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
Japanese
Hello – こんにちは
Goodbye – さようなら
Please – してください
Thank you – ありがとう
You’re welcome – あなたどういたしまして
Yes – はい
No – なし
Korean
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?
