"I love you" in Various Languages

"I love you" in Various Languages




Afrikaans : Ek is lief vir jou
: Ek het jou lief
Albanian : Te dua
: Te dashuroj
: Ti je zemra ime
Alsacien (Elsass) : Ich hoan dich gear
Amharic (Aethio.) : Afekrishalehou
: Afekrischalehou
Amharic (Ethiopian) : Ewedishalehu (male/female to female)
: Ewedihalehu (male/female to male)
American Sign Language : __
: __ ( )
: ( ) |__|
: |__| __ __ | |
: | |( )( )|__| __
: |__||__||__|| | / )
: | (__)(__) | / /
: | |/ /
: | / /
: \ /
Apache : Sheth she~n zho~n (nasalized vowels like French,
'~n' as in French 'salon')
Arabic (formal) : Ohiboke (male to female)
: Ohiboki (male to female)
: Ohibokoma (male or female to two males
or two females)
: Nohiboke (more than one male or females
to female)
: Nohiboka (male to male or female to male)
: Nohibokoma (male to male or female to two
males or two females)
: Nohibokom (male to male or female to more
than two males)
: Nohibokon (male to male or female to more
than two females)
Arabic (proper) : Ooheboki (male to female)
: Ooheboka (female to male)
Arabic : Ana behibak (female to male)
: Ana behibek (male to female)
: Ahebich (male to female)
: Ahebik (female to male)
: Ana ahebik
: Ib'n hebbak
: Ana ba-heb-bak
: Bahibak (female to male)
: Bahibik (male to female)
: Benhibak (more than one male or female to male)
: Benhibik (male to male or female to female)
: Benhibkom (male to male or female to more
than one male)
: Nhebuk (spoken to someone of importance)
Arabic (Umggs.) : Ana hebbek
Armenian : Yes kez si'rumem
Ashanti/Akan/Twi : Me dor wo
Assamese : Moi tomak bhal pau
Assyrian (east dialect) : ana buyanookh (female to male)
: ana buyanaakh (male to female)
Assyrian (west dialect) : ono korekhmalokh (female to male)
: ono korekh-hamnolakh (male to female)

Bangladeschi : Ami tomake walobashi
Basque : Maite zaitut
: Nere maitea ("My love/My darling")
Bassa : Mengweswe
Batak : Holong rohangku di ho
Bemba : Ndikufuna
Bengali : Aami tomaake bhaalo baashi
: Ami tomay bhalobashi
: Ami tomake bahlobashi
Berber : Lakh tirikh
Betazed : Imzadi
Bicol : Namumutan ta ka
Binary code : 011010010010000001101100011011110111011001100101
00100000011110010110111101110101
Bolivian Quechua : Qanta munani
Bosnian : Volim te
Braille : :..:| ..:| |..-.. .::":.., :.:;
Brazilian/Portuguese : Eu te amo
/Galician : Querote
: Amo-te (pronounced "Amu'-tee")
Breton : Ho karet a ran
: Karet a ran ac'hanoc'h
: Me a gar ac'hanoc'h
: Da garet a ran
: Karet a ran ac'hanout
: Me a gar ac'hanout
Bulgarian : Obicham te
: As te obeicham
: As te obicham
: Obozhavam te ("I love you very much")
Burmese : Chit pa de

Cajun : Mi aime jou
Cambodian : Kh_nhaum soro_lahn nhee_ah
: Bon sro lanh oon
Canadian French : Ch't'aime
: Ch'trip su' toe' ("I'm crazy for you")
: J'capote su' toe' ("I'm turned upside-down for you")
: Je t'aime ("I like you")
: Je t'adore ("I love you") (not really used in
a romantic or passionated way, it is mostly used
in family context, or for a pet, or a meal etc.)
Catalan : T'estimo (Catalonian)
: T'estim (Mallorcan)
: T'estime (Valencian)
: T'estim molt ("I love you a lot")
Cebuano : Gihigugma ko ikaw
Central Yup'ik : Assiramken ('r' is a voiced uvular fricative,
kind of like a German 'ch', except
voiced and pronounced a little
farther back in the mouth, nearer
to the throat)
Chaldean : Kibinakh (male to female)
: Kibanokh (female to male)
Chamoru (or Chamorro) : Hu guaiya hao
Cherokee : Aya gvgeyu'i nihi
Cheyenne : Ne mohotatse
Chichewa : Ndimakukonda
Chickasaw : Chiholloli (first 'i' nasalized)
Chinese : Gwa ai li (Amoy)
: Ngo oi nei (Cantonese)
: Wo oi nei ( " )
: Ngai oi gnee (Hakka)
: Ngai on ni ( " )
: Ai oi ngee ( " )
: Wa ai lu (Hokkien)
: Wo ai ni (Mandarin/Putonghua)
: Ngo ai nong (Wu)
Common Eldarin : Melinje^ edje^ (I love thee)
: Melinye^ edye^ (I love thee)
Corsican : Ti tengu cara (male to female)
: Ti tengu caru (female to male)
Creol : Mi aime jou
Croatian (familiar) : Ja te volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim te (used in common speech)
Croatian (formal) : Ja vas volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim vas (used in common speech)
: Ljubim te (in todays useage, "I kiss you",
'lj' pronounced like 'll' in
Spanish, one sound, 'ly'ish)
Croatian (old) : Ljubim te (may still be found in poetry)
Czech : Miluji te (a downwards pointing arrowhead
on top of the 'e' in te, which is
pronounced 'ye')
: Miluju te! (colloquial form)
: Ma'm te (velmi) ra'd (male speaker, "I like
you (very much)", often
used and prefered)
: Ma'm te (velmi) ra'da (female speaker)

Danish : Jeg elsker dig
Dhivehi : Varrah loabi vey
: Aharen, kalaa-dheke loabi-vameve (I love you)
: Aharen, kalaa-dheke varahh loabi-vameve
(I love you very much)
Dusun : Siuhang oku dia
Dutch : Ik hou van je
: Ik hou van jou
: Ik bemin je (old fashioned)
: Ik bemin jou ( " )
: Ik heb je lief ( " )
: Ik ben verliefd op je ("I am in love with you")
: Ik ben verliefd op jou ( " )
: Ik houd erg veel van jou ("I love you very
: Ik houd erg veel van je much")
: Ik vind je leuk ("I like you")
: Ik vind je aardig ( " )
: Ik vind je heel erg leuk ("I like you very
: Ik vind je heel aardig much")
: Ik zie je graag
: Ik mag jou wel ("I like you")
: Ik mag jou heel graag ("I like you very much")
(the last two are more superficial, thus more
suitable for male to male)

