Working in Different Languages
Discover 'Working' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'working' holds immense significance in our daily lives, as it represents the effort and dedication we put into our activities, jobs, and relationships. It's a cultural cornerstone, symbolizing the value of productivity and the pursuit of personal growth. Understanding the translation of 'working' in different languages can open doors to new experiences and connections around the world.
Did you know that the English word 'work' originates from the Old English 'wyrcan,' meaning 'to operate' or 'to perform'? This term has evolved over centuries, maintaining its relevance in various societies and eras. By knowing the equivalent terms in other languages, you demonstrate respect for cultural diversity and foster better communication.
For instance, in Spanish, 'working' translates to 'trabajando.' In French, it's 'travaillant,' while in German, it's 'arbeitend.' These variations showcase the unique linguistic landscapes of different nations, inviting us to explore and appreciate their distinct identities.
Working
Working in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | werk | ||
| "Werk" can also mean "pain" or "labor (birth)" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | መሥራት | ||
| Hausa | aiki | ||
| The word "aiki" in Hausa can also mean "to do" or "to perform" an action. | |||
| Igbo | na-arụ ọrụ | ||
| The Igbo word "na-arụ ọrụ" can also refer to "effort" or "activity" in a general sense, not necessarily limited to work-related tasks. | |||
| Malagasy | miasa | ||
| In the Mahafaly dialect it also refers to the process of a young man building up his reputation and prestige in order to marry and form his own household. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kugwira ntchito | ||
| Shona | kushanda | ||
| The word "kushanda" in Shona also means "to be in use, to be employed, or to be engaged in a particular activity." | |||
| Somali | shaqeeya | ||
| In addition to meaning "working," "shaqeeya" can also refer to a type of traditional Somali dance. | |||
| Sesotho | sebetsa | ||
| Derived from Proto-Bantu *sɛ́bɛ́tsɑ̀, a term related to 'to make' or 'to create'. | |||
| Swahili | kufanya kazi | ||
| The Swahili word "kufanya kazi" also means "to strive" or "to exert effort". | |||
| Xhosa | iyasebenza | ||
| "Iyasebenza" is rooted in "sebenza" (to work) which in turn comes from the word "ebenza" (work). | |||
| Yoruba | ṣiṣẹ | ||
| "Ṣiṣẹ" derives from "iṣẹ," meaning "work" or "task," and is further related to "ṣe," meaning "to do" or "to make." | |||
| Zulu | ukusebenza | ||
| In addition to "working," ukusebenza can also mean "to operate" or "to function." | |||
| Bambara | baara | ||
| Ewe | le dɔwɔm | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gukora | ||
| Lingala | kosala mosala | ||
| Luganda | okukola | ||
| Sepedi | go šoma | ||
| Twi (Akan) | reyɛ adwuma | ||
Working in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | العمل | ||
| The word "العمل" in Arabic can also mean "deed", such as in the phrase "good deeds" (الأعمال الصالحة). | |||
| Hebrew | עובד | ||
| The word 'עובד' can also mean 'servant' or 'worshipper' in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | کار کول | ||
| The Pashto word "کار کول" also has a colloquial meaning of "to carry out a task or mission", with "کار" meaning "deed" or "task" and "کول" meaning "to carry" or "to do". | |||
| Arabic | العمل | ||
| The word "العمل" in Arabic can also mean "deed", such as in the phrase "good deeds" (الأعمال الصالحة). | |||
Working in Western European Languages
| Albanian | duke punuar | ||
| The Albanian word "duke punuar" can mean either "working" or "while working". It shares an etymology with the preposition "duke" and the verb "punoj". | |||
| Basque | lanean | ||
| The word 'lanean' in Basque can also refer to 'in the path' or 'in the direction of'. | |||
| Catalan | treball | ||
| The Catalan word "treball" originates from the Latin word "tripalium," which referred to a three-legged stool used as a torture device for slaves. | |||
| Croatian | radeći | ||
| "Radeći" can also mean "while" when used as a conjunction in a subordinate clause. | |||
| Danish | arbejder | ||
| The word "arbejder" also has an alternate meaning of "member of the working class" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | werken | ||
| In Limburgish and Flemish dialects, 'werken' can also refer to 'cooking'. | |||
| English | working | ||
| The word "working" derives from the Old English word "weorc", meaning "pain" or "suffering". | |||
| French | travail | ||
| In French, | |||
| Frisian | wurkje | ||
| "Wurkje" is related to the English word "work", but also means "to act" or "to function" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | traballando | ||
| Galician "traballando" comes from Medieval Latin "trabaculare," meaning "to fasten with a bar" or "to secure." | |||
| German | arbeiten | ||
