Translation Blog

Several Chinese summer festivals take place every year. If you are travelling to the country this summer, keep your eye out for these events. And in preparation, why not learn some must know words and phrases? Getting up to date on must know words will help you communicate with the people you encounter and get an authentic feel for the Chinese culture.

This article reviews the Chinese words you should get to know on your trip and highlights some of the best festivals worth attending.

What Chinese Summer Festivals Should I Attend?

Before we reveal the must know words and phrases for your visit to China, here is a closer look at some Chinese summer festivals you may want to attend:

• The Dragon Boat Festival: The Dragon Boat Festival happens on different dates in mid-June. The 2000-year-old tradition involves dragon boat races, health-related customs and the honouring of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and politician. It is customary to eat sticky rice dumplings during the celebration.
• Double Seventh Day: Also known as Chinese Valentine’s Day, Doble Seventh Day happens on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. It falls around mid-August and is based on a well-known story about a weaver girl and an ox herd. It is celebrated by giving gifts like flowers and chocolates and going on dates with romantic partners.

What are the Must Know Words? 

If you plan on visiting China to enjoy the summer festivals, familiarising yourself with the Chinese language is essential. Don’t worry, though – you don’t need to be fluent in Chinese! With our handy must know words and phrases, you’ll have a basic grasp of all words needed to enjoy the celebrations and festivities.

In the below sections, we provide the meaning of the Chinese words in English and their Chinese translation. If you are taking the trip, you may also want to learn some Chinese letters, but that’s a lesson for another day! Now, let’s suggest the must know words and phrases that will come in handy when you are at festivals and want to wish somebody well.

• Happy Holidays: It’s easy to see why “happy holidays” would be must know words during a celebration. The Chinese translation is pronounced “guonian hao” and can be used at all Chinese summer festivals.
• Wishing You Good Fortune: It’s customary in Chinese culture to wish each other good fortune during a celebration. This is expressed in the Chinese word “gongxifacai”, which means “wishing you prosperity and wealth”.
• May All Your Wishes Come True: These are other must know words you will want to get familiar with when you learn Chinese. The Chinese translation is “zhu xinxiang-shicheng”, a common phrase you’ll hear locals use during the festivities.
• Wishing You Good Health: Good health and Chinese culture go hand in hand. To wish someone wellness, say “jing shenti jiankang”. The literal translation of this phrase means “in good health or body”.

Four Must Know Chinese Foods

Chinese foods are other must know words for anyone attending Chinese summer festivals. After all, you will want to know what you are eating and ordering when you attend the celebrations. Some Chinese food-related terms you should get familiar with include:

• Dumplings: Dumplings are a Chinese culture classic! The word for them is “tangyuan”.
• Fish: Fish signifies surplus and wealth in Chinese culture. Unlike many of these must know words, it is also pretty simple to say in the Chinese language—the word is “yu”.
• Spring Rolls: When in China, you won’t want to miss out on a chance to eat authentic spring rolls. When asking for them in the Chinese language, say “chunjuan”.
• Fruit: Several fruits are popular in Chinese culture. These include tangerines (“juzi”), oranges (“chengzi”), and pomelo (“youzi”).

Seven Other Must Know Chinese Words

The above words and phrases are excellent knowledge when attending Chinese summer festivals. However, learning some more general Chinese terms is also beneficial to help you get around the country while on your travels. Here are seven examples to perfect before your holiday:

• Hello: It’s easy to see why hello is one of China’s must know words. There are at least thirteen different ways to say “hello” in Chinese, but the most basic and easiest to master before your trip is “ni hao”.
• No: In China, you may get offers from pushy cab drivers and salesmen. That’s why no is an essential word to learn. “Bu yao to” means “don’t want it” or “don’t need it”. The Chinese word “bu xie xie” is a little more polite and means “no thank you”.
• Right or Correct: Knowing how to say no in Chinese is helpful, but you must also learn to say yes! The word “dui” can substitute “yeah”, “right”, or “correct” in the Chinese language.
• Thank You: You will want to show people that you are polite. You can do so with the must know word “xie xie”, which means “thank you”. Place these words after you say “yes” to ask for something politely.
• Goodbye: To say goodbye in the Chinese language, say “zai jian”.
• Toilet: When you learn Chinese, you will definitely want to find out how to say toilet. It’s “cesuo”. If you really want to up your game, you can ask, “Where is the toilet?” by saying the phrase, “Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ”.
• Excuse Me: China tends to have crowded streets. You will make your way around more easily if you are familiar with the term “dui bu qi”, which translates to “excuse me”.

