Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'representative' carries great significance in many cultures and languages around the world. It refers to someone who is chosen to act or speak on behalf of a group, organization, or country, playing a crucial role in decision-making processes and diplomacy. The concept of representation is deeply rooted in history, dating back to ancient civilizations where leaders and officials were chosen to speak for their communities.
Understanding the translation of 'representative' in different languages can open up new opportunities for cross-cultural communication and cooperation. For instance, in Spanish, 'representative' is 'representante', while in French, it is 'représentant'. In German, the word is 'Vertreter', and in Mandarin Chinese, it is '代表'. These translations not only help break down language barriers but also provide insight into how different cultures view and approach representation.
In today's globalized world, being able to communicate effectively across languages and cultures is more important than ever. By learning the translations of 'representative' in different languages, we can better understand and appreciate the diverse perspectives and values that shape our world.
Afrikaans | verteenwoordiger | ||
The Afrikaans word "verteenwoordiger" has a literal meaning of "that which stands in the place of", conveying a sense of substitution and agency. | |||
Amharic | ተወካይ | ||
The word can also refer to a person who acts on behalf of another, or to a person who is chosen to represent a group of people. | |||
Hausa | wakili | ||
The word 'wakili' can also mean 'ambassador', 'agent', or 'spokesperson' in Hausa. | |||
Igbo | onye nnochite anya | ||
Malagasy | solontenan'ny | ||
The word "solontenan'ny" is derived from the Malagasy word "solon-tena". "Solon-tena" means "a person who takes the lead of a group or movement."} | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | nthumwi | ||
Shona | mumiriri | ||
"Mumiriri" possibly derives from "murimi", a person in charge of a territory. | |||
Somali | wakiil | ||
The word "wakiil" is derived from the root "wak", which means "to speak for someone" or "to act on behalf of someone". | |||
Sesotho | moemeli | ||
The word "moemeli" in Sesotho has an alternate meaning of "ambassador" and is derived from the root word "emela", meaning "choose". | |||
Swahili | mwakilishi | ||
The word 'mwakilishi' in Swahili is derived from the Arabic word 'wakil', meaning 'agent' or 'representative'. It can also be used to refer to a 'delegate' or 'envoy'. | |||
Xhosa | ummeli | ||
In Xhosa, 'ummeli' is also used to refer to a 'delegate' or 'ambassador'. | |||
Yoruba | aṣoju | ||
Asa in 'aṣoju' is the Yoruba word for 'messenger' and 'oju' means 'eye'. | |||
Zulu | omele | ||
The term 'omele' can also refer to a person acting on behalf of another as their spokesperson. | |||
Bambara | ciden | ||
Ewe | teƒenɔla | ||
Kinyarwanda | uhagarariye | ||
Lingala | momonisi | ||
Luganda | omukiise | ||
Sepedi | moemedi | ||
Twi (Akan) | ananmusifo | ||
Arabic | وكيل | ||
وكيل can also mean to assign or authorize someone to act on one's behalf, to appoint, to delegate. | |||
Hebrew | נציג | ||
The word "נציג" can also mean "delegate" or "envoy". | |||
Pashto | استازی | ||
The word "استازی" can also be used to refer to someone who is in charge of a group of people. | |||
Arabic | وكيل | ||
وكيل can also mean to assign or authorize someone to act on one's behalf, to appoint, to delegate. |
Albanian | përfaqësues | ||
The word "përfaqësues" (representative) also means "emblem" or "symbol" in Albanian. | |||
Basque | ordezkaria | ||
"Ordezkaria" also means "spokesperson" or "advocate". | |||
Catalan | representant | ||
The Catalan word "representant" comes from the Latin "reprAESEntare" and means "to make present" or "to show again". | |||
Croatian | predstavnik | ||
The word "predstavnik" derives from the same root as "predstaviti" ("to present") and "predstava" ("performance"), reflecting the idea of standing in for someone or something to convey its representation or essence. | |||
Danish | repræsentant | ||
In Danish, the word "repræsentant" is derived from the French word "représentant," meaning "representative," and can also refer to a person who acts on behalf of another. | |||
Dutch | vertegenwoordiger | ||
In German, "vertreten" also means to step in someone's place. | |||
English | representative | ||
The word “representative” comes from the Latin word “repraesentare,” which means “to present again.” | |||
French | représentant | ||
The French word "représentant" can also mean "actor" or "delegate." | |||
Frisian | fertsjintwurdiger | ||
The Frisian word "fertsjintwurdiger" can also describe a deputy or substitute (for example, a substitute headmaster of a school). | |||
Galician | representante | ||
In Galician, "representante" also means someone who is in charge of a group, such as a foreman or supervisor. | |||
German | vertreter | ||
The German word "Vertreter" can also refer to a legal guardian or an agent acting on someone's behalf. | |||
Icelandic | fulltrúi | ||