Ecuador Quechua : Canda munani
English : I love you
: I adore you
: I love thee (used only in Christian context)
Eritrean / Tigrinya : Afkireki (as said to a female)
: Afkireka (as said to a male)
Esperanto : Mi amas vin
Estonian : Mina armastan sind
: Ma armastan sind
Ethiopian : Afgreki'

Farsi (old) : Tora dust mi daram
Farsi : Tora dost daram ("I love you")
: Asheghetam
: Doostat daram ("I'm in love with you")
: Man asheghetam ("I'm in love with you")
Fijian : Au lomani iko (I love you)
: Au lomani iko vakalevu (I love you very much!)
: Au vinakati iko (I want you)
Filipino : Iniibig kita
: Mahal kita
Finnish (formal) : Mina" rakastan sinua
: Rakastan sinua
: Mina" pida"n sinusta ("I like you")
Finnish : (Ma") rakastan sua
: (Ma") tykka"a"n susta ("I like you")
French : Je t'aime ("I love you")
: Je t'adore ("I love you", stronger meaning
between lovers)
: J' t'aime bien ("I like you", meant for friends
and family, not for lovers)
French (formal) : Je vous aime

Gaelic : Ta gra agam ort
: Moo graugh hoo
Galician/Portuguese : Eu te amo
/Brazilian : Querote
Georgian : Miqvarhar (familiar)
: Me shen miqvarhar [MEh SHEN MI-(q pronounced
between k and g)-VURR-HURR]
: Miqvarharth (more respectful)
: Me thkven miqvarharth [MEh (t in breathing out)-
KVEN MI-(k/g)-VURR-HURR-(the same)]
German (formal) : Ich liebe Sie (rarely used)
German : Ich liebe dich
: Ich hab' dich lieb
: Ich hab dich lieb (not so classic and
conservative)
German dialects:
Bavarian (Bayrisch) : I moag di gern
(Bavaria/Bayern) : I mog di (right answer: "I di a")
: I lieb di
Berlin dialect : Ick liebe dir (Old, very old)
(Berlinerisch) : Ick liebe Dich
Berner-Deutsch : Ig liebe di
Bochumer : Ich lieb Dich!
Franconian (Fra"nkisch): Du gfa"llsd mer fai
(Franconia/Franken) : Bisd scho mai gouds freggerla (already in a
relationship)
: Mid dier ma"cherd ich a amol (sexually touched,
ment as a compliment, not litterally)
(the above 3 entries really mean "I like you",
a Franke would never say "I love you")
Friesian (Friesisch) : Ik hou fan dei (sp?)
: Ik hald fan dei
Hessian (Hessisch) : Isch habb disch libb
Ostfriesisch : Ick heb di leev
Saarla"ndisch : Isch hann disch lieb
Saxon (Sa"chsisch) : Isch liebdsch
Swabian (Schwa"bisch) : I mog di fei sauma"ssich (Literally "I like
you like a pig.")
: I mog di ganz arg (More formal, literally
"I like you very much!")
Swiss German : Ch'ha di ga"rn
(Schweizerdeutsch)
Vorarlberg dialect : I stand total uf di
(Vorarlbergerisch)
Gilbertese : Itangiriko (g is pronounced like "ng" in "singing")
Greek : Se agapo (spoken "s'agapo", g is lower case gamma)
: Eime eroteumenos mazi sou ("I'm in love with)
: Eime eroteumenos me 'sena (you", male to female)
: Eime eroteumeni mazi sou ("I'm in love with)
: Eime eroteumeni me 'sena (you", female to male)
: Se latrevo ("I adore you")
: Se thelo ("I want you", denotes sexual desire)
Greek (Arhea/Ancient) : Philo se
Greenlandic : Asavakit
Gronings : Ik hol van die
Guarani' : Rohiyu (ro-hai'-hyu)
Gujrati : Hoon tane pyar karoochhoon.
: Hoon tuney chaoon chhoon ('n' is nasal, not
pronounced)

Hausa : Ina sonka (female to male)
: Ina sonki (male to female)
Hawaiian : Aloha wau ia 'oe
: Aloha wau ia 'oe nui loa ("I love you very much")
(The ' mark is the "glottal stop".)
Hebrew : Anee ohev otakh (male to female)
: Anee ohevet otkha (female to male)
: Anee ohev otkha (male to male)
: Anee ohevet otakh (female to female)
('kh' pronounced like
Spanish 'j', Dutch 'g',
or similiar to French 'r')
Hindi : Mai tumase pyar karata hun (male to female)
: Mai tumase pyar karati hun (female to male)
: Mai tumse pyar karta hoon
: Mai tumse peyar karta hnu
: Mai tumse pyar karta hoo
: Mai tujhe pyaar kartha hoo
: Mae tumko peyar kia
: Main tumse pyar karta hoon
: Main tumse prem karta hoon
: Main tuze pyar karta hoon ('n' is nasal, not
pronounced)
Hopi : Nu' umi unangwa'ta
Hungarian : Szeretlek
: Te'gedet szeretlek ("It's you I love and
no one else")
: Szeretlek te'ged ("It's you I love, you know,
you", a reinforcement)
(The above two entries are never heard in
a normal context.)

