Updated on March 6, 2024
The concept of 'transfer' transcends mere physical movement, embedding itself deeply within cultural, economic, and social exchanges across the globe. This multifaceted term, signifying the passage from one place, person, or condition to another, plays a pivotal role in our understanding of migration, learning, and the transmission of ideas and goods. Historically, the ability to transfer knowledge and commodities effectively has been a cornerstone of civilizations, fostering advancements and connections that have shaped our world. In today's digital age, the significance of transfer touches everything from data management to international finance. Knowing how to articulate 'transfer' in different languages not only bridges linguistic gaps but also opens doors to diverse cultural understandings and global inclusivity. For instance, in Spanish, it's 'transferencia,' in French, 'transfert,' and in Japanese, '転送 (Tensō).' This linguistic richness underlines the universal relevance of the concept, inviting us to explore the myriad ways 'transfer' integrates into different cultures and linguistic landscapes.
Below are more translations of 'transfer' that highlight its global significance:
Afrikaans | oordrag | ||
The word "oordrag" is derived from the Dutch word "overdracht", which also means "transfer", and can also refer to a "handing over" or "conveyance". | |||
Amharic | ማስተላለፍ | ||
The Amharic word "ማስተላለፍ" can also mean "to carry over" or "to convey". | |||
Hausa | canja wuri | ||
In Hausa, 'canja wuri' also means 'to escape' or 'to flee'. | |||
Igbo | nyefe | ||
In Igbo, the word "nyefe" also means "to take from one place to another." | |||
Malagasy | famindrana | ||
Derived from the Malay word famihindrana, "famindrana" also refers to an exchange of objects. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kusamutsa | ||
The word "kusamutsa" may refer to the transfer of money, property, or other goods. | |||
Shona | chinja | ||
The word "chinja" is sometimes used as a term of respect when addressing an elder or a person of authority. | |||
Somali | wareejin | ||
Wareejin is also a type of animal, a hare. | |||
Sesotho | phetiso | ||
The word "phetiso" can also refer to a fee paid for transferring property. | |||
Swahili | uhamisho | ||
Uhamisho can also refer to a relocation or change of residence. | |||
Xhosa | ukudlulisa | ||
The word “ukudlulisa” also means “to be removed” or "to relocate". | |||
Yoruba | gbigbe | ||
The Yoruba word 'gbigbe' also means 'to move' or 'to carry'. | |||
Zulu | ukudlulisa | ||
The word "ukudlulisa" in Zulu is related to the verb "ukudlula," meaning "to pass by or through". | |||
Bambara | ka ci | ||
Ewe | tsɔ yi teƒe bubu | ||
Kinyarwanda | ihererekanyabubasha | ||
Lingala | kotinda esika mosusu | ||
Luganda | okusindika | ||
Sepedi | fetišetša | ||
Twi (Akan) | mane | ||
Arabic | نقل | ||
In Arabic, "نقل" can also refer to a form of traditional folk poetry. | |||
Hebrew | לְהַעֲבִיר | ||
The verb "להעביר" also means to "cause to pass," as in "to pass a law" or "to pass sentence." | |||
Pashto | لیږدول | ||
لیږدول can also metaphorically refer to the act of assigning a task or responsibility to another person or entity. | |||
Arabic | نقل | ||
In Arabic, "نقل" can also refer to a form of traditional folk poetry. |
Albanian | transferimi | ||
The word "transferimi" in Albanian can also refer to a "file transfer" or a "money transfer". | |||
Basque | transferentzia | ||
The word "transferentzia" comes from the Latin word "transferre", which means "to carry across" or "to transfer". This Latin root is also found in many other languages, including English and French. The Basque word for "transfer" can also be used to refer to the movement of heat or energy from one place to another, as in a heat exchanger or a transformer. | |||
Catalan | transferència | ||
The Catalan word "transferència" (transfer) also means "transference" (of an emotion from one person to another), coming from the Latin word "transferre" (to carry across). | |||
Croatian | prijenos | ||
"Prijenos" can also mean "pregnancy" in Croatian, deriving from the verb "prijeniti" (to transfer). | |||
Danish | overførsel | ||
In Danish, "overførsel" can also refer to financial transactions, legal assignments, or the act of bringing something into another place, such as knowledge or culture. | |||
Dutch | overdracht | ||
The Dutch word "overdracht" derives from the Middle Dutch "overdraghen", meaning "to carry across". | |||
English | transfer | ||
The word "transfer" originated from the Latin word "transferre," meaning "to carry across" or "to convey." | |||
French | transfert | ||
In French, 'transfert' can refer to the psychoanalytic concept of transference as well as the transfer of funds or data. | |||
Frisian | oerdrage | ||
The Frisian word "oerdrage" is cognate with the English word "portage", and the Old Norse word "burðr". | |||
Galician | transferir | ||