The word "fulltrúi" can also mean "one who completes" or "one who fulfils" in Icelandic. | |||
Irish | ionadaí | ||
The word Ionadaí is used for the 'representative' of a family of plants or animals | |||
Italian | rappresentante | ||
The Italian word "rappresentante" can also refer to a sales representative or an artist manager. | |||
Luxembourgish | vertrieder | ||
In the plural the word refers to "supporters". | |||
Maltese | rappreżentant | ||
Maltese "rappreżentant" originated from Italian "rappresentante" with its primary definition being "agent" or "substitute." | |||
Norwegian | representant | ||
In Norwegian, "representant" can also refer to a member of a representative assembly or a person who acts as an agent for another. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | representante | ||
In Portuguese, "representante" can also refer to a legal or commercial agent acting on behalf of another person or entity. | |||
Scots Gaelic | riochdaire | ||
Riochdaire is derived from the Gaelic word 'riogh' (king), meaning 'representative of the king'. | |||
Spanish | representante | ||
The word "representante" derives from the Latin word "representare" meaning "to present again". | |||
Swedish | representativ | ||
The Swedish word 'representativ' also means 'typical' or 'characteristic'. | |||
Welsh | cynrychiolydd | ||
Belarusian | прадстаўнік | ||
The word "прадстаўнік" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "prěd" (before) and the noun "staviti" (to put), and originally meant "one who stands before someone" or "one who acts on behalf of someone." | |||
Bosnian | predstavnik | ||
The Slavic word 'predstavnik' comes from the verb 'predstavit', meaning 'to present' or 'to introduce'. | |||
Bulgarian | представител | ||
The Bulgarian word "Представител" also means "agent" or "deputy" in some contexts, denoting a person acting on behalf of another. | |||
Czech | zástupce | ||
The word "zástupce" can also mean "proxy" or "delegate". | |||
Estonian | esindaja | ||
"Esindaja" can also mean "actor" or "agent" in Estonian. | |||
Finnish | edustaja | ||
The word 'edustaja' originates from the verb 'edustaa' meaning 'to represent', with the suffix '-ja' indicating the agent. | |||
Hungarian | reprezentatív | ||
The word "reprezentatív" is derived from the Latin "repraesentare", meaning "to present again". | |||
Latvian | pārstāvis | ||
The word "pārstāvis" in Latvian comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*pere-s-stā-", meaning "to stand before". | |||
Lithuanian | atstovas | ||
The word "atstovas" comes from the verb "atstovėti" which means "to stand for". It can also refer to a person who represents a group or organization. | |||
Macedonian | претставник | ||
Polish | przedstawiciel | ||
The word "przedstawiciel" also means "agent", "spokesman", or "delegate" in Polish. | |||
Romanian | reprezentant | ||
The Romanian word "reprezentant" shares its etymology with the English word "present" and can also mean "gift" or "display". | |||
Russian | представитель | ||
The word представитель can also mean an attorney or an agent in Russian. | |||
Serbian | представник | ||
In the context of political parties, the word "представник" can also mean "member" or "official". | |||
Slovak | reprezentatívny | ||
The word "reprezentatívny" also means "typical" or "characteristic" in Slovak. | |||
Slovenian | zastopnik | ||
"Zastopnik" originates from "za" (behind) and "stopiti" (to stand), thus signifying "he who stands behind." | |||
Ukrainian | представник | ||
The word "представник" can also mean "sample" or "instance" in Ukrainian. |
Bengali | প্রতিনিধি | ||
প্রতিনিধি also means 'deputy' or 'agent' in Bengali, and is a cognate of the English word 'present' in the sense of 'to make present' or 'to represent'. | |||
Gujarati | પ્રતિનિધિ | ||
The Gujarati word "પ્રતિનિધિ" derives from the Sanskrit words "प्रति" (instead of) and "निधि" (deposit) and literally means "something placed instead of something else." | |||
Hindi | प्रतिनिधि | ||
The word "प्रतिनिधि" derives from the Sanskrit word "प्रतिनिधि" which means "deputy" or "agent". | |||
Kannada | ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿ | ||
The word "ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿ" can also refer to an agent or a deputy. | |||
Malayalam | പ്രതിനിധി | ||
The term "പ്രതിനിധി" is formed from the root "പ്രతి" (prati, meaning "in place of") and "നിധി" (nidhi, meaning "treasure"), hence it can also be interpreted as "a valuable substitution" | |||
Marathi | प्रतिनिधी | ||
The Marathi word "प्रतिनिधी" (pratinidhi) comes from the Sanskrit word "प्रतिनिधि" (pratinidhi), which means "one who represents" or "an agent." | |||
Nepali | प्रतिनिधि | ||
The Sanskrit word 'pratinidhi' also means an image or reflection. | |||
Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਤੀਨਿਧ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නියෝජිත | ||
Tamil | பிரதிநிதி | ||
The word 'பிரதிநிதி' is derived from Sanskrit and means 'one who stands in place of another' or 'a substitute'. | |||
Telugu | ప్రతినిధి | ||
Urdu | نمائندہ | ||
