Ask HN: What are software bugs called in other languages?
I realized today that "bug" is a pretty idiomatic term. Are there parallels in other languages? How do you refer to a software bug in your native language?
52 comments
In Polish it's singular "błąd" and plural "błędy". Today people also often refer to them as simply singular "bug" and plural "bugi".
In many of them it's still "bug". Just like computer is still computer or some version thereof. A lot of newer and technical words are copied or transcribed from English instead of being translated.
Brazilian Portuguese: mostly is called "boogie", our garbled pronounciation for bug.
Sometimes is called "erro" (error) or "defeito" (defect).
Sometimes is called "erro" (error) or "defeito" (defect).
es-ar: "bug" we usually mix technical words in English in the middle of sentences in Spanish. The correct word in Spanish is "error" (the phonetics is something like "eh-rrohr"), but it's a generic word for errors, not only software bugs.
My guess is that the other countries in America that speak Spanish use this mix, but in Spain they may use the translated version.
My guess is that the other countries in America that speak Spanish use this mix, but in Spain they may use the translated version.
Falla.
From my working experience in Spain, "error" is a more generic term. The word "bug" is commonly used to specify an error in the software.
I've seen mostly ⟨bug⟩ in both Italian and Portuguese. Uncommonly ⟨erro de programação⟩ (PT) / ⟨errore di programmazione⟩ (IT).
I pronounce it ['bu.ge] in both languages, although the pronunciation might vary quite a bit in Portuguese; the last vowel can be [e ɪ i ə] or non-existent, depending on the dialect. It's just epenthetic, given neither language likes hard codas.
I pronounce it ['bu.ge] in both languages, although the pronunciation might vary quite a bit in Portuguese; the last vowel can be [e ɪ i ə] or non-existent, depending on the dialect. It's just epenthetic, given neither language likes hard codas.
Just a note, adding an "e" at the end of "bug" when pronouncing is not a think in Portuguese from Portugal, I mostly hear it from our good friends from Brazil, and they've actually started dropping the "e" (at least the ones I work with).
It depends far more on the actual dialect than the country, as it's phonotactics-dependent; for example I'd still expect Alentejano dialect to add a short [ɪ], or Mineiro to skip it, even if it's the opposite direction of the "trend".
And the vowel itself might vary quite a bit. I use [e] due to my dialect (Sulista) still keeping the post-stress final /e/ vs. /i/ distinction (e.g. "SETI" and "sete" sound different for us), but [ɪ] and [i] are likely more common for people who merged both.
And the vowel itself might vary quite a bit. I use [e] due to my dialect (Sulista) still keeping the post-stress final /e/ vs. /i/ distinction (e.g. "SETI" and "sete" sound different for us), but [ɪ] and [i] are likely more common for people who merged both.
In Hebrew it's mostly bug (באג).
However there is an official translation "teqel" (תקל). It is a derivative of a root that means "to stumble". It suggests a resolvable setback more than an "error".
However there is an official translation "teqel" (תקל). It is a derivative of a root that means "to stumble". It suggests a resolvable setback more than an "error".
Here is Greece we just call them bugs (we use the English word, not any transitions).
I'm not a fluent German speaker, but my amateur sense is that word forms of "fault", "mistake", "failure" are used in German instead, e.g. fehl and Software-Fehler.
German here, can confirm. "Fehler" or "Problem" are used very commonly.
Some demographic is using "bug" but the classical industry (e.g. automotive, manufacturing etc) still uses German terms.
There's a "famous" course at the KIT in Karlsruhe where the professor only uses German terms for everything related to Computer Science to make a point about most stuff originating by German researchers when it comes to basic concepts in CS. So the professor is using terms like "Stapel" instead of stack, or "Rechner" instead of CPU etc.
Some demographic is using "bug" but the classical industry (e.g. automotive, manufacturing etc) still uses German terms.
There's a "famous" course at the KIT in Karlsruhe where the professor only uses German terms for everything related to Computer Science to make a point about most stuff originating by German researchers when it comes to basic concepts in CS. So the professor is using terms like "Stapel" instead of stack, or "Rechner" instead of CPU etc.
In Russian, it’s the same word, transliterated as “баг". And the same is true for “feature”: it’s also transliterated directly to “фича".
In Japanese you can use the word "enbug", as an antonym for "debug".
I may steal that...