Ibaloi : Pip-piyan tana
: Pipiyan ta han shili ("I like/love you
very much")
Ibo (Igbo) : A hurum gi nanya
Icelandic : Eg elska thig (pronounced 'yeg l-ska thig')
Ilocano : Ay ayating ka
Indonesian : Saya cinta padamu ('Saya', commonly used)
: Saya cinta kamu ( " )
: Saya kasih saudari ( " )
: Saja kasih saudari ( " )
: Aku tjinta padamu ('Aku', not often used)
: Aku cinta padamu ( " )
: Aku cinta kamu ( " )
Interglossa : Mi esthe philo tu
Italian : Ti amo (relationship/lover/spouse)
: Ti voglio bene (between friends)
: Ti voglio (strong sexual meaning, "I want you",
refering to other person's body)
Irish : Taim i' ngra leat
Irish/Gaelic : t'a gr'a agam dhuit

Japanese : Kimi o aishiteiru (mostly male to female but
can be used female to male)
: Aishiteiru (both male and female use this)
: Chuu shiteyo (literally "Please give me a kiss"
mostly female to male)
: Ora, omee no koto ga suki da (very informal,
male to female)
: Ore wa omae ga suki da (informal, male to
female)
: Sukiyo ("I like you.", informal,female to male)
: Watashi wa anata ga suki desu
(literally "I like YOU.", female to male)
: Watashi wa anata o hontooni aishite imasu
(formal meaning "I REALLY love you.",
female to male)
: A-i-shi-te ma-su(both male and female use this)
: Watakushi-wa anata-o aishimasu
(very formal meaning "I will love you.",
future tense, female to male)
: Suki desu (used at the first time, like for a
start, when you are not yet real lovers,
both male and female use this)
Javanese : Kulo tresno

Kankana : Laylaydek sik a
Kannada : Naanu ninnanu preethisuthene
: Naanu ninnanu mohisuthene
Kapampangang : Kaluguran daka
(or Pampangang)
Kekchi : Nacatinra
Kikongo : Mono ke zola nge (mono ke' zola nge')
Kiswahili : Nakupenda
: Nakupenda wewe
: Nakupenda malaika ("I love you, (my) angel")
Klingon : bangwI' SoH ("You are my beloved")
: qamuSHa' ("I love you")
: qamuSHa'qu' ("I love you very much")
: qaparHa' ("I like you")
: qaparHa'qu' ("I like you very much!")
(words are often unnecessary as the thought is most
often conveyed nonverbally with special growlings)
Korean : (Dangsineul) Saranghae ("I love you")
: (Dangsineul) Saranghaeyo (with a little respect)
: (Dangsineul) Saranghamnida ( " )
: Naneun dangsineul saranghamnida ( " )
: Dangsineul saranghae
: Dangsineul saranghaeyo ("I love you, dear")
: Saranghae (between lovers, spouses.
short and commonly used expression)
: Naneun dangsineul joahamnida ("I like you")
: Naneun dangsineul mucheok joahamnida
("I like you very much")
: Naneun dangsineul mucheok saranghamnida
("I love you very much")
: Naneun geu saram i joa ("I like him" or "I like her")
: Nanun geu reul saranghamnida ("I love him" or
"I love her")
: G'daereul hjanghan naemaeum aljiyo? (with a little
respect: "You know how much I love you")
: Neo'l hjanghan naemaeum alji ?
("You know how much I love you")
: Naneun neoreul saranghanda (This nuance is used
generally after you get to know him/her enough)
: Joahaeyo ("I like you")
: Saranghaeyo (more formal)
: Saranghamnida (more respectful)
: Neoreul sarang hae (male to female in casual
relationship)
: Dangshini joayo ("I like you, in a romantic way")

* '-haeyo', '-hamnida' makes the sentence more formal
and with respect. Without '-haeyo', '-hamnida',
the sentences go more casual way or between close
relatives and lovers long-time.
* Korean Vowel
a: a as in ganz in German, in sayonara in Japanese
ae: a as in air in English, ae in aehnlich,
Universitaet in German
eo: u as in sun, hunt, run in English (monothong
not a diphthong, so do not say this 'ee-ow')
eu: same sound as 'the undotted i' in Turkish (as
kirimizi sharap 'red wine'), as the 'i' in
Sichuan, Ribao, 4(si) in Mandarin Chinese.
Similar with oo as in good, put, look in
American English, u as in Fuji, sushi in
Japanese, final used '-e' as in solmente, de
nada, sorte in European Portuguese (monothong
not a diphthong, so do not say this 'ee-ow').
This vowel 'eu' sometimes turn into non-vocalic
in casual speech languages. 'Geudae' (You, Sie,
Usted,Vous) can be heard in your ear as [gdae].
* Korean Consonant
s: s as in sayonara in Japanese. s as in Hindi.
Korean fricative consonant 's' sounds more soft
than the English one. While English 's' makes
more fricative violent air stream, Korean 's'
sounds have less tension while its air stream.

Kpele : I walikana
Kurdish : Ez te hezdikhem

L33t : 1 |0\/3 U
Lao : Khoi hak jao
: Khoi mak jao lai ("I like you very much")
: Khoi hak jao lai ("I love you very much")
: Khoi mak jao (This means "I prefer you",
but is used for "I love you".)
Latin : Te amo
: Vos amo
Latin (old) : (Ego) Amo te ('Ego', for emphasis)
Latvian : Es tevi milu (pronounced 'es tevy meelu')
('i in 'milu' has a line over it,
a 'long i')
: Es milu tevi (less common)
Lebanese : Bahibak
Lingala : Nalingi yo
Lisbon lingo : Gramo-te bue', chavalinha!
Lithuanian : Tave myliu (Ta-ve mee-lyu)
: Ash mir lutavah
Lojban : Mi do prami
Luo : Aheri
Luxembourgish : Ech hun dech ga"r

Maa : Ilolenge
Macedonian : Te sakam (a little stronger than "I like you")
: Te ljubam ("I really love you")
: Jas te sakam ('j' sounds like 'y' in May)
: Pozdrav ("Greetings")
Madrid lingo : Me molas, Tronca!
Maiese : Wa wa
Malay/Indonesian : Saya cintakan kamu (grammatically correct)
: Saya cinta akan kamu(expanded version of above)
: Saya sayangkan kamu (grammatically correct)
: Saya sayang akan kamu (expanded version)
: Aku cinta pada mu (most direct translation)
: Saya cintakan awak
: Aku cinta pada kau
: Saya cinta pada mu (best, most commonly used)
: Saya sayangkan engkau ('engkau' often shortened
to 'kau', 'engkau' is informal form and should
only be used if you know the person _really_
well)
: Saya sayang pada mu
: Aku sayangkan engkau
: Aku menyintai mu
: Aku menyayangi mu
: Aku kasih pada mu
: Aku jatuh cinta pada mu
Malayalam : Ngan ninne snehikunnu
: Njan ninne premikunnu (not used in real life,
only said/sung in movies by hero to heroine)
: Njan ninne mohikyunnu (I desire you, I lust you)
Maltese : Jien inhobbok
Marathi : Maze tuzya var prem aahe
Marshallese : Yokwe yuk (sort of multi-purpose, like Aloha,
literally "Love to you, my friend")
Mikmaq : Kesalul
Mohawk : Konoronhkwa
Mokilese : Ngoah mweoku kaua
Moroccan : Kanbhik (both mean the same, but spoken)
: Kanhebek (in different cities)
Morse Code : .. ._.. ___ ..._ . _.__ ___ .._
: ___.. ___.. (Literally "88", a Morse Code
shorthand meaning "Love, hugs & kisses to you.")
: __... ...__ (Literally "73", a Morse Code
shorthand for non romantic friends
meaning "Best regards.")