The Urdu word "نمائندہ" (representative) stems from the Persian verb "نمودن" (to show), and originally carried the connotation of "presenting or showing something." |
Chinese (Simplified) | 代表 | ||
In Chinese, the word "代表" can also mean "on behalf of" or "in the name of." | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 代表 | ||
代表 (dàibiǎo) also means "acting on behalf of" or "on behalf of". | |||
Japanese | 代表 | ||
The word 代表 (daihyō) also means "agent" or "deputy." | |||
Korean | 대리인 | ||
"대리인" can also mean "surrogate" or "agent". | |||
Mongolian | төлөөлөгч | ||
"Төлөөлөгч" is also used to refer to the Mongol delegation to the United Nations, the Mongolian People's Assembly, and the People's Consultative Conference of the Central Committee of the Mongolian People's Party. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ကိုယ်စားလှယ် | ||
Indonesian | wakil | ||
The word 'wakil' is cognate with Arabic 'wakīl,' both meaning 'to entrust.' | |||
Javanese | wakil | ||
The Javanese word "wakil" can also refer to a deputy or regent governing in the name of a ruler, or an agent acting on behalf of another person. | |||
Khmer | តំណាង | ||
The word "តំណាង" is derived from the Sanskrit word "tanmaatra" meaning "mere essence." | |||
Lao | ຕົວແທນ | ||
The word ຕົວແທນ originally meant "embodiment," a noun describing something's physical representation. | |||
Malay | wakil | ||
The term 'wakil' is derived from the Arabic word 'wakala', meaning 'to entrust' or 'to appoint'. It holds significant cultural and legal implications in Malay society. | |||
Thai | ตัวแทน | ||
ตัวแทน can also mean "agent" or "deputy." | |||
Vietnamese | tiêu biểu | ||
Tiêu biểu can also mean 'typical' or 'characteristic', and is often used to describe something that is representative of a particular group or trend. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kinatawan | ||
Azerbaijani | nümayəndəsi | ||
The word "nümayəndəsi" is derived from the Persian word "namâyande", which means "messenger". It can also mean "deputy", "agent", or "attorney". | |||
Kazakh | өкіл | ||
The word "өкіл" derives from the Old Turkic "ök", meaning "to stand in place of." | |||
Kyrgyz | өкүл | ||
In Kyrgyz, "өкүл" can also refer to a deputy or a trustee, highlighting its multifaceted role in representation. | |||
Tajik | намоянда | ||
Намоянда (namõyanda) comes from the Persian word "nãmãyande" and literally means "one who shows". | |||
Turkmen | wekili | ||
Uzbek | vakil | ||
The word "vakil" can also mean "lawyer" or "attorney" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | ۋەكىل | ||
Hawaiian | lunamakaʻāinana | ||
The word comes from the phrase "luna maka ka ʻāina nana" meaning "an overseer to whom the land looks up or belongs" | |||
Maori | māngai | ||
The word "māngai" also means "mouth" in Māori, indicating the role of the representative as a mouthpiece for their people. | |||
Samoan | sui | ||
The word "sui" also means "to go after" or "to pursue" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | kinatawan | ||
The word "kinatawan" in Tagalog is derived from the root word "katawan" (body), indicating the personification of a group. |
Aymara | representante ukhamawa | ||
Guarani | representante rehegua | ||
Esperanto | reprezentanto | ||
The Esperanto word "reprezentanto" can also mean "substitute" or "proxy". | |||
Latin | representative | ||
The word "representative" in Latin also means "presenting again." |
Greek | εκπρόσωπος | ||
Εκπρόσωπος (ekprosopos) has a literal meaning of "from the face," as πρόσωπο (prosopo) means "face" in Greek. | |||
Hmong | tus sawv cev | ||
The word "tus sawv cev" in Hmong is also used to refer to someone who is a spokesperson or a delegate. | |||
Kurdish | cîgir | ||
The word 'cîgir' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *keg-, meaning 'to go'. | |||
Turkish | temsilci | ||
"Temsilci" also means "agent" in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | ummeli | ||
In Xhosa, 'ummeli' is also used to refer to a 'delegate' or 'ambassador'. | |||
Yiddish | פארשטייער | ||
The Yiddish word 'פארשטייער' is a compound of the German prefix 'ver', meaning 'for,' and the noun 'שטייער', meaning 'tax' or 'levy'; therefore, its original sense was probably 'tax collector.' | |||
Zulu | omele | ||
The term 'omele' can also refer to a person acting on behalf of another as their spokesperson. | |||
Assamese | প্ৰতিনিধি | ||
Aymara | representante ukhamawa | ||
Bhojpuri | प्रतिनिधि के रूप में काम कइले बानी | ||
Dhivehi | މަންދޫބެކެވެ | ||
Dogri | प्रतिनिधि | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kinatawan | ||
Guarani | representante rehegua | ||
Ilocano | pannakabagi | ||
Krio | ripɔtmɛnt | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | نوێنەر | ||
Maithili | प्रतिनिधि | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯔꯤꯞꯔꯖꯦꯟꯇꯦꯇꯤꯕ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ ꯌꯥꯏ꯫ | ||
Mizo | aiawhtu a ni | ||
Oromo | bakka bu’aa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରତିନିଧି | ||
Quechua | representante nisqa | ||
Sanskrit | प्रतिनिधिः | ||
Tatar | вәкиле | ||
Tigrinya | ወኪል ምዃኑ ይፍለጥ | ||
Tsonga | muyimeri | ||