In Japanese it's バグ ("bagu"), "a fault or defect in a computer program".
A funny slang term is バグる ("baguru") - it's an artificially constructed verb that means "to behave buggily", often used to describe when a game or software glitches.
A funny slang term is バグる ("baguru") - it's an artificially constructed verb that means "to behave buggily", often used to describe when a game or software glitches.
I recently starting (re)-learning Japanese, and I realized that they have a lot of clever slang! My favorite one is 鯖(saba) which means mackerel, but they use it as a slang for server/game server, because it sounds similiar to サーバー (sābā) which means server in Japanese. There are many others, I'm pretty sure, but this is the one I can think of.
Aha, that brings back memories of Zelda's characters named Bagu and Error.
So that's what's up, Zelda II programmers were having fun with names.
So that's what's up, Zelda II programmers were having fun with names.
i recently learned their word for a video going viral which is the verb バズる ("bazuru" aka buzz)
In BASIC `undocumented feature'!
Chinese: 程序错误 (程序=program, 错误=error) is used for the generic sort of software bug. If the bug is a security hole, then it's instead called 漏洞 (leak). Though sometimes the English word "bug" is used, see for example https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A8%8B%E5%BA%8F%E9%94%99%E8... which uses a mix of the two terms. Sometimes it's mistakenly capitalized as BUG, see for example https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%BD%AF%E4%BB%B6BUG/12618010 (this phenomenon in Chinese of capitalizing some English words that aren't actually acronyms happens with some other words too, like APP instead of app/application, etc).
In the USA we call them "features".
Someone really needs to make a tech dejargonizer. I'm very tired of hearing things like "best-in-class API that implements a proprietary protocol to direct network information". Something like Bullshit.js[0].
[0]https://mourner.github.io/bullshit.js/
[0]https://mourner.github.io/bullshit.js/
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In Danish I would use the word “fejl”, which translates to mistake/error/glitch.
In Faroese it is “lús” (lice) which refers to a “villa” (mistake) or “brek” (defect) in software, according to the dictionary. I would personally refer to a bug as “villa” or “feilur” which is the same as the Danish word “fejl”.
To debug is to “kemba” (comb), and debugger “kembari” (comber, if that is a word, someone who combs).
In Faroese it is “lús” (lice) which refers to a “villa” (mistake) or “brek” (defect) in software, according to the dictionary. I would personally refer to a bug as “villa” or “feilur” which is the same as the Danish word “fejl”.
To debug is to “kemba” (comb), and debugger “kembari” (comber, if that is a word, someone who combs).
Just reading a bug report this morning, the word used was "falla".
Spanish. South America.
Spanish. South America.
In Malay, it's officially called "pepijat". Debug is "nyahpepijat". It sounds jarring because it means "insect", and "reverse insect".
So most of the time we just use the word bug, and it's a third of the syllable count.
Interestingly the word clicks a lot better with the other English use of "bug", which is to sneak a microphone into a room.
From a poetic angle, "pijak" means step (on). I don't know if that's the etymology, but it evokes the idea that "pepijat" is something with a lot of little steps and something you want to step on.
With a computer bug, you can't really step on it, but with a microphone bug you can.
So most of the time we just use the word bug, and it's a third of the syllable count.
Interestingly the word clicks a lot better with the other English use of "bug", which is to sneak a microphone into a room.
From a poetic angle, "pijak" means step (on). I don't know if that's the etymology, but it evokes the idea that "pepijat" is something with a lot of little steps and something you want to step on.
With a computer bug, you can't really step on it, but with a microphone bug you can.
In French (France and Quebec), people use "bogue" (even though they tend to pronounce it like "bug"). It means "burr", aka the spiky chestnut hull.
To debug is "déboguer", which only means to debug (and not opening/removing the chestnut burr).
Alternatively, "défaut" is also used (defect). Sometimes the more general "erreur" (error) can be used.
However, the English word "bug" is getting used more and more (along with "débuguer", the French way to turn "to debug" into something usable in the language).
To debug is "déboguer", which only means to debug (and not opening/removing the chestnut burr).
Alternatively, "défaut" is also used (defect). Sometimes the more general "erreur" (error) can be used.
However, the English word "bug" is getting used more and more (along with "débuguer", the French way to turn "to debug" into something usable in the language).