 A Word About Chinese Letters

We are not going into Chinese letters in this article—the focus of this page is to cover the must know words and phrases for your next trip. However, we won’t leave you completely in the dark! Here are a few tips for understanding Chinese letters before you attend any Chinese summer festivals:

• Break Them Down: Chinese letters are made of components. If you break them down, they will be easier to understand.
• Understand Chinese Culture: Understanding Chinese culture can help with translation: Study Chinese culture to discover how Chinese letters evolved to aid your understanding.
• Practice Makes Perfect: You will learn Chinese letters better if you write them often. Concentrate on must know words to make communicating easier.

How Renaissance Translations Can Help

Attending any of the Chinese summer festivals will provide much fun! However, the Chinese language is not easy to master. You have your work cut out for you trying to perfect the pronunciation of these words before your summer holiday.

If you are struggling to understand any of these must know words and phrases, Renaissance Translations can provide professional Chinese translation services. We can assist you if you are trying to learn Chinese or need to communicate with Chinese speakers, whether it be for business or pleasure. Contact us for the assistance you need in the Chinese language, so you are sure to have a great trip to China.

The Amharic language (also known as Abyssinian, Amhara, Amarinya, or Amarigna) is one of the five official languages of Ethiopia. Amharic has remarkably served as the official Ethiopia language for the government since the fourteenth century. It is written using the Amharic alphabet, a form of the Ge’ez script, and is a fascinating language to learn about.

This article gives a brief overview of the Amharic language. You’ll learn where it is spoken, the origins of the language, and how translations to Amharic can help your business.

Origins of the Amharic Language

The Amharic language has a long history, having been spoken for over 2000 years. The name “Amharic” derives from the Amhara region in northern Ethiopia, where the language originated. It also evolved from the now-dead language Ge’ez. Furthermore, Cushitic languages in the region influenced Amharic over the past 2000 years.

Amharic has only been a written language for the past 500 years and uses the Ge’ez alphabet, also known as Fidel, which means letter. Some surviving songs and poems were written using the Amharic alphabet in the fourteenth century. This was around the same time the language gained prominence as it became the language of the Ethiopian Government in the fourteenth century.

Nevertheless, Amharic was a common language across the region from the ninth century. Until 2000, it was also the sole official language of Ethiopia, sometimes previously referred to as the Ethiopia language. Today, four other official Ethiopian languages are spoken across the country: Afar, Oromo, Somali, and Tigrinya.

Countries Speaking the Amharic Language

There are around 80 languages spoken across Ethiopia; however, the Amharic language serves as a lingua franca. As of 2021, over 31 million people speak Amharic as their first language in Ethiopia, and an additional 25 million people are second-language speakers. This makes it the most widely spoken and written language of all Ethiopia language groups.

The predominant native language differs significantly by region in Ethiopia. Amharic is dominant in the Amhara region of the country, located in the north. It is also spoken by over 2.5 million emigrants worldwide and in some neighbouring countries, including Eritrea. It is thought that around 90,000 Eritreans speak Amharic and can understand the Amharic alphabet.

Moreover, followers of the Rastafari movement believe that the Amharic language is sacred and so often learn it as a second language. This means that a significant number of people in Jamaica understand Amharic. Consequently, numerous Reggae songs are performed and written in Amharic. The word Rastafari itself is Amharic, roughly translating to “chief to be feared.”

English to Amharic Translation Benefits & Challenges

The number of people who speak Amharic grows every year, with the number of first-language speakers increasing from 21.6 million in 2007 to 31 million in 2021. This continually growing audience means that the potential value of translating a text from English to Amharic increases with every passing year. Meanwhile, less than one per cent of Ethiopians speak English – 0.22%, to be precise!

Amharic is also the official language of business and commerce, the army, and local government administration. It is also the official language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. For this reason, translating into Amharic is critical to reaching a large Ethiopian audience. However, accurate and professional translation services for the Ethiopia language are challenging.

Translators must understand the three Amharic dialects – Gondar, Gojjami, and Showa – and know when each is appropriate. Linguists must also appreciate the unique Amharic alphabet, differences in word stress, gendered nouns, and an elaborate verb system. These discrepancies from English mean Amharic translations need to be left to professional translation agencies.

Renaissance Translations’ Amharic Translation Services

Renaissance Translations provides professional English to Amharic translation in all subject fields. When translating into Amharic, our expert linguists will ensure that the target text conveys the same message as the original. In addition, our DTP services account for text expansion and contraction when using the Amharic alphabet, ensuring your content both reads and looks professional.

We pride ourselves on working with professional Ethiopia language translators who can translate your project accurately. We have helped many global brands and NGOs worldwide with various types of content. If you’d like to know more about our translation services, contact our team or request a quote online on our website.

Across the world, language plays a massive role in forming cultural identities. Likewise, languages play a particularly significant role in the United Nations (UN). The UN is an intergovernmental organisation that aims to maintain friendly relations between member nations and has six official UN languages. These UN languages are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Clear communication on issues of global importance should be in place, and the UN languages have been chosen specifically for this purpose. At times, unofficial language can be used to make a statement. However, the information will be immediately interpreted into one of the official United Nations languages and ensure clear and concise communication.

