Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'staff' carries significant meaning beyond just a group of people working in an organization. It represents a collective entity, a team that works in harmony towards a common goal. The concept of a 'staff' is not only professional but also cultural, symbolizing authority, power, and leadership in many societies.
Moreover, the word 'staff' has fascinating historical contexts. In ancient Egypt, a staff was a symbol of authority for pharaohs. In Norse mythology, the staff of the god Odin, known as 'Gungnir,' was a powerful weapon and a symbol of wisdom.
Understanding the translation of 'staff' in different languages can provide unique insights into various cultures. For instance, in Spanish, 'staff' translates to 'personal,' emphasizing the individuality within a team. In German, it's 'Personal,' indicating the human aspect of a staff. In French, 'staff' becomes 'personnel,' highlighting the group's importance.
Explore the translations below to deepen your understanding of the cultural significance of 'staff' in various languages.
Afrikaans | personeel | ||
The word "personeel" in Afrikaans derives from the Dutch word "personeel", which in turn comes from the Latin word "persona" meaning "mask" or "character". | |||
Amharic | ሠራተኞች | ||
The word "ሠራተኞች" (staff) in Amharic comes from the verb "ሠራ" (to work), and it literally means "those who work." | |||
Hausa | ma'aikata | ||
Ma'aikata, meaning staff, also refers to a group of people working together, such as a team or crew. | |||
Igbo | mkpara | ||
In the Igbo language, the term 'mkpara' can also refer to a musical instrument consisting of three or more wooden sticks hit against each other, creating a percussive rhythm. | |||
Malagasy | staff | ||
In Malagasy, "staff" also means "stick" or "cane". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | antchito | ||
The word "antchito" can also refer to a stick or a pole in Nyanja. | |||
Shona | vashandi | ||
"Vashandi" also means "helpers" when referring to the staff of a company or organization. | |||
Somali | shaqaalaha | ||
"Shaqaalaha" can also refer to a | |||
Sesotho | basebetsi | ||
The word 'basebetsi' is derived from the word 'sebetsi', meaning 'work' or 'task', and signifies a group of people who work or serve together. | |||
Swahili | wafanyakazi | ||
The word "wafanyakazi" can also refer to "employees" or "workers" in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | abasebenzi | ||
In Xhosa, 'abasebenzi' also denotes individuals who perform tasks or hold positions within an organisation or institution. | |||
Yoruba | osise | ||
The term "osise" also means "to lean on" figuratively, denoting reliance or support. | |||
Zulu | abasebenzi | ||
Abasebenzi means both "staff" and "labourers" in Zulu. | |||
Bambara | baarakɛlaw | ||
Ewe | dᴐwᴐlawo | ||
Kinyarwanda | abakozi | ||
Lingala | bato ya mosala | ||
Luganda | abakozi | ||
Sepedi | bašomedi | ||
Twi (Akan) | odwumayɛni | ||
Arabic | العاملين | ||
العاملين, plural of عامل, can also mean "active" or "effective". | |||
Hebrew | צוות | ||
"צוות" can also refer to a group of people working together, such as a medical staff or a team of researchers. | |||
Pashto | کارمندان | ||
The word “کارمندان” is also used to refer to “the employees in an organisation or other group”. | |||
Arabic | العاملين | ||
العاملين, plural of عامل, can also mean "active" or "effective". |
Albanian | stafi | ||
The Albanian word "stafi" can also refer to a person who holds a staff of office, such as a bishop's crosier or a marshal's baton. | |||
Basque | langileak | ||
The Basque word "langileak" can also mean "workers" or "laborers" | |||
Catalan | personal | ||
In Catalan, "personal" can also refer to the "set of members" of an institution or organization. | |||
Croatian | osoblje | ||
The word 'osoblje' comes from the Croatian verb 'opskrbljivati', meaning 'to provide for', and originally referred to a group of people tasked with providing supplies or services. | |||