Nahuatl : Ni mitz tla-zo-tla (the 'a's are "schwa"s)
Navaho : Ayor anosh'ni
Ndebele : Niyakutanda
Norwegian : Jeg elsker deg (Bokmaal)
: Eg elskar deg (Nynorsk)
Nyanja : Ninatemba

Op : Op lopveop yopuop
Oriya : Mun tumaku bhala pae ('n' is nasal and
not pronounced)
Osetian : Aez dae warzyn

Pampangang : Kaluguran daka
(or Kapampangang)
Papiamento : Mi ta stima'bo
Pig Latin : Ie ovele ouye
Polish : Kocham cie
: Kocham ciebie
: Ja cie kocham (slang, not commonly used)
Portuguese : Eu amo-te (pronounced "Eu amu'-tee")
: Estou apaixonado por ti (male to female,
"I'm in love with you", pronounced "Esto^
hapa'isho^na'duu puur ti'")
: Estou apaixonada por ti (female to male,
"I'm in love with you", pronounced "Esto^
hapa'isho^na'daa puur ti'")
: Eu adoro-te ("I adore you.")
: Tu e's o meu amor ("You are my love.")
: Eu gosto de ti ("I like you.")
: Quero-te ("I want you", understood as romantic
feelings but may have sexual tones)
: Eu desejo-te ("I desire you", may have sexual
tones)
: Eu preciso de ti ("I need you.")
: Eu quero fazer amor contigo ("I want to make
love with you.")
Portuguese lingo : Gramo-te `a brava! ("I love you very much",
literally "I love you wildly")
Pulaar : Mbe de yid ma (mbe: d: yidh ma)
(Pronounced as two words,
"Mbe deyidma". 'b' and second
'd' have bars through the stems
indicating affrication, the ':'
indicate minute pauses)
Punjabi : Main tainu pyar karna
: Mai taunu pyar karda
: Mein nu terey na^l piyaar ay (pronounced:
"meinu therei naal piya'rei", th as in bath)
' = stressed syllable
Pushto : Mung jane' (pronounced: "puxto: mu'ng jane'")
: Pa ta mayan yem

Quenya : Tye-mela'ne
: Melinyet

Raetoromanisch : Te amo
Romanian : Te iubesc
: Te ador (stronger)
Rotuman : Gou 'oaf se 'a"e
(The ' mark is the "glottal stop" as in Hawaiian.
The G is actually the "ng" sound, as in "singing".)
Russian : Ya vas lyublyu (old fashioned)
: Ya tyebya lyublyu (best)
: Ya lyublyu vas (old fashioned)
: Ya lyublyu tyebya

Saami : Mun ra'hkistan du
Samoan : Ou te alofa outou
: Ou te alofa ia te oe
: Talo'fa ia te oe ("Hello, from me to you")
Sanskrit : Tvayi snihyaami
: Mama tvayi aasaktirasti (I have love/longing in you)
Scot-Gaelic : Tha gradh agam ort
Serbian (formal) : Ja vas volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim vas (used in common speech)
: Ljubim te (in todays useage, "I kiss you",
'lj' pronounced like 'll' in
Spanish, one sound, 'ly'ish)
Serbian (familiar) : Ja te volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim te (used in common speech)
Serbian (old) : Ljubim te (may still be found in poetry)
Serbocroatian : Volim te
: Ljubim te
: Ja te volim ('j' sounds like 'y' in May)
Sesotho(Southern Sotho) : Ke a mo rata
Setswana : Dumela
Shona : Ndinokuda
Sindarin : Le melin (thee I love [like?])
Sinhala : Mama oya'ta a'darei
Sioux : Techihhila
Slovak : Lubim ta (L pronounced similarly to 'll' in Spanish)
: Mam ta rad (male to female)
: Mam ta rada (female to male)
: Milujem ta (all 't's spoken softly like 'ty')
Slovene : Ljubim te
Solresol : do-re mi-la-si do-mi
Somali : Waan ku Jecelahay
Spanish : Te amo
: Te quiero
: Te adoro ("I adore you")
: Te deseo ("I desire you")
: Me muero por ti ("You make me die")
: Tengo ansia de ti ("I crave you")
: Tengo ansias de ti ("I crave you")
: Estoy ansioso de ti ("I crave you")
: Te ansi'o ("I crave you" (only in poetry))
Sranan Tongo : Mi lobi joe
Srilankan : Mama oyata arderyi
Swahili : Nakupenda
: Naku penda (followed by the person's name)
: Ninikupenda
: Dholu'o
Swedish : Jag a"lskar dig ('dig' pronounced like 'day')
Syrian/Lebanese : Bhebbek (male to female)
: Bhebbak (female to male)