This article will discuss the importance of each official UN language in more detail and why these languages were chosen to represent the member states. Each of the official UN languages also has its own language day, and you can learn more about the celebrations here!

1. The Arabic Language

The Arabic language is one of the official languages of the United Nations. Arabic is a Semitic language dating back to the 1st and 4th centuries CE. Unlike all other UN languages, Arabic wasn’t made an official language when the UN was first established in 1945. It was instead made an official UN language and working language for the General Assembly in 1973.

Arabic is the primary language of the Arab World and the sacred language of Islam. There are 32 varieties of Arabic today, and an estimated 422 million people speak some form of the language. In fact, it is the fifth most spoken language in the world and the fourth most used language online. Uniquely, Bloomberg Businessweek named Arabic as the fourth most useful language for business.

The Arabic Language Day is marked on 18 December. This coincides with the day in 1973 when the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Arabic as its sixth official language. The day celebrates this world language and promotes the growing cultural diversity across the globe.

2. The Chinese Language

Chinese is also one of the six official UN languages. The Chinese language is a group of languages that constitute the Sinitic branch of Sino-Tibetan languages. About 1.3 billion people speak some form of Chinese as their first language. While many native speakers consider the varieties of Chinese to belong to one language, linguists consider them to be different languages.

The version of Chinese used in United Nations communications is Mandarin. This is the official language of the Republic of China, adopted in the 1930s. Also known as Standard Chinese, Mandarin promotes simplified characters. The UN added Chinese to its list of official languages in 1945. Like Russian, Mandarin wasn’t made a working language until later, in 1973.

Like the UN languages already mentioned, the Chinese language also has its day of celebration. Chinese World Language Day falls on 20 April to pay tribute to Cangjie, a mythical figure who invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years ago. It falls in conjunction with Guyu, a traditional celebration of Cangjie in Chinese culture.

3. The English Language

Adopted in 1945, English is another official language of the United Nations, and the most spoken of all the UN languages. Various communities across every continent use English, making it another world language. According to 2016 statistics, 1.1 billion people speak English as their first or second language. It’s also the third most spoken native language, with 400 million native speakers worldwide.

English is a West Germanic language originally spoken in early medieval England. It has developed over more than 1,400 years and has transformed from old English to modern English versions. There are now many dialects of English spoken on all continents, including British English, American English, Canadian English, South African English, Australian English, and Indian English.

English Language Day falls on the 23 April each year. The date marks both the birthday and death day of the famous writer William Shakespeare. The day is part of the Department of Global Communications’ 2010 initiative to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity around the world.

4. The French Language

French has been one of the six official UN languages since the UN was founded in 1945. It was chosen as a language of the United Nations as it is widely used. In fact, French is an official language in 29 countries across multiple continents and is therefore considered a world language. There are about 274 million fluent speakers across the globe, of which 76 million are native French speakers.

Unsurprisingly, France has the highest number of native speakers, yet its global usage puts French as the second most spoken of all UN languages. In an article published by George Weber in Language Today, the French language reached second place in “The World’s 10 Most Influential Languages”. This is based on the number of speakers, the economic power of the countries that use the language, and the prestige associated with mastering the language.

French Language Day falls annually on 20 March to pay tribute to 20 March 1970, the day of formation of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT). Later, it became the International Organisation of the Francophiles (IOC). The organisation aims to strengthen and promote the French language and its values.

5. The Russian Language

The Russian language is an East Slavic language that originated in Russia. It belongs to the Indo-European language family and is widely spoken in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It was made one of the original languages of the United Nations in 1945. But unlike English, French, and Spanish, it wasn’t considered a working language of the General Assembly until 1968.

Russian was chosen as one of the UN languages as it is the most spoken Slavic language. There are an estimated 250 million speakers worldwide. It also has the highest number of native speakers in Europe and is the most disseminated language throughout Eurasia. It is the seventh most spoken language of native speakers worldwide and the eighth most spoken language in general.

Like the other official UN languages, Russian has its own world language day. Famously, Russian Language Day falls on 6 June. It coincides with the birthday of the great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin, who is considered the father of the Russian language.

6. The Spanish Language

The last on the list of official UN languages is Spanish, which has been officially used since 1945. The UN chose Spanish as one of its initial languages as Spanish is another world language. It is the primary language in 20 countries worldwide on several continents. This includes several member states of the United Nations, such as Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Spain.

Overall, there are an estimated 463 million native Spanish speakers worldwide. This makes Spanish the second most spoken language by native speakers globally, falling only after Mandarin. An additional 75 million people speak Spanish as a second language, making it the fourth most popular second language in the world. It is also the third most studied language worldwide!

