| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Off topic: A word for "bully" in your language (or a language you know) Thread poster: Nesrin
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| Sticking to the original | Mar 28, 2012 |
neilmac wrote:
Informally, they tend to use "matón" which is literally "killer" or "deadly", but it is also used for any henchman or "heavy" type. Here's an example in this snippet from a review of Adrian Mole: "Al principio de The Secret Diary..., la vida de Adrian es un desastre: extorsionado en el colegio por el matón de turno..."
Honestly, I don't think that translation is a very good one. I think I will stick to the original!
| | | | | | | Bully in German | Mar 28, 2012 |
"Der kleine Tyrann", literally 'the petty tyrant', would be a schoolyard bully
Melanie Meyer wrote:
the verb 'schikanieren' (to bully/harass/mob) comes to my mind when I think of a German word for bully. You're right, there seems to be no noun in German that comes close to the full meaning of bully.
You would probably have to say "ein Schüler, der andere Kinder schikaniert" oder "ein Chef, der seine Mitarbeiter schikaniert". Or, as you already suggested, use the adjectives "gemein" or "fies".
| | | | Jan Willem van Dormolen (X) 
Netherlands
Local time: 23:53
English to Dutch
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Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote: I had the same discussion with a friend not so long ago. I can't think of a direct translation in any of the languages I know that adequately covers everything that the word 'bully' does. The other word we couldn't find a translation for in any languages we knew was 'child-friendly'. Is this term only actually needed in Anglo-Saxon countries where children aren't necessarily welcomed everywhere - sorry, slightly O/T, but who knows, the two may even be connected 
This too has a direct and exact Dutch equivalent: kindvriendelijk. As you might guess, it's actually literally the same - and, although that's far from common - also exactly the same in meaning.
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XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:53
Portuguese to English
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| It IS a cultural issue | Mar 28, 2012 |
A genuinely 'child-friendly' society doesn't need a word for it. It's a given - children are part of society and welcomed anywhere. I'm sure that the presence/absence of the word 'bully' also has a strong cultural element...but I think it's safer not to go there
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:53
Spanish to English
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Giles Watson wrote:
According to the De Mauro and Zanichelli dictionaries, Italian has been using "bullo" (there are many other terms) since around 1547/8. Both "bully" and "bullo" probably derive from the same Germanic root meaning "lover" or "intimate friend". Nowadays "bullo" or its diminutive "bulletto" (documented from 1955) tend to refer to playground "hoodlums".
"Bullismo", the phenomenon of bullying particularly at school, is also recent. The two dictionaries date it from 1957/8.
I always felt it was something to do with bulls, like being pushy, cf. ... wiki-> "In the 1800s, jails and holding cells were nicknamed "bullpens", in respect of many police officers' bullish features – strength and a short temper..."
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:53
Spanish to English
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Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote: neilmac wrote:
Informally, they tend to use "matón" which is literally "killer" or "deadly", but it is also used for any henchman or "heavy" type. Here's an example in this snippet from a review of Adrian Mole: "Al principio de The Secret Diary..., la vida de Adrian es un desastre: extorsionado en el colegio por el matón de turno..." Honestly, I don't think that translation is a very good one. I think I will stick to the original!
I bow to your judgement
| | | | Ledja
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:53
English to Albanian
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Albanian doesn't have a set word for bullying either. The concept certainly has existed (and continues to) in school life, but we've simply called it "picking on" or "harassing" someone (the Albanian words being: ngacmoj / bie në qafë). This, however, only covers the verbial use, while the noun "bully"(as in a person) can take a variety of colloquial terms (funny enough, one being the Turkish one used above - "kapadai" in Albanian - but not quite nailing the meaning); another one that was wide... See more Albanian doesn't have a set word for bullying either. The concept certainly has existed (and continues to) in school life, but we've simply called it "picking on" or "harassing" someone (the Albanian words being: ngacmoj / bie në qafë). This, however, only covers the verbial use, while the noun "bully"(as in a person) can take a variety of colloquial terms (funny enough, one being the Turkish one used above - "kapadai" in Albanian - but not quite nailing the meaning); another one that was widely used in and around the region I grew up in was "garip", but I have been surprised not to find it included in any dictionaries; I have happened to see the word in a couple of movies lately translated as "cub", which made me smile, as this is an outdated word for "mountain bandits" and the pronounced version that we used as kids was actually "cup" (Don't think English pronunciation - think "tsoup"! ).
