Staff in Different Languages
Discover 'Staff' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
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.
Staff
Staff in Sub-Saharan African 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 | ||
Staff in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| 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". | |||
Staff in Western European Languages
| 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. | |||
Staff in Eastern European Languages
| 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.” | |||
Staff in South Asian Languages
| 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 | |||
Staff in East Asian Languages
| 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 | ||
Staff in South East Asian Languages
| 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 | ||
Staff in Central Asian Languages
| 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 | ||
Staff in Pacific Languages
| 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. | |||
Staff in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pirsunala | ||
| Guarani | mba'apohára | ||
Staff in International Languages
| 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. | |||
Staff in Others Languages
| 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 | ||