics. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: operador
- French: opérateur
- German: Operator
- Mandarin: 操作员 (cāo az Yuán)
- Japanese: オペレータ (operēta)
- Russian: оператор (operátor)
Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of 'operator' translations in various languages, providing insights into the global usage and cultural significance of this versatile term.
Operator
Operator in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | operateur | ||
| The word "operateur" in Afrikaans can also refer to a surgeon or a physician. | |||
| Amharic | ኦፕሬተር | ||
| The word "ኦፕሬተር" can also refer to a mathematical operation or a person who controls a machine. | |||
| Hausa | ma'aikaci | ||
| The word "ma'aikaci" in Hausa can also refer to a laborer or a worker. | |||
| Igbo | onye ọrụ | ||
| In Igbo, 'onye ọrụ' can also refer to a worker or laborer, as well as an employee or agent. | |||
| Malagasy | mpandraharaha | ||
| The Malagasy word "mpandraharaha" is derived from the root "randra", meaning "to handle" or "to operate". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | woyendetsa | ||
| The word 'woyendetsa' in Nyanja can also mean 'driver' or 'one who causes to move'. | |||
| Shona | anoshanda | ||
| The word "Anoshanda" in Shona also refers to a conductor on a bus.} | |||
| Somali | hawl wade | ||
| In Somali, the word "hawl wade" literally translates to "one who wields the power". | |||
| Sesotho | opareitara | ||
| The Sesotho word "opareitara" is derived from the English word "operator," which in turn comes from the Latin word "operari," meaning "to work." | |||
| Swahili | mwendeshaji | ||
| Mwendeshaji, meaning 'driver, rider, operator', is related to the Swahili verb 'endesha', which means 'to move or drive'. | |||
| Xhosa | umqhubi | ||
| The word "umqhubi" in Xhosa can also be used to refer to a person who causes problems or conflict. | |||
| Yoruba | onišẹ | ||
| Zulu | opharetha | ||
| The Zulu word "opharetha" comes from the Greek word "operatorias" meaning "one who carries out or achieves something, an agent." | |||
| Bambara | baarakɛla | ||
| Ewe | dɔwɔla | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umukoresha | ||
| Lingala | mosali ya mosala | ||
| Luganda | omuddukanya emirimu | ||
| Sepedi | opareitara e | ||
| Twi (Akan) | adwumayɛfo a wɔyɛ adwuma | ||
Operator in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | المشغل أو العامل | ||
| The word "المشغل أو العامل" (operator) means 'one who operates or works' and can refer to someone carrying out a task through control or manipulation as well as someone operating a machine. | |||
| Hebrew | מַפעִיל | ||
| The word מפעיל (operator) also means "activator" or "agent" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | چلونکی | ||
| The Pashto word "چلونکی" originates from the Persian word "چلاندن," which means "to drive" or "to operate." | |||
| Arabic | المشغل أو العامل | ||
| The word "المشغل أو العامل" (operator) means 'one who operates or works' and can refer to someone carrying out a task through control or manipulation as well as someone operating a machine. | |||
Operator in Western European Languages
| Albanian | operatori | ||
| The Albanian word "operatori" can also refer to a telephone exchange operator or a surgical technician. | |||
| Basque | operadorea | ||
| The Basque word "operadorea" can also mean "surgeon" or "engineer" | |||
| Catalan | operador | ||
| The word "operador" has multiple meanings in Catalan, including "operator", "driver" and "machinist". | |||
| Croatian | operater | ||
| The Croatian word "operater" can also refer to a telephone operator or a mathematical operator. | |||
| Danish | operatør | ||
| The Danish word "operatør" originated in the 1800s and can also refer to a telephone switchboard operator. | |||
| Dutch | operator | ||
| In Dutch, "operator" can also refer to a person who operates a machine or system. | |||
| English | operator | ||
| The word 'operator' derives from the Latin 'operari', meaning 'to work' or 'to perform'. | |||
| French | opérateur | ||
| In French, the word "opérateur" can also mean "surgeon" or "telephone operator". | |||
| Frisian | operator | ||
| In Frisian, "operator" also refers to a person who drives a bus or tram and collects the fares. | |||
| Galician | operador | ||
| In Galician, "operador" can also refer to the person who carries out a specific task or job. | |||
| German | operator | ||
| The German word for 'operator' ('Operator' or 'Operateur' in German) also has a musical meaning, referring to a singer in an opera. | |||
| Icelandic | rekstraraðili | ||
| The word "rekstraraðili" is derived from the Old Norse word "rekstrarað", meaning "operator" or "executor." | |||
| Irish | oibreoir | ||
| The word "oibreoir" is derived from the verb "obair", meaning "to work". | |||
| Italian | operatore | ||
| The Italian word "operatore" can also refer to a surgeon or a member of a religious order. | |||
| Luxembourgish | bedreiwer | ||
| In the 19th and 20th centuries, the word "Bedreiwer" was also used to refer to a worker who operated farm machinery, particularly steam-powered threshing machines. | |||
| Maltese | operatur | ||
| The Maltese word "operatur" comes from the Latin "operatus" and can also mean "worked" or "processed." | |||
| Norwegian | operatør | ||