Danish | personale | ||
In Danish, "personale" can also mean "personnel" or "staff members of a particular organization." | |||
Dutch | personeel | ||
The word "personeel" in Dutch shares an etymological root with the English word "persona", derived from the Latin word for "mask". | |||
English | staff | ||
In the Middle Ages, a 'staff' was a metal rod, a lance, a pole or an ensign carried by an officer, magistrate, bishop, pilgrim, traveler, etc., for authority, protection, guidance, support, etc. | |||
French | personnel | ||
In French, 'personnel' also refers to someone's personal belongings and is derived from the Latin 'personalis' (personal). | |||
Frisian | personiel | ||
The Frisian word "personiel" is ultimately derived from the Latin word "persona", which originally meant "mask". | |||
Galician | persoal | ||
The word "persoal" in Galician can also refer to a set of clothes worn by a group as a uniform. | |||
German | mitarbeiter | ||
The word 'Mitarbeiter' is derived from the Middle High German word 'mitarbeiten', meaning 'to work together'. | |||
Icelandic | starfsfólk | ||
The Old Norse word starf means work or a deed to be carried out, indicating that stafsfólk may have referred to both household employees, servants and employees engaged directly in the master's work. | |||
Irish | baill foirne | ||
Baill foirne, meaning "staff" in Irish, may relate to the Proto-Celtic "*baglo-," meaning "stick, staff, branch." | |||
Italian | personale | ||
The word "personale" comes from the Latin word "persona", which means "mask" or "character." | |||
Luxembourgish | personal | ||
"Personal" (staff) is an old term in Luxembourgish, meaning "household" in German and French. | |||
Maltese | persunal | ||
Maltese word 'persunal' is derived from Italian 'personale', ultimately from Latin 'personal-is', meaning 'of a person', and also refers to the personnel employed in an organisation. | |||
Norwegian | personale | ||
The Norwegian word 'personale' can have multiple meanings including: the staff of a business, office or organization, personnel files, and military personnel. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | funcionários | ||
The term "funcionários" is derived from the Latin word "functio", meaning "performance" or "action", and refers to those who fulfill tasks within an organization. | |||
Scots Gaelic | luchd-obrach | ||
It is commonly used to mean 'crew' or 'army' as well as 'staff', as in 'luchd-obrach nan Gall' ('an army of Lowlanders'). | |||
Spanish | personal | ||
The word "personal" in Spanish has multiple meanings, including "staff" and "private or belonging to an individual." | |||
Swedish | personal | ||
“Personal” originally referred to a group of soldiers on a journey or campaign, not to a specific group of workers. | |||
Welsh | staff | ||
In Welsh, "staff" is a loan word from English, and can also refer to a group of workers or a department. |
Belarusian | персанал | ||
"Персанал" comes from the Latin "personalis" (personal) and has the alternative meaning of "personnel" in English. | |||
Bosnian | osoblje | ||
The word 'osoblje' in Bosnian can also mean 'group of supporters for a specific action' or 'people from a certain origin or class'. | |||
Bulgarian | персонал | ||
In Bulgarian, "персонал" also refers to a staff notation in music. | |||
Czech | personál | ||
The word "personál" in Czech is derived from the Latin word "persona," meaning "mask" or "character." | |||
Estonian | töötajad | ||
The word "töötajad" in Estonian derives from "töö" ("work") and "taja" ("doer"), and can also refer to "workers", "employees", or "personnel". | |||
Finnish | henkilökunta | ||
In Finnish, "henkilökunta" also refers to a group of people with shared interests or traits, similar to the English "staff" in the phrase "staff of life". | |||
Hungarian | személyzet | ||