| Arbeiten, like other similar words such as 'operari' or 'εργάζομαι' likely stems from Proto-Indo-European roots. | |||
| Icelandic | að vinna | ||
| The Icelandic word "að vinna" can also mean "to gain" or "to acquire," reflecting its Indo-European roots. | |||
| Irish | ag obair | ||
| 'Ag obair', meaning 'working' in Irish, also derives from the Irish word 'obaid', meaning 'vessel' or 'utensil', and is related to the English word 'operate' | |||
| Italian | lavorando | ||
| «Lavorando» derives from the Latin «laborare», meaning «to toil» or «to suffer». | |||
| Luxembourgish | schaffen | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "schaffen" is a loanword from German, where "schaffen" also means "to create" or "to make". | |||
| Maltese | xogħol | ||
| The term "xogħol" is possibly derived from the Arabic word "shughl" denoting "occupation, concern," or from the Sicilian equivalent " travagghiu", as a possible cognate of the Italian "travail" signifying "toil, labour". | |||
| Norwegian | jobber | ||
| I jobber med noe is a synonym for the more common jeg arbeider med noe. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | trabalhando | ||
| Scots Gaelic | ag obair | ||
| "Ag obair" can also be used to refer to "giving birth." | |||
| Spanish | trabajando | ||
| Trabajar derives from the Latin "tripalium", meaning "instrument of torture," and also refers to the three poles of a tripod. | |||
| Swedish | arbetssätt | ||
| While it is still used in this sense, "arbetssätt" increasingly means "method of work" as well as "working." | |||
| Welsh | gweithio | ||
| The word "gweithio" in Welsh also implies "causing to become" or "forming" in some cases. | |||
Working in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | працуе | ||
| The word "працуе" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *orbota, meaning "service" or "corvée". | |||
| Bosnian | radi | ||
| "Radi" also means "for the sake of" or "because of". | |||
| Bulgarian | работещ | ||
| The word "работещ" in Bulgarian can have an alternate meaning "working class". | |||
| Czech | pracovní | ||
| In addition to "working", pracovni can also mean "business" or "employment, " with the plural "pracovni" meaning "works." | |||
| Estonian | töötavad | ||
| The Estonian word "töötavad" also means "functional". | |||
| Finnish | toimi | ||
| Toimi is derived from the Proto-Finnic verb *toime- ('to act, to work') and is cognate with Estonian toimima ('to function'). | |||
| Hungarian | dolgozó | ||
| Dolgozó is a gerund form of the verb "dolgozni" (to work) and it can also mean "worker" or "employee". | |||
| Latvian | strādā | ||
| "Strādā" is cognate with the Slavic words for "suffering" and "pain." | |||
| Lithuanian | darbo | ||
| The word "darbo" in Lithuanian also means "labor" or "workforce". | |||
| Macedonian | работи | ||
| The word 'работи' also has the meaning of 'things'. | |||
| Polish | pracujący | ||
| The word "pracujący" can also refer to a person who is capable of working or fit for work. | |||
| Romanian | lucru | ||
| The alternate meaning for 'lucru', which is uncommon, is 'thing'. | |||
| Russian | за работой | ||
| The phrase "за работой" in Russian can also mean "at work" or "during work." | |||
| Serbian | рад | ||
| Serbian 'рад' also means 'happy' in Russian, the same root being behind the English word 'dear' | |||
| Slovak | pracujúci | ||
| Pracující (literally 'labourers') is also an obsolete name for the working class or organised workers. | |||
| Slovenian | delujoče | ||
| The word "delujoče" also means "effective" or "producing the desired result". | |||
| Ukrainian | робочий | ||
Working in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কাজ | ||
| The Bengali word 'কাজ' (kaaj) can also refer to a specific task or duty, or to a job or occupation. | |||
| Gujarati | કામ કરે છે | ||
| Hindi | काम कर रहे | ||
| Hindi word "काम कर रहे" can also refer to "operating" or "functioning" in an abstract or practical sense. | |||
| Kannada | ಕೆಲಸ | ||
| The word "ಕೆಲಸ" is also used to describe a task or job, or the act of performing an action. | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്നു | ||
| Marathi | काम करत आहे | ||
| The Marathi verb "काम करत आहे" not only means "working" but also refers to "doing a task or a job" or "performing an action". | |||
| Nepali | काम गर्दै | ||
| The term 'working' may refer to performing assigned tasks but also to putting effort into improving something | |||
| Punjabi | ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨਾ | ||
| The word 'ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨਾ' can also be interpreted as 'doing service', emphasizing the value of contributing to society. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වැඩ කරනවා | ||
| Tamil | வேலை | ||
| "வேலை" can also mean a job or task, or even a role or position within a company or organization. | |||
| Telugu | పని | ||
| The word "పని" is also used to refer to a task, chore, job, or function. | |||