Astonishingly, Spanish Language Day falls on the same day as the English language celebration on 23 April each year. This date has been chosen as it is the anniversary of the death of Miguel De Cervantes, a renowned Spanish writer. Likewise, it is a day that celebrates the awareness of the language throughout the United Nations and the world in general.

Renaissance Translations Translates the UN Languages & More 

The six official UN languages are each considered a world language. There widely spoken by United Nations member states, and the UN uses these core languages to ensure smooth communication when conducting global affairs.

If you need professional translation services in any of these languages or others, please contact Renaissance Translations. Our company is member of the Association of Translation Companies in England as well as SDL LSP Partner Programme. We offer professional translation in multiple language pairs such as English to French, French to Spanish, English to Chinese, English to Arabic or else. We are always there for you for all your translation needs, so get in touch today or request a quote online.

With French Language Day approaching on March 20th, we decided to provide you with some interesting facts about the French language. Did you know, in the English vocabulary, French is 30% of the root language spoken worldwide today? Do you enjoy speaking French?

Interestingly, it is one of the oldest world languages holding a reputation as one of the most attractive languages. No wonder everyone calls it the “language of love”. Now, let us give some love to our French patriots with eight fun interesting facts about the French language.

1. A lot of People Speak French

Over 274 million people speak the French language in the world. While it is not as common as Chinese, Spanish, or English, it remains popular. Moreover, out of the 274 million people, 212 million use the vocabulary daily as their first language. Additionally, one to five million people are speaking French as a second language.

2. The Majority of People Speaking French Do Not Live in France

Most people speaking French live in Africa and not France. The African continent is home to approximately 120 million people who speak the French language. In 29 African countries, the official language is French. These include Burundi, Mali, Senegal, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast. The language is spoken alongside the inhabitant’s indigenous languages.

3. The French Language is the Sixth Most Common Language on Internet

Are you running an online business? Then make sure to note this fun fact in the French language. In 2016, researchers found that 102,171,481 internet users are speaking French. At the time, as more users that are African came online, the number grew. Still, only 2.5% of the content on the web is in French. Therefore, if you want your business to reach wider audiences, make sure you include French content on your website. You may be surprised at your new customer base and how grows.

4. One-Third of the English Vocabulary in French

Interestingly, English is not unique as it takes a lot from other countries’ languages. Look at the famous quote of James Nicolle, “We do not borrow words. But on occasion, the English language pursued other languages down the alleyways to beat them unconscious of rifling their pockets for building a new vocabulary.”

One of the languages that English borrowed from is the French language. In fact, many sources claim that up to 45% of the words in the English language come from speaking French. Here are some examples:

• Abattoir
• Abandon
• Café
• Cabinet
• Infidel
• Infertile
• Similar and so the list goes on

5. For English Speakers, French is an Easy Language to Learn

After Spanish, with more straightforward grammar, the French language is easy to understand. As French and English have a lot of similarities in words, it is not as hard to understand them if you have an English-speaking background and start speaking French.

6. In the World, There Are around 100 million Native French Speakers

While there are more than 60 million people speaking the French language in France, you can find many different French communities around the globe ranging from Africa, Canada, Monaco, and Switzerland.

7. There Are Five Continents Where People Speak French

You can find English speakers worldwide, but the French language is also vocal on the five continents. In other words, there are people speaking French in North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

8. French is Growing Fast and Becoming Popular

While the French language is not commonly spoken by all people, more people want to learn and speak this language. The statistics show that over 500 million people will be speaking French by 2025. You can find more people speaking French every year, and the number keeps growing. Even the French Diplomatie website feels that French will become a spoken language by all, especially with the high birth rate in France alone. You may even find that the language will become widely spoken in Europe, taking over the German language by 2025.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, there are many more interesting facts in the French language we could mention, like the Academie Francaise. It has preserved the language since its creation by Cardinal Richelieu in 1634. The Academy comprises 40 members overseeing French for France and adding new words while changing others with modern terms for people who are speaking French.

Another fun fact is counting in the French language, as it is unclear how to pronounce the numbers between 80 to 99. In the English vocabulary, you say “eighty-three” while when speaking French, you say quatre-vingt-trois which means ‘four twenties’. Instead of saying ninety-nine, the French say four twenties, nineteen, or quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.

Renaissance Translations’ French Translation Services 

Our company offers high-quality and accurate French translation services across multiple industries including healthcare, business, manufacturing, information technology, and many more. With a network of over 5,000 professional translators, we can help you with your translation needs.

To guarantee a professional translator is always available when needed, we have pooled the talents of native translators internationally. Your partnership with Renaissance Translations comes with professional memberships such as ATC and SDL LSP Partner Programme. Get in touch today to discuss your French translation project, or a request a quote online on our website.