Are you a hotel or restaurant owner ready to welcome overseas guests back to your establishment?
A business traveller concerned about staying safe in the new post-COVID world…
Or perhaps you are a Brit who has just booked a holiday abroad and can’t wait to travel again?
The LEaF Translations COVID Language Hub contains:
For hotels and restaurants: FREE language resources and printables for hotel and restaurant owners, and other tourist attractions to give to their guests Find out more | For Brits travelling abroad: FREE printables containing key COVID FAQs in Spanish, Greek, Portuguese, French and German to take with you on holiday Find out more |
For business travellers: FREE resources for business travellers in languages including Chinese and Japanese Find out more | AND: An A-Z of COVID terms in seven different languages Find out more |
The COVID A-Z in seven different languages
COVID-19 has changed every aspect of our lives, including the language we speak. Phrases like lockdown, furlough and underlying health conditions are now in common use. We have put together glossaries of the key terms in seven different languages. Wondering how to say facemask in Japanese, Greek or Spanish? Click on the relevant language to find out…
| CHINESE | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| 无症状 | Asympomatic |
| 禁止（出行，集会等） | Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.) |
| 接触者追踪 | Contact tracing |
| 保持社交距离 | Distancing |
| 撞肘问候 | Elbow tap |
| (带薪）休假 | Furlough |
| 政府指导方针 | Government guidelines |
| 家庭检测套装 | Home testing kits |
| 潜伏期 | Incubation |
| 失业 | Job losses |
| 关键工作者 | Keyworkers |
| 封城(1.0, 2.0, 3.0) | Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) |
| 口罩 | Masks |
| 夜莺医院 | Nightingale hospitals |
| 暴发 | Outbreak |
| 大流行病 | Pandemic |
| 隔离 | Quarantine |
| 再生率 | R rate |
| 自我隔离 | Self-isolation |
| 追踪 | Track and trace |
| 潜在（健康）问题 | Underlying conditions |
| 疫苗接种中心 | Vaccination centres |
| 居家办公 | Working from home |
| 仇外心理 | Xenophobia |
| 瑜伽 | Yoga |
| Zoom（视频会议） | Zoom (video conference) |
| FRENCH | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Asymptomatique | Asympomatic |
| Interdiction (voyage, rassemblement social, etc.) | Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.) |
| Traçage des cas contacts | Contact tracing |
| Distanciation | Distancing |
| Robinet à coude | Elbow tap |
| Chômage partiel | Furlough |
| Directives gouvernementales | Government guidelines |
| Kits de dépistage à domicile | Home testing kits |
| Incubation | Incubation |
| Pertes d’emploi | Job losses |
| Travailleurs essentiels | Keyworkers |
| (Premier, deuxième, troisième) confinement | Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) |
| Masques | Masks |
| Hôpitaux supplémentaires | Nightingale hospitals |
| Épidémie | Outbreak |
| Pandémie | Pandemic |
| Quatorzaine (14 days quarantine) | Quarantine |
| le R0 (taux de transmission du virus de la Covid-19) | R rate |
| Isolement | Self-isolation |
| Contact tracing (the English term in used in French for the system rather than the action) | Track and trace |
| Conditions sous-jacentes | Underlying conditions |
| Centre de vaccination | Vaccination centres |
| Télétravail | Working from home |
| Xénophobie | Xenophobia |
| Yoga | Yoga |
| Zoom | Zoom |
| GERMAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Symptomfrei | Asympomatic |
| Verbot (Reise, Treffen, usw.) | Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.) |
| Kontaktverfolgung | Contact tracing |
| Abstandsregeln, Kontaktbeschränkungen, AHA-Formel | Distancing |
| Ellenbogengruß | Elbow tap |
| Kurzarbeit | Furlough |
| Behördliche Vorschriften | Government guidelines |
| Selbsttests | Home testing kits |
| Inkubationszeit | Incubation |
| Arbeitsplatzverluste | Job losses |
| Systemrelevante Arbeitskräfte | Keyworkers |
| Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) | Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) |
| Masken, Mund-Nasen-Schutz, Mund-Nasen-Bedeckung, Gesichtsmaske | Masks |
| Temporäre Krankenhäuser | Nightingale hospitals |
| Ausbruch | Outbreak |
| Pandemie | Pandemic |
| Quarantäne | Quarantine |
| R-Wert (Reproduktionszahl) | R rate |
| Selbstisolation | Self-isolation |
| Kontaktverfolgung (Corona-App) | Track and trace |
| Vorerkankungen | Underlying conditions |
| Impfzentren | Vaccination centres |
| Home Office | Working from home |