| Urdu | کام کرنا | ||
| کام کرنا originates from the Sanskrit word 'karma', meaning 'deeds' or 'actions'. | |||
Working in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 加工 | ||
| The original meaning of the Chinese character “加工” is “adding something to” and later took the meaning “processing” (as in processing materials and making products). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 加工 | ||
| 加工 is also used in the sense of "processing" or "manufacturing". | |||
| Japanese | ワーキング | ||
| The word "ワーキング" (working) in Japanese can also mean "functioning" or "operating". | |||
| Korean | 일 | ||
| 일 can be an abbreviation for 일자리 (job) or 일이요 (work) | |||
| Mongolian | ажиллаж байна | ||
| The word "ажиллаж байна" can also mean "to be busy" or "to be engaged in an activity". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အလုပ်လုပ်နေတယ် | ||
Working in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kerja | ||
| The Indonesian word | |||
| Javanese | makarya | ||
| "Makarya" also means "to study" or "to pray" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ធ្វើការ | ||
| The Khmer word “ធ្វើការ” also means “performing a function” and is used to describe inanimate objects or abstract concepts doing something. | |||
| Lao | ເຮັດວຽກ | ||
| Malay | bekerja | ||
| The word 'bekerja' originates from Sanskrit, where it meant 'to perform an action'. | |||
| Thai | ทำงาน | ||
| "ทำงาน" can also refer to the process of doing something or creating something, as in "ทำงานศิลปะ" (doing art). | |||
| Vietnamese | đang làm việc | ||
| The verb "đang làm việc" can also mean "in progress" or "under construction". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nagtatrabaho | ||
Working in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | işləyir | ||
| The word "işləyir" in Azerbaijani can also mean "being in operation", "functioning", or "being active". | |||
| Kazakh | жұмыс істейді | ||
| Kyrgyz | иштеп жатат | ||
| Tajik | кор | ||
| The word "кор" (working) is also used to refer to the process of "doing" or "making" something. | |||
| Turkmen | işlemek | ||
| Uzbek | ishlaydigan | ||
| The word "ishlaydigan" has a similar root to "ish", which means "work," and conveys the ongoing or habitual nature of the action. | |||
| Uyghur | ئىشلەۋاتىدۇ | ||
Working in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | e hana ana | ||
| Hana can also refer to a particular job, duty, or occupation | |||
| Maori | mahi | ||
| The Maori word "mahi" also means "to strive" or "to exert oneself". | |||
| Samoan | galue | ||
| Galue is related to the word 'galu', meaning 'movement' or 'wave'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nagtatrabaho | ||
Working in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | irnaqkasa | ||
| Guarani | mba'apokuaa | ||
Working in International Languages
| Esperanto | laborante | ||
| The Esperanto word "laborante" is derived from the Latin word "laborans", meaning "toiling" or "suffering". | |||
| Latin | working | ||
| The Latin word "working", "opus", also means a literary or musical composition. | |||
Working in Others Languages
| Greek | εργαζόμενος | ||
| The word "εργαζόμενος" also means "doing work" or "having a profession or employment" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | ua haujlwm | ||
| The word "ua haujlwm" in Hmong has alternate meanings such as "to do a job" or "to make a living". | |||
| Kurdish | dixebitin | ||
| The term "dixebitin" may be related to the root "deb," meaning "to strive" or "to exert oneself," indicating the concept of effort involved in labor. | |||
| Turkish | çalışma | ||
| In Ottoman Turkish, "çalışma" meant "to turn, to revolve," and later, "to move, to go." | |||
| Xhosa | iyasebenza | ||
| "Iyasebenza" is rooted in "sebenza" (to work) which in turn comes from the word "ebenza" (work). | |||
| Yiddish | ארבעטן | ||
| The Yiddish word “ארבעטן” (arbeiten) comes from the German word “arbeiten,” which itself derives from the Latin “arare” (to plow) and the Proto-Indo-European root “*ar” (to plow, till) | |||
| Zulu | ukusebenza | ||
| In addition to "working," ukusebenza can also mean "to operate" or "to function." | |||
| Assamese | কাম কৰি থকা | ||
| Aymara | irnaqkasa | ||
| Bhojpuri | कामकाजी | ||
| Dhivehi | މަސައްކަތްކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | नौकरीशुदा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nagtatrabaho | ||
| Guarani | mba'apokuaa | ||
| Ilocano | agtar-tarabaho | ||
| Krio | wokin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کارکردن | ||
| Maithili | काम करए बला | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯕꯛ ꯇꯧꯔꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hnathawk | ||
| Oromo | hojjechuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କାମ କରୁଛି | ||
| Quechua | llamkay | ||
| Sanskrit | करोति | ||
| Tatar | эшләү | ||
| Tigrinya | ምስራሕ | ||
| Tsonga | ku tirha | ||
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