I've only ever heard "bug" and "débuger", and only saw "bogue" in some publication that would also use "courriel" and the likes. Maybe this has to do with a younger generation? Quebec will probably have a bias for "bogue", as always, but in France I'd say most people use "bug".
In Québec we commonly use bug/bogue, but might pick a confusing French word in official communications, as is tradition.
> the English word "bug" is getting used more and more
True, except I've only heard it pronounced "boog".
True, except I've only heard it pronounced "boog".
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bugi#Finnish
There are also several verbs:
"To make a bug": BUGATA.
"To act erroneously because of a bug": BUGITTAA.
"To have habit of causing bugs or acting errorneously": BUGAILLA
There are also several verbs:
"To make a bug": BUGATA.
"To act erroneously because of a bug": BUGITTAA.
"To have habit of causing bugs or acting errorneously": BUGAILLA
I've never really thought of "bug" as being very idiomatic (at least, no more than other words).
The origin of the word "bug" doesn't come from the insect sense of the word. Bug has roots in a word "bogey" meaning devil. You still see its remnants in words like bugbear and bugaboo.
The origin of the word "bug" doesn't come from the insect sense of the word. Bug has roots in a word "bogey" meaning devil. You still see its remnants in words like bugbear and bugaboo.
Wait.. Isn't the origin of "bug" in computer science, a literal insect stuck in one of Turing's universal machines ?
I think you're probably mis-representing the famous Grace Hopper story which is often cited as being the origin of the word bug[1].
In fact, in Hopper's notebook she even writes "First actual case of bug being found". The use of the word "actual" implies that the word bug has been used before and etymologies back this up.
[1]https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/sep9/worlds-first...
In fact, in Hopper's notebook she even writes "First actual case of bug being found". The use of the word "actual" implies that the word bug has been used before and etymologies back this up.
[1]https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/sep9/worlds-first...
https://handwiki.org/wiki/Engineering:Bug_(engineering):
“The Middle English word bugge is the basis for the terms "bugbear" and "bugaboo" as terms used for a monster.
The term "bug" to describe defects has been a part of engineering jargon since the 1870s and predates electronic computers and computer software; it may have originally been used in hardware engineering to describe mechanical malfunctions. For instance, Thomas Edison wrote the following words in a letter to an associate in 1878:
It has been just so in all of my inventions. The first step is an intuition, and comes with a burst, then difficulties arise—this thing gives out and [it is] then that "Bugs"—as such little faults and difficulties are called—show themselves and months of intense watching, study and labor are requisite before commercial success or failure is certainly reached.”
That page also says:
“The related term "debug" also appears to predate its usage in computing: the Oxford English Dictionary's etymology of the word contains an attestation from 1945, in the context of aircraft engines.”
“The Middle English word bugge is the basis for the terms "bugbear" and "bugaboo" as terms used for a monster.
The term "bug" to describe defects has been a part of engineering jargon since the 1870s and predates electronic computers and computer software; it may have originally been used in hardware engineering to describe mechanical malfunctions. For instance, Thomas Edison wrote the following words in a letter to an associate in 1878:
It has been just so in all of my inventions. The first step is an intuition, and comes with a burst, then difficulties arise—this thing gives out and [it is] then that "Bugs"—as such little faults and difficulties are called—show themselves and months of intense watching, study and labor are requisite before commercial success or failure is certainly reached.”
That page also says:
“The related term "debug" also appears to predate its usage in computing: the Oxford English Dictionary's etymology of the word contains an attestation from 1945, in the context of aircraft engines.”
In Costa Rica and other Latin American countries at least we called it, colloquially, “pulga”
I use to work for an Indian company in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The language there is Marathi. So the employees used Marathi words for some programming terms e.g. "palala" for "ran" or "palav" for "run it" i.e. "program palala/palav" or "program adakla" for "program is stuck", or if the application release is given go ahead by the QA teams, then "yogya" for OK :) And if there was a bug, then the engineers/QA teams used the sentence "barobar naahiye" i.e. it is not correct. The verbatim word for "bug" was not used. The verbatim word for "bug" in Marathi language would be "kidaa" or "paakhroo" :)
German:
- "Ich habe einen bug", "Da ist ein Fehler"
- "Da ist ein glitch"
- Ein typo
Bugg in Swedish, it is basically the same word only pronounced as "boog"
"bug" in greek