| The Norwegian word "operatør" has its roots in the Latin word "operator," meaning to create or accomplish something. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | operador | ||
| In Portuguese, "operador" can also refer to a telecommunications company or a stock market trader. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ghnìomhaiche | ||
| It derives from the Irish – and ultimately Latin – word ‘agentivus’ (agent), a form of the noun ‘agens’ (operator). | |||
| Spanish | operador | ||
| In telephony, an "operador" is the switchboard operator who manually connects telephone calls. | |||
| Swedish | operatör | ||
| Operator also refers to a mathematical or logical symbol that denotes an operation, or to someone who operates something. | |||
| Welsh | gweithredwr | ||
| In the 20th century the word 'gweithredwr' started to mean an 'operator of machinery'. | |||
Operator in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | аператар | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "аператар" can also refer to "telephone operator" or "computer operator" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | operater | ||
| In Bosnian, "operater" can refer to an operator of a machine, a mathematical operator, or the operator of a telephone exchange. | |||
| Bulgarian | оператор | ||
| The word "оператор" can also refer to a telephone operator or a mathematical operation. | |||
| Czech | operátor | ||
| In Czech, "operátor" can also refer to a cellular service provider or a mathematical operation. | |||
| Estonian | operaator | ||
| In Estonian, the word "operaator" can also refer to a telephone exchange or a telecommunications company. | |||
| Finnish | operaattori | ||
| "Operaattori" has an alternate meaning, "algebraic operator", from Swedish "operator" and ultimately Latin "operator" (one who works). | |||
| Hungarian | operátor | ||
| The Hungarian term "operátor" can also refer to a telephone exchange, as in "hírmondó- és távbeszélő kezelő operátor" (news and telephone operator). | |||
| Latvian | operators | ||
| In Latvian, operators can also refer to mobile phone service providers similar to the "carriers" in English. | |||
| Lithuanian | operatorius | ||
| In Lithuanian, "operatorius" can also refer to a telephone operator or a mathematical operator. | |||
| Macedonian | оператор | ||
| The word "оператор" in Macedonian also means "manager" or "director". | |||
| Polish | operator | ||
| In Polish, "operator" also refers to a phone company customer service representative and to a math symbol such as "+" or "-". | |||
| Romanian | operator | ||
| Operator is also used to designate a telephone exchange in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | оператор | ||
| The word "оператор" also means "surgeon" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | оператер | ||
| The root of the word „operater” is the French word „opérateur”, which entered the Serbian language via Russian | |||
| Slovak | operátor | ||
| The word "operátor" in Slovak can also refer to a mathematical operation or a mobile or landline network provider. | |||
| Slovenian | operater | ||
| In Slovenian, the word "operater" also means "telephone operator". | |||
| Ukrainian | оператора | ||
| The word "оператора" in Ukrainian, derived from Latin, can refer to someone performing a religious rite or a surgical procedure, among other uses. | |||
Operator in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অপারেটর | ||
| In Bengali, "অপারেটর" ("operator") can also refer to a mathematical operator or a person who operates a machine or device. | |||
| Gujarati | ઓપરેટર | ||
| The word "ઓપરેટર" ("operator") in Gujarati can also refer to an "instrument" or "machine" that operates something, such as a "switch" or "control panel." | |||
| Hindi | ऑपरेटर | ||
| "ऑपरेटर" (operator) can also refer to a mathematical symbol or a computer programming command. | |||
| Kannada | ಆಪರೇಟರ್ | ||
| The Kannada word 'ಆಪರೇಟರ್' is derived from the English word 'operator', but it also has alternate meanings such as 'driver' or 'surgeon'. | |||
| Malayalam | ഓപ്പറേറ്റർ | ||
| The word "ഓപ്പറേറ്റർ" can also refer to a telephone operator or a mathematical operator in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | ऑपरेटर | ||
| "ऑपरेटर" (operator) is also the name for a kind of sweet in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | अपरेटर | ||
| The word "अपरेटर" can also refer to a mathematical symbol or a person who operates a machine. | |||
| Punjabi | ਚਾਲਕ | ||
| The word 'ਚਾਲਕ' (operator) in Punjabi also refers to a person who makes something move or function, or to the act of causing something to move or function | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ක්රියාකරු | ||
| The Sinhala word "ක්රියාකරු" can also refer to a person who engages in a particular activity or a member of a particular group. | |||
| Tamil | ஆபரேட்டர் | ||
| Telugu | ఆపరేటర్ | ||
| The word "ఆపరేటర్" in Telugu is derived from the English word "operator", with its alternate meaning being "surgical physician". | |||
| Urdu | آپریٹر | ||
| The word "آپریٹر" can also refer to a telephone exchange operator or a surgical operator. | |||
Operator in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 算子 | ||
| 算子 can refer to a mathematical transformation that is applied to one or more operands or to an element of a vector space, or to an operator in computer science. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 算子 | ||