| Fremdenfeindlichkeit | Xenophobia |
| Yoga | Yoga |
| Zoom | Zoom |
| GREEK | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Ασυμπτωματικός (masculine) / ασυμπτωματική (feminine) | Asympomatic |
| Απαγόρευση (ταξίδια, κοινωνικές συγκεντρώσεις κλπ.) | Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.) |
| Ιχνηλάτηση επαφών | Contact tracing |
| Τήρηση αποστάσεων | Distancing |
| Άγγιγμα αγκώνων | Elbow tap |
| Άδεια άνευ αποδοχών | Furlough |
| Οδηγίες της κυβέρνησης | Government guidelines |
| Πακέτο κατ’ οίκον εξέτασης | Home testing kits |
| Επώαση | Incubation |
| Απώλεια θέσεων εργασίας | Job losses |
| Εργαζόμενοι κρίσιμης σημασίας | Keyworkers |
| Απαγόρευση κυκλοφορίας (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) | Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) |
| Μάσκες | Masks |
| Νοσοκομεία COVID | Nightingale hospitals |
| Έξαρση | Outbreak |
| Πανδημία | Pandemic |
| Καραντίνα | Quarantine |
| Δείκτης R | R rate |
| Αυτοαπομόνωση | Self-isolation |
| Ιχνηλάτηση | Track and trace |
| Υποκείμενες παθήσεις | Underlying conditions |
| Κέντρα εμβολιασμού | Vaccination centres |
| Τηλεργασία | Working from home |
| Ξενοφοβία | Xenophobia |
| Γιόγκα | Yoga |
| Ζουμ (Zoom) | Zoom |
| JAPANESE | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| 無症状 | Asympomatic |
| 禁止（旅行、社交的集まり等） | Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.) |
| 接触追跡 | Contact tracing |
| ディスタンシング（距離を取ること） | Distancing |
| 肘タッチ | Elbow tap |
| 一時帰休 | Furlough |
| 政府ガイドライン | Government guidelines |
| 家庭でのテストキット | Home testing kits |
| 潜伏 | Incubation |
| 失業 | Job losses |
| キーワーカー | Keyworkers |
| ロックダウン（1回目、2回目、3回目） | Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) |
| マスク | Masks |
| ナイチンゲール病院 | Nightingale hospitals |
| 大流行 | Outbreak |
| パンデミック | Pandemic |
| 隔離・検疫 | Quarantine |
| R値 | R rate |
| 自己隔離 | Self-isolation |
| トラック・アンド・トレース（濃厚接触者の追跡） | Track and trace |
| 基礎疾患 | Underlying conditions |
| ワクチン接種センター | Vaccination centres |
| 自宅勤務 | Working from home |
| 外国人嫌い | Xenophobia |
| ヨガ | Yoga |
| Zoom（ズーム） | Zoom |
| PORTUGUESE | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Assintomático | Asympomatic |
| Proibição (viajar, encontros sociais etc.) | Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.) |
| Rastreio de Contactos | Contact tracing |
| Distanciamento | Distancing |
| Cumprimento de cotovelo | Elbow tap |
| Licença | Furlough |
| Recomendações Governamentais | Government guidelines |
| Kits de teste em casa | Home testing kits |
| Incubação | Incubation |
| Perda de emprego | Job losses |
| Trabalhadores essenciais | Keyworkers |
| Confinamento (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) | Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) |
| Máscaras | Masks |
| Hospitais Nightingale | Nightingale hospitals |
| Surto | Outbreak |
| Pandemia | Pandemic |
| Quarentena | Quarantine |
| Índice R | R rate |
| Auto-isolamento | Self-isolation |
| Rastreamento de contacto | Track and trace |
| Doenças agravantes | Underlying conditions |
| Centros de vacinação | Vaccination centres |
| Trabalhar em casa | Working from home |
| Xenofobia | Xenophobia |
| Yoga | Yoga |
| Zoom | Zoom |
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Asintomático | Asympomatic |
| Prohibición (viaje, reuniones sociales, etc.) | Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.) |
| Rastreo de contactos | Contact tracing |
| Distancia/distanciamiento | Distancing |
| Choque de codos | Elbow tap |
| ERTE (expediente de regulación temporal de empleo) | Furlough |
| Recomendaciones del gobierno | Government guidelines |
| Kit de prueba doméstica/en casa | Home testing kits |
| Incubación | Incubation |
| Pérdida de empleo | Job losses |
| Trabajadores esenciales | Keyworkers |
| Confinamiento (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) | Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) |
| Mascarillas | Masks |
| Hospitales de campaña | Nightingale hospitals |
| Brote | Outbreak |
| Pandemia | Pandemic |
| Cuarentena | Quarantine |
| Número R | R rate |
| Autoaislamiento | Self-isolation |
| Rastreo de contactos | Track and trace |
| Enfermedades preexistentes | Underlying conditions |
| Centros de vacunación | Vaccination centres |
| Teletrabajo/Trabajo desde casa | Working from home |
| Xenofobia | Xenophobia |
| Yoga | Yoga |
| Zoom | Zoom |
“Where’s the hand sanitiser please?”