Tagalog : Mahal kita
Tahitian : Ua here au ia oe
: Ua here vau ia oe
Taiwanese : Wa I Lee
Tajik : Man turo dust medoram (literary language)
: Man tuya nagz mebenam (northern dialect)
: Bukhrmta-e (used as modern cool speak up)
Tamil : Naan unnai kadalikiren
: Nan unnai kathalikaren
: Ni yaanai kaadli karen ("You love me")
: N^an unnaki kathalikkinren ("I love you")
: Nam vi'rmberem
Telugu : Ninnu premistunnanu
: Neenu ninnu pra'mistu'nnanu
: Nenu ninnu premistunnanu
Thai (formal) : Phom rak khun (male to female)
: Phom ruk koon ( " )
: Ch'an rak khun (female to male)
: Chun ruk koon ( " )
Thai : Khao raak thoe (affectionate, sweet, loving)
Timerio : 1-80-17
Tongan : 'Ofa 'atu (I love you)
: 'Oku ou fie manako'i koe (I want to marry you)
(The ' mark is the "glottal stop" as in Hawaiian.)
Tugen : Achamin (pronounced "atshamean")
Tunisian : Ha eh bak
Turkish (formal) : Sizi seviyorum
Turkish : Seni seviyorum
: Seni begeniyorum ("I adore you")
(g has a bar on it)
: Senden ho$laniyorum (Sound of '$' is like 'sh'
in English. Must be a point under 'S'.
The 'i' must be without a point.)
Twi : Me dowapaa

Ukrainian : Ya tebe kokhayu
: Ja tebe kokhaju (real true love)
: Ja vas kokhaju
: Ja pokokhav tebe
: Ja pokokhav vas
Urdu : Main tumse muhabbat karta hoon
: Mujhe tumse mohabbat hai
: Mujge tumae mahabbat hai
: Kam prem kartahai
: Muje se mu habbat hai
: Mujhe tum se piyaar hai (pronounced:
"mujhei' Oo'm se' piya'r ha'e")
: Mujhe tum se muhabbat hai (pronounced:
"mujhe'i Oo'm se' mohub:u'th ha'e", th as
in bath)
' = stressed syllable, Oo' = o like in bold

Vai : Na lia
Vdrmldndska : Du dr gvrgo te mdg
Vietnamese : Toi yeu em
: Anh ye^u em (male to female, or older
to younger, romantic)
: Em ye^u anh (female to male, or younger
to older, romantic)
: Con thu+o+ng ba (kid to father)
: Ba thu+o+ng con (father to kid)
: Con thu+o+ng ma' (kid to mother)
: Ma' thu+o+ng con (mother to kid)
: Cha'u thu+o+ng o^ng (grandkid to grandpa)
: O^ng thu+o+ng cha'u (grandpa to grandkid)
: Ba` thu+o+ng cha'u (grandkid to grandma)
: Cha'u thu+o+ng ba` (grandma to grandkid)
: Anh thu+o+ng em (big brother to younger
sister or brother)
: Chi. thu+o+ng em (big sister to younger
sister or brother)
: Em thu+o+ng anh (younger sister/brother
to big brother)
: Em thu+o+ng chi. (younger sister/brother
to big sister)
Volapu"k : La"fob oli
Vulcan : Wani ra yana ro aisha

Walloon : Dji vos veu volti (lit. I like to see you)
: Dji vos inme (lit. I love you)
: Dji v'zinme
Welsh : Rwy'n dy gari di (most commonly used)
: Rwy'n dy garu di
: 'Rwy'n dy garu di
: Yr wyf i yn dy garu di (chwi)
: Yr wyf i yn eich caru chwi
Wolof : Da ma la nope
: Da ma la nop (da ma'lanop)

Yiddish : Ikh hob dikh lib
: Ich libe dich
: Ich han dich lib
: Kh'hob dikh lib
: Kh'ob dikh holt
: Ikh bin in dir farlibt
Yoruba : Mo Feran e
Yucatec Maya : 'in k'aatech (the love of lovers)
: In yakumech
: 'in yabitmech (the love of family, which
lovers can also feel; it
indicates more a desire to
spoil and protect the other
person)

Zazi : Ezhele hezdege (sp?)
Zulu : Mena tanda wena
: Ngiyakuthanda!
Zuni : Tom ho' ichema


Explanation of Accents
----------------------
a' -> 'a' with the acute accent (') over it, accent aigu
(ASCII code 160)
a" -> 'a' with two dots (Umlaut) (ASCII code 132)
a^ -> elongated vowel (e.g. 2 a's)
a~ -> 'a' with a tilde(~) over it
e^ -> 'e' with a carot(^) over it
e' -> 'e' with the acute accent (') over it (ASCII code 130)
n~ -> 'n' with a tilde(~) over it
o~ -> 'o' with a tilde(~) over it