The Hungarian word „személyzet” derives from the verb „személyez” meaning „to personify” and originally referred to the cast of actors in a theater. | |||
Latvian | personāls | ||
The word "personāls" in Latvian originates from the Latin word "persona", meaning "mask" or "character", referencing the idea of a staff member representing the organization or institution they work for. | |||
Lithuanian | personalas | ||
The word "personalas" in Lithuanian, although translated as "staff", originally meant "person" and still holds this meaning in some contexts. | |||
Macedonian | персонал | ||
"Персонал" is the Slavic cognate of the Latin "persona" that originally means "mask" in a play or performance. | |||
Polish | personel | ||
Personel in Polish is derived from the French word 'personnel' and originally referred to a group of servants or employees. | |||
Romanian | personal | ||
The Romanian word "personal" can also refer to the staff of an organization or a particular person. | |||
Russian | сотрудники | ||
In Russian, the word "сотрудники" can also refer to collaborators or accomplices. | |||
Serbian | особље | ||
"Особље" can also refer to the personnel of an organization or institution. | |||
Slovak | zamestnancov | ||
The Slavic word "zamestnancov" originally meant "people who are occupied with something". | |||
Slovenian | osebje | ||
The word 'osebje' in Slovenian also has the meanings of 'personal belongings' and 'clothing'. | |||
Ukrainian | персонал | ||
The Ukrainian слово “персонал,” meaning “staff or personnel,” is a derivative of the French word “personnel.” |
Bengali | কর্মী | ||
The word "কর্মী" also means "an employee" or "a worker" in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | સ્ટાફ | ||
The word "staff" in Gujarati can also mean a bamboo pole used as a support or a rod carried as a symbol of authority. | |||
Hindi | कर्मचारी | ||
'कर्मचारी' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'karmachari', which means 'one who performs actions' or 'one who works'. | |||
Kannada | ಸಿಬ್ಬಂದಿ | ||
The word "ಸಿಬ್ಬಂದಿ" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *stebʰ-, meaning "to stand". | |||
Malayalam | സ്റ്റാഫ് | ||
In Malayalam, "staff" (സ്റ്റാഫ്) can also refer to a type of traditional Kerala percussion instrument. | |||
Marathi | कर्मचारी | ||
Marathi word "कर्मचारी" is derived from Sanskrit word "कर्म" meaning "work" or "action" and "चारी" meaning "one who does" or "agent". | |||
Nepali | कर्मचारी | ||
The word 'कर्मचारी' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'karmachari', meaning 'one who does work'. | |||
Punjabi | ਸਟਾਫ | ||
The word 'staff' is derived from the French word 'estaffe', meaning 'relay', and the Proto-Indo-European root 'stap', meaning 'to stand' or 'to prop up'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කාර්ය මණ්ඩලය | ||
In modern Sinhala, 'කාර්ය මණ්ඩලය' also refers to a group of people working in an office in addition to its original meaning as the long stick-shaped object. | |||
Tamil | ஊழியர்கள் | ||
The primary meaning of ஊழியர்கள் in Tamil is 'devotees,' as in 'attendants of God or a temple'. | |||
Telugu | సిబ్బంది | ||
The word "సిబ్బంది" in Telugu, meaning 'staff', is derived from the Persian word "سپاه", meaning 'army', indicating its initial use as military personnel | |||
Urdu | عملہ | ||
The word عملہ (amalā) originally meant 'work', 'deed', 'labor', 'service', 'action', 'operation' in Arabic |
Chinese (Simplified) | 员工 | ||
员工 (yuángōng) literally means "help work." | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 員工 | ||
"員工" (staff) was originally used to refer to the officials of the imperial court. | |||
Japanese | スタッフ | ||
In Japanese, the word "staff" (スタッフ) comes from the English word "staff," but also has a sense of "assistant" or "technician" in the entertainment業界. | |||
Korean | 직원 | ||
직원 is also used to refer to the personnel of a company or organization | |||
Mongolian | ажилтнууд | ||