“Where can I buy a face mask?”
And plenty of other phrases you never thought you’d need to know in a foreign language pre-COVID
We know that many of you will be itching to get away to a more exotic destination than your living room.
This appears increasingly tangible, after the Government announced its travel traffic light system to ease the travel restrictions caused by COVID.
This is why we’ve compiled all of the foreign phrases you never thought you needed to know to enjoy that first post-pandemic holiday.
We also understand that while holidays are top of the agenda, so is the need for people to travel for business and commercial reasons.
And we can’t ignore the fact that the hospitality industry must open its doors to welcome guests once again.
This is why we devised our resources hub, which helps hotels and other businesses within the tourism sector to communicate with their visitors and guests. We also aim to guide tourists and business travellers, so you can rest assured that you’re safely navigating the post-COVID landscape.
The idea for our hub came about because we recognised the impact the pandemic had on language, bringing scientific words into our everyday vocabulary which were difficult to get to grips with.
As a York-based organisation which specialises in translations for the tourism industry, we couldn’t sit back and watch these changes to our language create confusion. Given the current climate, good translation is vital to ensure that information around COVID health and safety is accurately communicated across many different languages.
We hope that our pool of language resources and printable assets will help you to:
- Provide clear messages to communicate to a wide audience
- Maintain commercial operations, regardless of the circumstances
- Avoid any miscommunication or misunderstandings
- Stay say and follow COVID safety regulations during your travels overseas
Free resources for hotels, restaurants and other tourism businesses to share with their guests
As international tourists start returning to the UK, it is vital that businesses working within the tourism sector are able to clearly communicate COVID-safety guidelines to visitors and guests. We have put together some key FAQs for businesses, museums etc. to print out and give to their guests to help keep everyone safe. Examples include:
- “Yes, we need to see your vaccine certificate when you check-in/arrive”
- “The hotel/restaurant/bar each has strict cleanliness standards in place. All high touch areas such as the lobby/elevator/rooms/corridors/door handles/kitchens/tables/cutlery etc. are cleaned more frequently.”
- “Some nearby outdoor tourist attractions are currently open to the public with social distancing guidelines in place. Here is a map and we have marked them for you.”
These COVID FAQs are available in Chinese, Japanese, German, Spanish and French.
If you require the FAQs in a different language or would like your own COVID policy translating, please contact us for more information.
Free resources for Brits travelling abroad
We have put together the top COVID-related phrases that you need to know to stay safe – from “Where can I buy a mask?” to “Which tourist attractions are currently open to the public?”.
We have compiled these phrases in five key languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, French and German. Click on the relevant language below to access the phrases and download free printables to take with you on your travels.
Free resources for business travellers
If you travel for business and haven’t been able to do so because of the pandemic, we know how you’re feeling. You’ll be keen to get back into your pre-Covid working routine as soon as it’s deemed possible.
When foreign countries open up once again, as per the Government traffic light system, we have all the phrases you need to be able to communicate clearly and stay safe during your visit – from “I have forgotten my mask. What should I do?” to “Where would I find the hand sanitiser, please?”
For more information about the LEaF Translations COVID Language Hub or for information about our translation services, please contact: lucy@leaftranslations.com.
