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 | ||
Rate this app!
Type in any word and see it translated into 104 languages. Where possible, you'll also get to hear its pronunciation in languages your browser supports. Our goal? To make exploring languages straightforward and enjoyable.
Turn words into a kaleidoscope of languages in a few simple steps
Just type the word you're curious about into our search box.
Let our auto-complete nudge you in the right direction to quickly find your word.
With a click, see translations in 104 languages and hear pronunciations where your browser supports audio.
Need the translations for later? Download all the translations in a neat JSON file for your project or study.
Unlock the full potential of your vocabulary with our Universal Word Finder. It’s the ultimate tool for enthusiastic gamers across all platforms.
Advance your communication by adding depth and clarity with this precise adjective finder. It’s a shortcut to more impactful language.
Step up your language game by engaging with an online pronunciation practice tool that offers diverse learning aids.
Type in your word and get translations in a flash. Where available, click to hear how it's pronounced in different languages, right from your browser.
Our smart auto-complete helps you quickly find your word, making your journey to translation smooth and hassle-free.
We've got you covered with automatic translations and audio in supported languages for every word, no need to pick and choose.
Looking to work offline or integrate translations into your project? Download them in a handy JSON format.
Jump into the language pool without worrying about costs. Our platform is open to all language lovers and curious minds.
It's simple! Type in a word, and instantly see its translations. If your browser supports it, you'll also see a play button to hear pronunciations in various languages.
Absolutely! You can download a JSON file with all the translations for any word, perfect for when you're offline or working on a project.
We're constantly growing our list of 3000 words. If you don't see yours, it might not be there yet, but we're always adding more!
Not at all! We're passionate about making language learning accessible to everyone, so our site is completely free to use.