Filipinos are valued in the remote work industry not least because of their ability to speak English quite well. Unlike some of our Asian neighbors, we usually speak the language with a neutral accent. Growing up inundated with Western media and culture has also made it fairly easy for us to understand most foreign clients with very little trouble.
However, we certainly haven’t forgotten our own language. Every August, for instance, the country celebrates Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month).
Fun fact: It was President Fidel V. Ramos who signed the bill for this occasion into law back in 1997. Prior to that, we only celebrated for a week, from 13-19 August, in honor of President Manuel L. Quezon’s birthday on the latter. (Quezon’s moniker was Ama ng Wikang Pambansa, or “The Father of our National Language.”)
You probably know how to speak Tagalog, but did you know that a handful of common WFH terms have direct translations? Read on and find out what they are:
1. Andaran.
Ever wonder what your hard drive is called in Tagalog? Well, this is it.
2. Angkupan.
This means “adaptor,” apparently. Considering that “angkop” means “apt,” it is pretty appropriate.
3. Balang panlimbag.
Oh, gosh, there’s actually a Tagalog term for “ink cartridge.” I kid you not.
4. Bansag.
“Bansag” is a Tagalog term that means “to name” as a verb or “name” as a noun. In this case, it can mean “username.”
Hmm, I wonder what the Tagalog term for “password” is.
5. Buong-tabing.
Guess what this means? If you said “full screen,” you’d be right, smartypants.
6. Dagitab.
We’re used to referring to “electricity” as “kuryente,” which is correct. However, if you really want to push the boat out and go all Balagtas on people, you can use this term instead.
7. Pantablay.
We’ve established the Tagalog term for adaptor already, right? Well, here’s the one for “charger.”
8. Pang-ulong Hatinig.
Yes, there’s a Tagalog term for your headset too. This one’s quite a mouthful, but it’s pretty trippy, eh?
9. Pook-Sapot.
“Sapot” means “cobweb, so it makes perfect sense that “pook-sapot” means “website.”
10. Sulatroniko.
Now, this is a bit of a compound word. “Sulat” means “letter” and the “troniko” part is an abbreviation for “elektroniko” or “electronic.”
Put those two together, and you get a term for “electronic mail” or “e-mail.”
Whew! Next time, someone should work on a Tagalog troubleshooting guide for computers too, yeah? Now, that would be an impressive endeavor indeed.
Happy National Language Month!