Explanation of Languages
------------------------
Afrikaans -> spoken by people of Dutch heritage in South Africa
Alentejano -> An accented form of Portuguese spoken in the Alentejo
region of Portugal (the part of the country south of
the river Tagus).
Alsacien -> French/German dialect (live in France, but speak
like Germans)
Amharic -> Official language spoken in Ethiopia. Just one of
over 80 languages spoken there.
Apache -> North American Indian Nation rangeing from the plains
states to the eastern Rocky Mountains and from the
Canadian to Mexican borders
Arabic -> language spoken in the Arab countries including
but not limited to Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and
the region of Palestine.
Ashanti/Akan/Twi-> Ashanti is the most popular and predominate of
many dialects spoken in Ghana. The Ghanan language
is generally refered to as either Akan or Twi.
Assamese -> language spoken in the state of Assam, India
Bassa -> language spoken in Africa
Batak -> language spoken in the northern Sumatra province of
Indonesia
Bavarian -> language spoken in the state of Bavaria, southern
Germany (actually a German dialect)
Bemba -> language spoken in Africa
Bengali -> language spoken in the state of West Bengal, India,
as well as almost all people of Bangladesh
Betazed -> Spoken in Star Trek on planet Betazed
Bicol -> dialect spoken in the Philippines
Braille -> The alphabet represented by patterns of raised dots.
It is 'read' by touch.
Basque -> language spoken in the Basque region of Spain
Breton -> a Celtic language (as Welsh, Irish Gaelic and Scottish
Gaelic) spoken in Brittany, west of France, by about
250,000 people.
Cajun -> French dialect spoken by people who migrated from
Acadia, Canada, to the Louisiana, USA, area.
Acadia is in an Atlantic province.
Catalan -> language spoken in a region in the north-east of Spain
named Catalonia. It is also spoken in the Balearic
Islands, in Andorra and in some small villages of
Sardinia and the south of France.
Cebuano -> language spoken in Philippines near the town of Cebu
Central Yup'ik -> language spoken by the indigenous Eskimo people of
southwestern Alaska
Cherokee -> North American Indian tribe
Cheyenne -> North American Indian tribe, part of the Apache
Nation
Chichewa -> language spoken in Malawi, Central Africa
Chickasaw -> North American Indian tribe (southeastern Oklahoma)
Chinese
Amoy -> language spoken on Taiwan, an island off Fukien
Province in southeast China, and Singapore
Cantonese -> language spoken in the region around Guangzhou
including Hong Kong and also in Malaysia
Mandarin/ -> The official language of China
Putonghua litterally 'common language'
also spoken by native Chinese in Singapore and
Malaysia
Wu -> language spoken in Jiangsu Province
Common Eldarin -> the elven language where the languages Quenya and
Sindarin came from
Creol -> French dialect spoken by people from Haiti. It is
basicly French with a little English and German.
Dhivehi -> language spoken in the Maldives
and in the Minicoy Island of India
Dusun -> language spoken by the Dusun tribe, one of the largest
in North Borneo
Dutch -> language spoken in the Netherlands and the provinces
of East- and West-Flanders, Antwerp, Limburg, and
Flemmish-Brabant, Belgium
Esperanto -> The International Language. An 'artificial' language.
Farsi -> language spoken in Iran. Dialects of Farsi spoken in
Pakistan and Afghanistan. Farsi is sometimes called
Persian.
Fijian -> spoken by native Fijian people in Fiji
Franconian -> German dialect spoken by the citizens of Franken or
Franconia which is part of Bavaria in the area
around Nuremberg
French -> language spoken in France, Canada, and the provinces
of Luxembourg, Namur, Liege, Hainault, and Brabant-
Walloon(Brabant of the Walloons), Belgium
Friesian -> language spoken in northern Holland, northern
Germany, and in some parts of Denmark
(mainly west coast)
Gaelic -> language spoken in Ireland
Galician -> Galicians live in the four Spanish provinces located
along the northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula,
but their language zone shades into neighboring areas
of Spain and Portugal as well. The four provinces are
A Corun~a, Lugo, Ourense, and Pontevedra.
Georgian -> language spoken in Georgia
Gilbertese -> properly Kiribati, spoken by the Micronesians of the
Republic of Kiribati in the Pacific on the equator
Gronings -> Dutch dialect
Guarani' -> one of the two official languages in Paraguay
Gujrati -> language spoken in the state of Gujrat, India, and
Pakistan
Hakka -> Chinese dialect from Manchuria
Hausa -> language spoken in Nigeria
Hebrew -> language spoken in Israel and by Jewish people
Hindi -> language spoken in the northern states of India
Hopi -> North American Indian tribe (southwest, Arizona)
Ibaloi -> dialect spoken in the Philippines by the Igorot
natives, specifically the Ibaloi's
Ilocano -> dialect spoken in the Philippines
Interglossa -> An 'artificial' language invented by Lancelot Hogben,
circa 1940.
Kankana -> dialect spoken in the Philippines by the Igorot
natives, specifically the Kankana-ey's
Kannada -> language spoken in the state of Karnataka,
southern India
Kapampangang -> Filipino dialect
(or Pampangang)
Kekchi -> language spoken by 380,000 Mayans in Guatemala,
Belize, and El Salvador
Kikongo -> language spoken in Zaire, Africa
Klingon -> Spoken in Star Trek. Proper term for the language
is "tlhIngan Hol". The Klingon homeworld is
Qo'noS, in English it's Kronos.
Kpele -> language spoken in Africa
Lao -> language spoken in Laos and by the Laotian people
living in northern Thailand
Luo -> language spoken in Kenya
Luxembourgish -> language spoken in Luxembourg and in the border areas
in Belgium (Arlon), France (Thionville), and Germany.
A mixture of French and German, with the emphasis on
German.
Maa -> language spoken in Africa
Malayalam -> language spoken in the state of Kerala, India
Maltese -> language spoken on Malta, a small independent island
in the Mediterranean Sea south of Italy with around
400,000 inhabitants. Maltese is a mixture of Arabic
and Italian mostly.
Mandarin/ -> The official language of China
Putunghua
Marathi -> language spoken in the state of Maharastra, India
(Bombay is the capital city)
Marshallese -> language spoken on the Marshall Islands
Mikmaq -> an Indigenous people of north-eastern North America
Mohawk -> North American Indian tribe (New England, maybe one of
the Seven Nations/Iriquois?)
Mokilese -> language spoken on Mokil and Ponape (Pohnpei)
Moroccan -> language spoken in Morocco, North Africa
Morse Code -> A code using series of dots and dashes to represent
letters, numbers, and other characters. Originally
developed by Samuel Morse for use on the telegraph.
Navaho -> North American Indian tribe (southwest)
Ndebele -> language spoken in Zimbabwe
Nyanja -> language spoken in Africa
Oriya -> language spoken by people of Orissa, India
Papiamento -> language spoken on the islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire
Portuguese -> The official and regular language spoken in Portugal,
Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe,
Cape Verde, Macau, Guinea-Bissau, Goa(India), and
Galicia(Spain). Also spoken in but not the official
language of East Timor, Damao(India), and Diu(India).
It is the sixth most spoken language in the world.
Pulaar -> dialect spoken in Senegal by the Fulani people
Punjabi -> language spoken in the state of Punjab, northern India
Quechua -> language spoken by Incan Indians (South America)
Quenya -> Elvish language invented by J. R. R. Tolkien for his
books. Notably, "The Lord of the Rings".
Rotuman -> language of a Polynesian people originating from the island
of Rotuma, politically a part of Fiji, but quite different
Saami -> Language of an indigenous people living in the
Northern Scandinavian region of Lapland. Formerly
known as Laplanders or Lapps. They have several
dialects, but this is the main one, Northern Saami.
Their language is related to Finnish.
Sesotho -> language spoken in South Africa
(Southern Sotho)
Setswana -> language spoken in Botswana and South Africa
Shona -> language spoken in Zimbabwe
Sindarin -> Elvish language invented by J. R. R. Tolkien for his
books. Notably, "The Lord of the Rings".
Sinhala -> Language of the non-Tamil (majority) people of
Sri Lanka. Also spoken in Ceylon.
Sioux -> North American Indian tribe (upper midwest)
Solresol -> An artificial musical language composed of sequences
of notes on the diatonic scale (do, re, mi,...) sung
by name for comprehensibility to the tone deaf. The
7 notes could also be mapped into colors so that
writing would be a series of colored squares.
South Africa -> There are several official languages listed in the
Constitution of South Africa. They are: Afrikaans,
English, Ndebele(Sindebele, isiNdebele), saLeboa,
Sesotho, Swazi(Siswathi, siSwati), Tsonga(Xitsonga),
Setswana, Tshivenda, Venda(Tshivenda), Xhosa(isiXhosa),
Zulu(isiZulu), Sepedi.
Spanish -> Language spoken in Spain and Latin America(Mexico,
Central and South America) except Brazil. It is the
third most spoken language in the world.
Sranan Tongo -> creole language spoken in Suriname
Swabian -> One of the German dialects. The literal word 'love'
(Schwa"bisch) does not exist in this language.
Swahili -> language spoken by some indigenous tribes of East
Africa
Tagalog -> dialect spoken in the Philippines
Tajik -> language spoken in Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
It resembles Persian (Farsi).
Tamil -> language spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu, India,
and in Sri Lanka(by a low percentage of the people),
Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritus
Telugu -> language spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India
(eleventh most spoken language in the world)
Tetum -> language spoken in East Timor
Timerio -> An artificial language using only numbers. The idea
was that each language has a different word for each
concept, so if the concepts were numbered, automatic
translation would be possible.
Tugen -> language spoken predominantly or even only in Kenya.
Tugen is a subordinated tribe of the Kalinjin tribe.
Twi/Akan -> language spoken in Ghana. See also Ashanti.
Urdu -> language spoken in Pakistan and India
Vai -> language spoken in Africa
Vdrmldndska -> language spoken in the Vdrmland(Vaermland), Sweden,
region north of Lake Vdnern.The real Vdrmldndska
language is spoken to the northwest of Lake Vdnern
up to the border of Norway and in northern Vdrmland
around the town of Torsby by about 270,000 people,
90,000 of which consider it to be their mother
language. It is a mixture of Swedish and Norwegian
with some borrowed words from the many Valloonian
people who went there to work as engineers in the
mining industry during the 17th century.
Volapu"k -> An 'artificial' language invented by August Scheyler,
circa 1880.
Vulcan -> Spoken in Star Trek by Mr. Spock and others from
the planet Vulcan
Walloon -> literally Welsh(not English Welsh), a little used
French dialect with certain German influences
spoken in the provinces of Luxembourg, Namur,
Liege, Hainault, and Brabant-Walloon(Brabant of
the Walloons), Belgium
Wolof -> dialect spoken in Senegal by the Wolof people
Yoruba -> language spoken in West Africa, specifically in Nigeria
and bordering countries
Yucatec Maya -> language spoken by indigenous people of the Yucatan
peninsula in Mexico
Zazi -> Kurdic dialect
Zuni -> North American Indian tribe