Another more formal term that came in from the influence of the Italian language was "prepotent"/"prepotencë" (the latter taking care of the noun "bullying" as a phenomenon).
Nevertheless, none of these have actually taken over and been established as the proper translation of "bullying". I watched a programme on TV a few weeks ago where the phenomenon was being discussed and the word had simply been transliterated to "bulingu". It made me cringe to think how this could possibly be turned into a verb and a noun and, as a translator, would rather stick with "prepotence".
[Edited at 2012-03-28 23:49 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Mats Wiman
Sweden
Local time: 23:53
Member (2000)
German to Swedish
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In memoriam
Översittare (someone who thinks s/he is 'above' the victim)
Mobbare (someone who harasses weaker or smaller persons)
| | | | Phil Hand
China
Local time: 05:53
Chinese to English
恃强凌弱 or 霸王 are possible, though there are a number of other words that could be used.
I don't think the difference is so much in whether the concept exists - I'd be extremely surprised if Arabic really doesn't have some words to convey the idea efficiently. There is likely to be a big cultural difference, though, in recognition of the concept as an administrative term. Schools have developed bullying policies, and in some places it's recognised as a kind of workplace abu... See more 恃强凌弱 or 霸王 are possible, though there are a number of other words that could be used.
I don't think the difference is so much in whether the concept exists - I'd be extremely surprised if Arabic really doesn't have some words to convey the idea efficiently. There is likely to be a big cultural difference, though, in recognition of the concept as an administrative term. Schools have developed bullying policies, and in some places it's recognised as a kind of workplace abuse. The difficulty would be in translating when these administrative connotations are present but not explicit. ▲ Collapse
| | | | inkweaver
Germany
Local time: 23:53
French to German
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Steven Sidore wrote:
"Der kleine Tyrann", literally 'the petty tyrant', would be a schoolyard bully
This term doesn't really refer to a schoolyard bully but rather to children who tyrannise their own parents.
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In France, I think this is covered by "harceleur" (both school and office). In fact, a whole campaign against the "harcèlement à l'école" has been launched recently.
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Steve Derry
Spain
Local time: 23:53
German to English
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| El moving/mobbing... | Mar 29, 2012 |
... in Spain, certainly in the Balearics, when talking about bullying in the workplace. It is quite common for lawyers to talk about this, although what I'm not sure about is whether they are talking about 'moving' or 'mobbing' with 'v' and 'b' being almost indistinguishable here. There are numerous internet references to both terms, often interchangeable, in the workplace and several forums discussing it in schools as well (along with "el bullying"!!). Of course, these terms refer to the act an... See more ... in Spain, certainly in the Balearics, when talking about bullying in the workplace. It is quite common for lawyers to talk about this, although what I'm not sure about is whether they are talking about 'moving' or 'mobbing' with 'v' and 'b' being almost indistinguishable here. There are numerous internet references to both terms, often interchangeable, in the workplace and several forums discussing it in schools as well (along with "el bullying"!!). Of course, these terms refer to the act and not the person, although I'm sure with time we'll have "el mover" or something similar.
I'm guessing "el moving" refers to the fact that the bullying becomes so bad that the victim either has to move departments or leave the job altogether. ▲ Collapse
| | | | inkweaver
Germany
Local time: 23:53
French to German
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According to my teenage daughter, "Mobber" is the term they would actually use for a schoolyard bully.
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 00:53
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
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| You should first determine it more clearly | Mar 29, 2012 |
If English has a word that covers a broad area of different meanings then probably other languages are more specific.
In Finnish one would call a bully simputtaja, if s/he is a higher rank in the armed forces and likes to show off to lowers.
At school such a person would be kiusaaja. There are lots of verbs that describe this behaviour in Finnish and German, depending on the situation.
[Bearbeitet am 2012-03-29 11:54 GMT]
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