The Mongolian word "ажилтнууд" also means "workers" or "employees" in English. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဝန်ထမ်းများ | ||
Indonesian | staf | ||
The word "staf" in Indonesian can also mean "stick" or "rod". | |||
Javanese | staf | ||
In Javanese, "staf" can also refer to subordinates in an organization. | |||
Khmer | បុគ្គលិក | ||
Lao | ພະນັກງານ | ||
The word "ພະນັກງານ" is derived from Sanskrit and refers not only to those working at a company but also to those who work at a temple or in civil service. | |||
Malay | kakitangan | ||
"Kakitangan" is a Malay word derived from the Arabic word "kafalah", meaning "surety" or "responsibility". | |||
Thai | เจ้าหน้าที่ | ||
The term เจ้าหน้าที่ (jâao nâat-thii) is used in a number of Asian languages, with similar meaning. | |||
Vietnamese | nhân viên | ||
"Nhân Viên" is derived from the Chinese word "人源" (rén yuán), meaning "human resource". It can also refer to a person's fate or destiny. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | mga tauhan | ||
Azerbaijani | heyəti | ||
"Heyəti" can mean "staff" or "faculty" and is derived from the Persian word "heyʾat" meaning "body" or "group". | |||
Kazakh | персонал | ||
The word "персонал" can also mean "personnel" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | кызматкерлер | ||
Tajik | кормандон | ||
The word "кормандон" (staff) is also used in Tajik to refer to a crutch or a stick. | |||
Turkmen | işgärler | ||
Uzbek | xodimlar | ||
In Uzbek, the word 'xodimlar' can also refer to the employees of an organization or enterprise. | |||
Uyghur | خىزمەتچىلەر | ||
Hawaiian | limahana | ||
The word 'limahana' can also refer to a person who holds a staff or a position of authority. | |||
Maori | kaimahi | ||
'Kaimahi' comes from the Proto-Polynesian word 'taŋatamaŋahī', meaning 'to take care of people'. | |||
Samoan | aufaigaluega | ||
The word "aufaigaluega" can also mean 'work' or 'job' in Samoan, and is derived from "au" (work, labor) and "faigaluega" (work, labor). | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | mga tauhan | ||
"Mga tauhan" (staff) is also used colloquially to refer to a group of people who regularly help or work with someone, such as a politician's staff or an actor's entourage. |
Aymara | pirsunala | ||
Guarani | mba'apohára | ||
Esperanto | personaro | ||
An alternative meaning of "personaro" is "personnel". | |||
Latin | virgam | ||
In ancient Rome, 'virgam' also referred to a 'rod' used as a symbol of authority or as a punishment. |
Greek | προσωπικό | ||
"Προσωπικό" in Greek can also refer to a person's face, appearance, or demeanor. | |||
Hmong | cov neeg ua haujlwm | ||
The word "cov neeg ua haujlwm" can also mean "the people who are helping". | |||
Kurdish | darik | ||
The word 'darik' is also used to refer to a shepherd's crook or a walking stick. | |||
Turkish | personel | ||
The Turkish word "personel" is derived from the French word "personnel", which originally meant "relating to persons" or "personal." | |||
Xhosa | abasebenzi | ||
In Xhosa, 'abasebenzi' also denotes individuals who perform tasks or hold positions within an organisation or institution. | |||
Yiddish | שטעקן | ||
The Yiddish word "שטעקן" can also mean "stick" or "pole". | |||
Zulu | abasebenzi | ||
Abasebenzi means both "staff" and "labourers" in Zulu. | |||
Assamese | কৰ্মচাৰী | ||
Aymara | pirsunala | ||
Bhojpuri | करमचारी | ||
Dhivehi | މުވައްޒަފުން | ||
Dogri | अमला | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | mga tauhan | ||
Guarani | mba'apohára | ||
Ilocano | empleado | ||
Krio | wokman | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ستاف | ||
Maithili | कर्मचारी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯩꯁꯨ | ||
Mizo | thawktu | ||
Oromo | hojjettoota waajjira tokkoo | ||
Odia (Oriya) | କର୍ମଚାରୀ | ||
Quechua | llamkaqkuna | ||
Sanskrit | कर्मकरगणः | ||
Tatar | персонал | ||
Tigrinya | ሰራሕተኛታት | ||
Tsonga | vatirhi | ||