=======================================================
(no guarantee for correctness though....)


Something extra:


Chinese:
,g Qb ,g ,g Qg Qg
oQQQQ" QQ YQ .odQQQQQQQQQP" QQ' QQ'
QQ QQ " QQ QQ QQ QQ' QQQQQQQQb
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ dQQQQQQQQQQQQQQb QQQ QQ oo QQ
QQ QQ QQ QQ QQ Q'QQ Q' QQ P'
QQ,o QQ o9, QQQQQQQQQQQQ QQ Q QQ
QQP QQ,QP QQ QQ oQ QQ g
,QQQ QQQ' QQQQQQQQb QQ Q' QQ `Q,
dQ'QQ gQQ QQ gg ,QQ' QQ ,P QQ Qb
Q' QQ oP QQ, dQ' `gQQ' QQ Q QQ `P
QQ `QQ g oQ' ggQQb, QQ f QQ
dQ' `b' oQ oP' "YQao QQ dQ' Dave Chin




Hindi: (Om Shanti, Symbol of Peace and Love and Oneness)

** **
******* ******* * ** *
*********** *********** *** ***
**** ***** ***** ***** ********
***** ***** **** ***** ****
***** ***** ***** Ashesh Majumdar
*** ***** ***** ***
* ***** ******* ********
***** ******************** *
***** *********** ***** **
***** ***** ***** ***
***** ***** ***** ****
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***************
************* ***********
******** *****