"Transferir" means "to transfer" in English, but it also means "to move" or "to change" in Galician. | |||
German | transfer | ||
The German word "Transfer" also means "transfer" or "move". | |||
Icelandic | flytja | ||
'Fyltja' is a term in Icelandic chess, meaning 'castling' (the manoeuvre of the king and one of the rooks). | |||
Irish | aistriú | ||
The word 'aistriú' is derived from the Latin word 'transferre', meaning 'to carry across'. | |||
Italian | trasferimento | ||
The word "trasferimento" can also mean "removal" or "exile". | |||
Luxembourgish | iwwerweisen | ||
The word "iwwerweisen" can also mean to "send" or "to refer". | |||
Maltese | trasferiment | ||
Maltese "trasferiment" derives from Italian "trasferimento", from Latin "trans-ferre", meaning "to carry across". | |||
Norwegian | overføre | ||
Overføre can also mean 'to exaggerate' or 'to overstate'. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | transferir | ||
Transferir is derived from the Latin "transferre" and means "to carry across". | |||
Scots Gaelic | gluasad | ||
"Gluasad" in Scots Gaelic is cognate with "closure", and originally had a more literal meaning of "shutting" (e.g. "gluasad doruis", "shutting a door"). | |||
Spanish | transferir | ||
The Spanish verb "transferir" can also mean "to move" or "to bring over." | |||
Swedish | överföra | ||
The word "överföra" can also mean "to convey" or "to transmit" in Swedish. | |||
Welsh | trosglwyddo | ||
The Welsh word 'trosglwyddo' can also mean to 'transplant' or to 'hand over'. |
Belarusian | перадача | ||
In Belarusian, "перадача" can also mean "transmission", "gear" or "hand-over". | |||
Bosnian | transfer | ||
Transfers in Bosnian can also mean to transport or translate something. | |||
Bulgarian | прехвърляне | ||
In aviation, "прехвърляне" is the moment when the pilot releases the steering wheel and the plane continues flying in a straight line. The term can also mean "rollover" in financial transactions. | |||
Czech | převod | ||
The Czech word "převod" can also mean a conversion, a transformation, or a transmission. | |||
Estonian | üleandmine | ||
In Estonian, "üleandmine" originally referred to the handover of land, but its meaning has since expanded to include any form of transfer of ownership or responsibility. | |||
Finnish | siirtää | ||
The word "siirtää" is also used in the sense of "to move" or "to relocate". | |||
Hungarian | átruházás | ||
The word "átruházás" can also refer to the act of delegating or assigning responsibility or authority to another person. | |||
Latvian | nodošana | ||
The word “nodošana” is derived from the Latin word “datum”, meaning “given”. It can also refer to the act of transferring information or data from one place to another. | |||
Lithuanian | perkėlimas | ||
The Lithuanian word "perkėlimas" can also refer to the transfer of information from one computer or device to another. | |||
Macedonian | трансфер | ||
''Трансфер'' is derived from the Latin word ''transferre'', meaning to carry or move across. | |||
Polish | transfer | ||
The word "transfer" can also refer to a file, a student moving to a different school, or a sum of money being moved from one account to another. | |||
Romanian | transfer | ||
In Romanian, "transfer" can also refer to a musical cadence or a surgical procedure. | |||
Russian | перечислить | ||
The verb "перечислить" in Russian language also means "to list" or "to itemize". | |||
Serbian | пренос | ||
In Slavic languages, the word "prenos" has additional meanings like 'carry-over' and 'attribution of responsibility' besides 'transfer' | |||
Slovak | prevod | ||
The word "prevod" in Slovak is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "perevodъ," which means "to lead across" or "to translate." | |||
Slovenian | prenos | ||
Prenoso, an archaic synonym for 'prenos', survives only in figurative sense. | |||
Ukrainian | передача | ||
In Russian, the word "передача" can also mean a TV or radio broadcast. |
Bengali | স্থানান্তর | ||
It derives from the Sanskrit word "sthāna" meaning "place" and "antara" meaning "between." | |||
Gujarati | સ્થાનાંતરણ | ||
In Gujarati, the word "સ્થાનાંતરણ" also means "displacement" or "movement from one place to another." | |||
Hindi | स्थानांतरण | ||
The word "स्थानांतरण" can also mean "displacement" or "migration". | |||
Kannada | ವರ್ಗಾವಣೆ | ||
The verb "transfer" is cognate with Sanskrit "ud-kram" which means "to step out". | |||
Malayalam | കൈമാറ്റം | ||
The Malayalam word "കൈമാറ്റം" (kaimata) is cognate to "hand" and "exchange" in English, indicating its origins in physical transfer or the exchange of goods. | |||
Marathi | हस्तांतरण | ||
In Sanskrit the word has a medical etymology and refers to 'placing the patient's body in another person's hands', and also to 'the movement of a limb' | |||
Nepali | स्थानान्तरण | ||
" स्थानान्तरण" is a Sanskrit term derived from "sthāna," meaning "place," indicating a change or movement of location or position. | |||
Punjabi | ਤਬਾਦਲਾ | ||