| 算子 (suan zi) also means "to consider (as)" or "to regard (as)" | |||
| Japanese | オペレーター | ||
| In Japanese, "オペレーター" can also refer to a surgical assistant or a technician who operates machinery. | |||
| Korean | 운영자 | ||
| The Korean word "운영자" can also refer to a "manager," "controller," or "administrator."} | |||
| Mongolian | оператор | ||
| The Mongolian word "оператор" can also refer to an actor or a performer. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အော်ပရေတာ | ||
Operator in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | operator | ||
| The Indonesian word "operator" can also refer to a mathematical or logical symbol, such as addition (+) or negation (¬). | |||
| Javanese | operator | ||
| In Javanese, "operator" (operator) can also refer to a medical assistant or a person in charge of a traditional game called "dakon". | |||
| Khmer | ប្រតិបត្តិករ | ||
| Lao | ຜູ້ປະກອບການ | ||
| Malay | pengendali | ||
| "Pengendali" is also used to refer to a traditional healer in Malay culture. | |||
| Thai | ตัวดำเนินการ | ||
| The term "ตัวดำเนินการ" in Thai can also refer to a mathematical operator, such as the plus or minus sign. | |||
| Vietnamese | nhà điều hành | ||
| "Nhà điều hành" (operator) is also used in Vietnamese to refer to a telephone exchange. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | operator | ||
Operator in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | operator | ||
| In Azerbaijani, "operator" also means "surgeon". | |||
| Kazakh | оператор | ||
| The Kazakh word "оператор" can also refer to an individual who is responsible for the operation of a machine or device, similar to its meaning in other languages. | |||
| Kyrgyz | оператор | ||
| In the Kyrgyz language the word "оператор" ("operator") may also refer to a surgeon or doctor. | |||
| Tajik | оператор | ||
| In mathematics, the Tajik word "оператор" also refers to an element of an algebra that combines other elements, similar to the usage in the English language. | |||
| Turkmen | operator | ||
| Uzbek | operator | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "operator" can also refer to a "surgeon" or a "telephone exchange employee". | |||
| Uyghur | تىجارەتچى | ||
Operator in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mea hana | ||
| The literal meaning of mea hana is "thing that does work", with mea meaning "thing" and hana meaning "to make" or "work." | |||
| Maori | kaiwhakahaere | ||
| The term "kaiwhakahaere" in Maori can also refer to a leader or coordinator, highlighting its broader role in management and oversight beyond technical operation. | |||
| Samoan | tagata faʻagaioia | ||
| The word "tagata faʻagaioia" can also refer to a person who is operating a machine or vehicle. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | operator | ||
| In Tagalog, "operator" can also refer to a person who assists a doctor or other health professional during a medical procedure. | |||
Operator in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | operador ukaxa | ||
| Guarani | operador rehegua | ||
Operator in International Languages
| Esperanto | operatoro | ||
| In computer science, an operator is a symbol that represents an operation that can be performed on operands. | |||
| Latin | operator | ||
| Operator, deriving from operari "to work," referred to laborers and tradesmen, including doctors, bankers, and moneylenders during the Roman Empire. | |||
Operator in Others Languages
| Greek | χειριστής | ||
| The word "χειριστής" (operator) in Greek can also refer to a manipulator, a handler, or a surgeon. | |||
| Hmong | neeg teb xov tooj | ||
| The literal meaning of "neeg teb xov tooj" is "people that hold and look after information". | |||
| Kurdish | makînevan | ||
| "Makînevan" is a Farsi word originally referring to a person that drives or operates a mechanical machine. | |||
| Turkish | şebeke | ||
| In Turkish, "şebeke" also means "network" or "web," highlighting the interconnected nature of operators in the telecommunications industry. | |||
| Xhosa | umqhubi | ||
| The word "umqhubi" in Xhosa can also be used to refer to a person who causes problems or conflict. | |||
| Yiddish | אָפּעראַטאָר | ||
| In Yiddish, "אָפּעראַטאָר" ("operator") can also refer to a person who operates a machine or performs a specific task. | |||
| Zulu | opharetha | ||
| The Zulu word "opharetha" comes from the Greek word "operatorias" meaning "one who carries out or achieves something, an agent." | |||
| Assamese | অপাৰেটৰ | ||
| Aymara | operador ukaxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | संचालक के ह | ||
| Dhivehi | އޮޕަރޭޓަރެވެ | ||
| Dogri | ऑपरेटर दा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | operator | ||
| Guarani | operador rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | operator ti | ||
| Krio | ɔpreshɔn pɔsin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئۆپەراتۆر | ||
| Maithili | संचालक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯄꯔꯦꯇꯔ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯊꯕꯛ ꯇꯧꯈꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | operator a ni | ||
| Oromo | operetera | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅପରେଟର୍ | ||
| Quechua | operador nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | संचालकः | ||
| Tatar | оператор | ||
| Tigrinya | ኦፕሬተር | ||
| Tsonga | mutirhisi | ||