The world is shrinking. Across my career, I’ve worked on many multicultural and international teams. Today, I work directly with individuals who have a native language of English, Italian, Hindu, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish or Vietnamese. Based on my experiences, I wrote tips for leading global teams. In that post I recommend using simple terms in the native language of the person you address. However, there were still members of my own team for whom I had yet to learn these simple phrases.
I decided to compile the most common words and phrases I use in regular business conversation across the most popular languages. Below is the list of these terms for your reference. If you work with a global team, chances are you will find relevant native languages below (alphabetical order):
Arabic
Hello – مرحبا Goodbye – وداعا Please – من فضلك Thank you – شكرا You’re welcome – فنحن نرحب بك Yes – نعم No – لا
Chinese (Simplified)
Hello – 您好 Goodbye – 再见 Please – 请 Thank you – 谢谢 You are welcome – 欢迎您 Yes – 是 No – 无
French
Hello – Bonjour Goodbye – revoir Please – S’il vous plaît Thank you – Merci You’re welcome – Vous êtes les bienvenus Yes – Oui No – Aucun
German
Hello – Hallo Goodbye – Auf Wiedersehen Please – Bitte Thank you – Danke You’re welcome – Gern geschehen Yes – ja No – nicht
Hindi
Hello – नमस्ते Goodbye – नमस्ते Please – कृपया Thank you – शुक्रिया You’re welcome – कोई बात नहीं. Yes – हां No – नहीं
Italian
Hello – ciao Goodbye – arrivederci Please – per favore Thank you – grazie You’re welcome – Prego Yes – sì No – no
Hello – 안녕하세요 Goodbye – 안녕 Please – 하세요 Thank you – 감사합니다 You’re welcome – 참 잘 오셨습니다 Yes – 예 No – 아니
Portuguese
Hello – Olá Goodbye – adeus Please – por favor Thank you – obrigado You’re welcome – De nada Yes – sim No – não
Russian
Hello – привет Goodbye – до свидания Please – пожалуйста Thank you – спасибо You’re welcome – Всегда пожалуйста Yes – да No – нет
Spanish
Hello – ¡Hola Goodbye – despedida Please – Por favor Thank you – Gracias You’re welcome – No hay de qué Yes – sí No – no
Turkish
Hello – Merhaba Goodbye – güle güle Please – lütfen Thank you – teşekkür ederim You’re welcome – Estağfurullah Yes – evet No – yok
Vietnamese
Hello – Xin chào Goodbye – Tạm biệt Please – Xin Thank you – cảm ơn bạn You’re welcome – Bạn đang chào đón Yes – Có No – không có
A brief word of caution: I am not an multilingual expert. Before considering using these phrases in a formal manner or critical negotiation, be sure to consult an expert to avoid offending anyone. Furthermore, if you do not see the language, word you seek or if you need the pronunciation, I suggest using Google Translate – the source of most translations here.
Question: Have you tried using simple phrases of the native language with global team members? What was the impact?
Ben Lichtenwalner is the founder and principal of Modern Servant Leader and Radiant Forest, LLC. He has studied and promoted servant leadership awareness and adoption for over 20 years. He is the author of 2 leadership books and has 2 decades of corporate management and leadership experience. His corporate experience spans CIO, VP, Director, and many management roles at Fortune 500, INC 500, and Nonprofits. Ben’s education includes a B.S. in Management Science & Information Systems from Penn State University and an MBA from Lehigh University. Ben's Full Profile Here:About Ben Lichtenwalner