TRANSLATINGBIOGRAPHY

TERSESAT DI RIMBA KATA
Abdul Mukhid

Ketika diberi “tugas” untuk menuliskan proses menjadi penerjemah oleh pak Sugeng, tiba-tiba saya teringat pengalaman saya waktu SD. Tidak ada hubungannya langsung memang, tapi bila saya telusuri mungkin itu bisa jadi salah satu embrio minat saya pada dunia terjemahan dan tulis menulis. Waktu itu saya duduk di kelas tiga di sebuah SD swasta di kota kecil di Kabupaten Malang. Kalau mengingat kembali saya juga sempat heran betapa di sebuah sekolah kecil semacam itu saya bisa menemukan dan membaca karya-karya sastra yang luar biasa. Salah satunya adalah “Pangeran Kecil” karya seorang penulis Prancis, St Antoine de Exuperry. Sempat pula terlintas saat itu, betapa enaknya bisa membaca karya-karya dunia lewat terjemahan. Tapi tentu saja tidak pernah terlintas di benak kanak-kanak saya untuk menjadi seorang penerjemah!
Kecintaan pada bahasa yang sudah sejak kecil ini semakin berkecambah, terutama ketika SMA. Di saat teman-teman pada bingung ingin masuk jurusan Fisika (sekarang IPA), saya mati-matian berusaha bisa masuk ke jurusan Budaya (sekarang Bahasa). Ternyata pilihan saya tidak keliru, sekalipun saya juga masih belum terlintas bayangan untuk terjun ke dunia penerjemahan. Saya masih ingat betul, sebagai tugas akhir waktu itu saya berusaha menerjemahkan bacaan-bacaan yang ada di dalam buku pelajaran bahasa Inggris ke dalam bahasa Indonesia.
Singkat cerita, saya masuk Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris IKIP Malang (Sekarang UM) pada tahun 1993. Pilihan masuk di IKIP Malang sebenarnya juga bukan untuk menjadi penerjemah. Yang terlintas di benak saya saat itu adalah bahwa saya bisa belajar teater secara informal dari para tokoh yang ada di sana. Sedangkan pertimbangan mengambil bahasa Inggris adalah keinginan untuk membaca buku-buku sastra dan humaniora pada umumnya dari sumber asli (atau minimal bukan dari terjemahan bahasa Indonesia).
Di kampus inilah saya mulai berkenalan dengan terjemahan sebagai profesi. Sekali waktu saya membantu seorang teman yang membuka biro terjemahan di kos-kosannya. Kadang saya juga dimintai tolong teman-teman sesama aktivis kampus untuk menerjemahkan tugas-tugas mereka. Namun semua itu saya lakukan sambil lalu saja. Seringkali tarif yang saya pasang pun hanya sebatas “tarif pertemanan”. Disamping itu, kadang saya juga menulis untuk koran kampus. Sebenarnya saat itu sampai setahun lulus, saya sempat bercita-cita menjadi jurnalis. Bahkan sekarang pun kadang saya masih diundang untuk mengisi workshop atau diklat jurnalistik. Kesempatan itu sebenarnya sempat datang. Seorang teman yang menjadi biro Jawa Pos Radar Banyuwangi menawarkan lowongan untuk menjadi wartawan, tapi harus siap dalam 24 jam. Ternyata nasib tidak berpihak pada saya. Karena berbagai pertimbangan (diantaranya harus mendampingi kelompok teater yang saya sutradarai ke Surabaya) mau tidak mau saya harus menolak tawaran itu.
“Satu pintu tertutup pintu lain akan terbuka,” begitu kata-kata dari sebuah film yang saya lupa judul maupun bintangnya. Benar kiranya bahwa Tuhan seringkali membuka jalan yang tidak pernah kita duga sebelumnya. Sungguh saya akui betapa pongah dan bodohnya saya yang tidak tahu cara bersyukur. Saya merasa beruntung karena ada orang yang mengingatkan saya untuk hidup secara realistis dengan tanpa menjadi pragmatis. Adalah seorang Setyono Wahyudi, yang saya kenal di penerbit IKIP, mengingatkan saya untuk menyeimbangkan kehidupan spiritual dan idealisme berkesenian saya dengan kehidupan material. Beliau menyarankan saya untuk “melamar’ menjadi penerjemah di Biro Penerjemahan Adiloka. Sebelumnya saya hanya kenal sekilas dengan pak Adiloka yang juga saya kenal di penerbit IKIP. Ternyata beliau menerima saya senang hati, bahkan saya dibimbing dengan baik dalam proses menjadi penerjemah. Tidak jarang beliau maupun keluarga beliau memberikan masukan, tidak hanya soal terjemahan tapi juga kehidupan pribadi saya. Bulan September 1999 merupakan awal terjun saya secara profesional ke dalam dunia terjemahan. Di Biro Penerjemahan Adiloka ini saya bergelut dengan berbagai macam teks akademik, dan kemudian juga menjadi jembatan untuk menerjemahkan buku.
Menjadi penerjemah ternyata memiliki berbagai macam tantangan yang bagi saya begitu memesona. Saya harus berjuang “mengakrabi” kata-kata dan “melawan” kemiskinan bahasa. Paradoks “pengintiman” dan “perlawanan” ini kadang harus diatasi menjadi sebuah dusta, terutama ketika menerjemahkan karya sastra. Kadang kita harus memilih sekian pilihan kata untuk pada akhirnya sampai pada yang kita anggap sebagai yang terbaik. Kadang kita harus menciptakannya. Kadang kita harus berdusta dengan hanya menangkap makna atau nuansanya. Namun seperti halnya seni, yang kata orang adalah dusta yang kudus, karya terjemahan pun kadang harus berkhianat untuk menunjukkan kesuciannya. Dan bukankah Bisma juga Suci? Bukankah Sinta juga suci hingga rela dibakar api? Hal semacam ini pernah saya alami ketika menerjemahkan buku Deepak Chopra (entah kenapa sampai sekarang belum diterbitkan) yang berisi puisi-puisi spiritual Rumi, Hafiz dan sejenisnya. Begitu pula ketika menerjemahkan naskah drama dan kumpulan cerpen Hemingway, The Fifth Column. Misalnya saja, apakah tidak dusta namanya kalau menerjemahkan orang Spanyol berbahasa Inggris terbata-bata, lalu saya terjemahkan seperti orang Belanda yang gagap berbahasa Indonesia . Apa juga bukan dusta menerjemahkan kata Ubermensch (dalam filsafat Nietzsche) yang dalam bahasa Inggris diterjemahkan Superman, padahal keduanya memiliki nunasa makna yang berbeda. Kalaupun akhirnya saya memilih menerjemahkannya menjadi Adimanusia, saya tetap tidak yakin kata itu benar-benar mewadahi konsep yang dikehendaki Nietzsche. Sedangkan pengalaman mengatasi kemiskinan bahasa saya alami terutama ketika menerjemahkan teks-teks filsafat. Ada kalanya kita harus menyerah untuk menghindari kerancuan pemikiran. Ketika saya menerjemahkan kata know dalam filsafat sosial, akhirnya saya harus memilah kapan kata ini bermakna,: mengenal, mengetahui, memahami dan seterusnya.
Menerjemahkan buku seringkali memberi kenikmatan tersendiri bagi saya, di luar hal-hal yang bersifat finansial. Saya merasa bahagia dan bangga dapat menerjemahkan buku Theatre of Absurd karya Martin Esslin (sekalipun sekarang naskahnya terombang-ambing nasibnya), karena saya yakin ini akan sangat bermanfaat bagi “keluarga besar saya” di dunia teater.
Akhirnya sempat juga saya berkenalan dengan penerjemahan internasional lewat internet. Dunia yang saya sangka sebelumnya sebagai rimba sunyi kata-kata ternyata mengasyikkan juga.. Perkenalan saya dengan portal-portal terjemahan di internet telah menyadarkan saya bahwa saya tidak sendirian di rimba ini. Di dalamnya saya bertemu dengan banyak “mahluk” dengan berbagai macam perangai dan “kesaktiannya”. Akhirnya saya tahu saya tidak akan pernah menyesal masuk ke rimba ini. Seperti kata Robert Frost:

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
(Dari The Road Not Taken).
Malang, 4-5 Maret 2005