The word 'ਤਬਾਦਲਾ' (transfer) is derived from the Persian word 'tabadul', which means 'exchange' or 'change'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මාරු | ||
The word "මාරු" can also mean "exchange" or "substitute" in Sinhala. | |||
Tamil | பரிமாற்றம் | ||
The word "பரிமாற்றம்" (parimāṟṟam) is derived from the Sanskrit word "परिवर्तन" (parivartan), meaning "change" or "alteration". | |||
Telugu | బదిలీ | ||
The word "బదిలీ" also means "change" or "alteration" in Telugu. | |||
Urdu | منتقلی | ||
In its original Arabic, 'muntaqil' means 'to move' or 'to shift' something, and is often used in a context of relocation. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 转让 | ||
'转让' (transfer) originally meant 'to turn around' and later came to mean 'to transfer'. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 轉讓 | ||
轉讓 has an alternate meaning in Chinese: to turn a corner while driving. | |||
Japanese | 転送 | ||
「転送」の意味:その1 物資などを送ること。その2 データなどをコンピュータから別のコンピュータへと送ること。 | |||
Korean | 이전 | ||
The word "이전" also originally meant "to move house" and is related to the word "이사" ("moving"). | |||
Mongolian | шилжүүлэх | ||
The Mongolian word "шилжүүлэх" can also mean "to translate" or "to move". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | လွှဲပြောင်း | ||
Indonesian | transfer | ||
Transfer comes from Old French 'transferer', from Latin 'transferre', meaning 'to carry across'. | |||
Javanese | transfer | ||
The Javanese word "transfer" can also mean "to copy" or "to move". | |||
Khmer | ផ្ទេរ | ||
The word "ផ្ទេរ" (transfer) is also used in Khmer to refer to the act of moving something from one place to another. | |||
Lao | ການໂອນຍ້າຍ | ||
Malay | pindah | ||
"Pindah" (transfer) may also mean "moving house" or "shifting" in other contexts. | |||
Thai | โอน | ||
"โอน" is also a Thai word for "carry". | |||
Vietnamese | chuyển khoản | ||
The word "chuyển khoản" is derived from the Chinese word "轉款", which also means "transfer" or "remittance". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | paglipat | ||
Azerbaijani | köçürmə | ||
The word "köçürmə" in Azerbaijani can also mean "relocation", "migration", or "deportation". | |||
Kazakh | аудару | ||
"Аударту" means "translation" and "retelling" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | өткөрүп берүү | ||
Tajik | интиқол | ||
The word "интиқол" (transfer) in Tajik also has the meanings "transition" and "conveyance". | |||
Turkmen | geçirmek | ||
Uzbek | o'tkazish | ||
The word "o'tkazish" can also refer to transferring information or data. | |||
Uyghur | يۆتكەش | ||
Hawaiian | hoʻoili | ||
The word "hoʻoili" has alternate meanings such as "to convey" or "to transmit". | |||
Maori | whakawhitinga | ||
"Whakawhitinga" is the Māori word for "transfer" but can also mean "exchange" or "delivery". | |||
Samoan | faaliliuina | ||
In Samoan, 'fa'a-liliu-ina' literally means 'to make a turn' or 'to change direction'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | paglipat | ||
The Tagalog word "paglipat" can also mean "change of residence" or the "relocation of a population group". |
Aymara | maysarstayaña | ||
Guarani | mbohasa | ||
Esperanto | translokigo | ||
The Esperanto word "translokigo" can also refer to the act of translating something into another language. | |||
Latin | translatio | ||
In late antiquity, translatio studii (“transfer of study”) referred to the preservation of classical Greek learning in the Latin-speaking West. |
Greek | μεταφορα | ||
Μεταφορά comes from the verb "φέρω", which means "to bear", and the prefix "μετα-", which can mean "change" or "across". | |||
Hmong | hloov chaw | ||
Hmong word "hloov chaw" can also mean "exchange" or "trade". | |||
Kurdish | derbaskirin | ||
"Derbaskirin" originated from the Persian word "tabadol" (exchange, interchange) and was assimilated into Kurdish language | |||
Turkish | aktar | ||
The word "Aktar" in Turkish has its roots in the Arabic word "Naql" meaning "to carry" or "to move" and also refers to the occupation of a pharmacist. | |||
Xhosa | ukudlulisa | ||
The word “ukudlulisa” also means “to be removed” or "to relocate". | |||
Yiddish | אַריבערפירן | ||
The Yiddish word "אַריבערפירן" originally meant "to carry over", but its meaning has since expanded to include "to translate" and "to transport". | |||
Zulu | ukudlulisa | ||
The word "ukudlulisa" in Zulu is related to the verb "ukudlula," meaning "to pass by or through". | |||
Assamese | স্থানান্তৰ | ||
Aymara | maysarstayaña | ||
Bhojpuri | स्थानांतरण | ||
Dhivehi | ބަދަލުކުރުން | ||
Dogri | ट्रांसफर | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | paglipat | ||
Guarani | mbohasa | ||
Ilocano | iyakar | ||
Krio | transfa | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | گواستنەوە | ||
Maithili | स्थानांतरण | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯡꯥꯗꯣꯈꯄ | ||
Mizo | sawn | ||
Oromo | dabarsuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ସ୍ଥାନାନ୍ତର | ||
Quechua | astay | ||
Sanskrit | स्थानांतरण | ||
Tatar | күчерү | ||
Tigrinya | ምምሕልላፍ | ||
Tsonga | hundzisela | ||