Saber Forum

I got to thinking, how does one say "Sith" in different languages? I'm sure I could look it up in various ways on the internet, but that just seemed boring. So instead, I figured I'd open it up to public submissions; since there are forum members from around the globe. For all I know it's one of those words that is the same in most languages worldwide... But, I figure it's worth a shot. Also, if there are examples of Star Wars universe languages where Sith is a different word I'll welcome those too. Got an idea for a project and this could all get integrated if there are enough, or I find a lot I like. I really only want ones that are from first hand knowledge, verified from sources (legends, games, canon lore), movies/shows, etc. Not just random stuff people made up with no basis. No submissions that are wholly fan fiction. That said, I look forward to seeing what knowledge people have to share. May the Force serve you well.

I recall that it's pronounced "sit" in the French version of the movies. Though most people now pronounce it "sith".

Ok, I'll admit that is a bit interesting. Although a little vexing to someone with English as a frame of reference. Sit Master, Sit Lord, Dark Lord of the Sit. Thoroughly enjoying this already, much appreciated.

You have to go all the way though :
Maître Sit(h)
Seigneur Sit(h)
Sombre Seigneur or Seigneur Sombre des Sit(h)

xD

And yeah, th is quite hard to pronounce for some French people without English knowledge

About the Sith in French :
https://youtu.be/pw_QqzA8b88?t=131

Ha, you even took it to the next level by translating my jokes over. Well played. I know next to nothing in French so kudos. I can't wait to see what else is out there. Maybe someone will impart some newfound wisdom soon. Glad someone replied so quickly in the first place.

No big effort on my part, it's my language xD

As Sith is a name, and a made up one at that, I imagine that other than pronunciation concerns, it would be "Sith" in pretty much all languages.

I do believe that if even us French didn't try and translate it or change it altogether, I don't see any other country that would. Well. Except maybe in Canada's Quebec?

True, and a valid assertion. But, I can't think of how to phrase this properly. I can't remember the term, syntax errors? There are languages where the "English" spelling wouldn't necessarily compute in their word structure. Root languages which are closer could be similar or the same. But maybe German is different enough to require a different word. Japanese is often hit or miss with this, sometimes integrating a direct translation of romaji; so I'd be more interested in kanji or kata-kana variations. If they watched Star Wars in Arabic I don't think it's simply Sith. Granted this is a shot in the dark, but nothing ventured nothing gained right?

Like others have said, it should be the same (or at least very similar) in all other languages, as it is a noun. In Spanish it is possible (even probable) that it is pronounced see-th (not like seethe, the 'th' would be very short), but it would be very close. "El señor oscuro del sith" would be "The Dark Lord of the Sith". All that being said, I am not a native spanish speaker, and am still learning the language, so I don't know for sure. Still fun to think about.

Hence the bit about pronunciation concerns.  Also, have you tried cueing up the DVD/Blu Ray and playing with language/subtitle options?

Sadly I no longer own any of them.

Same here, not sure my self. Instructors or family never quite mentioned that one. And never watched any in Spanish, or on Telemundo or something. All I could go is guess in that regard, or look it up which just isn't as amusing. Your candor is appreciated. (and that reminds me of my favorite Mandalorian of all time Canderous Ordo. Good times, damn I wish he'd been some playable DLC character in SW BF 2 or something even if not canon)

Bummer, though me either or I would take a look for you.

Funny how that works. Thanks Disney Vault, Disney Plus Subscriptions, and who knows what else.

Yes ;)

The fact is the English "th" is not easy to pronounce for us ... like many other things.

Because of that, back in 1977, when they dubbed "A new hope", "Darth Vader" became "Dark Vador"

Your input is appreciated, and made me realize something of possible importance. For maximum effect my question/inquiry should be translated into various languages to potentially get some of the desired responses. Ironic I didn't think of it that way, viewing english as a common language was foolish in that way. It goes partially against the point of this topic, or assumes people use translation software in other countries where english may not be the national language. But this is one of the most revealing parts of communication on this level, or language studies in general. I love that (and I can't remember which study it was) language showed a correlation to how the brain is wired. So "thinking" in a different language can literally mean thinking differently in general. I digress, but do enjoy this kind of thing very much.

Which can make sense for French viewers that know what Dark means. But still a miss xD
I used to call myself DarkRondoudou. But changed when I watched the movies in their original language.

Yep,

And "Clone wars" translated by "La guerre noire" what a joke ....

The first time I watched an original version of a StarWars movie was the Phantom Menace ... what a surprise to learn about "Darth" ;)

oh putain, I missed that! Where? When?? Who was so drunk they could not even translate that properly???
Ah, I was too young to go see it in English at the time, but I think the next one was my first.

In ANH, Obiwan and Luke watch the hologram of Leia asking for help.

In the original version, she tells : "General Kenobi. Years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars ..."
In the French version, she tells : "Général Kenobi. Jadis vous avez servi mon père pendant la guerre noire ..."

This translation is so ... stupid ...

A bit off topic, but I'll bite... as stated I don't know French, but based off the context, previous submissions on this topic, and an inference or two "General Kenobi. Years ago you served my father in the Dark War"? I think that's what you're saying was in the French version's translation.

Yess, sorry ;)


Yes, they translated "Clone War" by "Dark War" ...

If only I had those, either.  Stupid money and stupid bills.

Sith is a name, and therefore has no translation. There might be variations in pronunciation based on the phonics of a language, but that's about it.

This is one of those really interesting Star Wars questions that makes the forums such a fun place. I'll freely admit I really am curious why you're looking into this, DarthProdigal. Is it like a fan fiction project?

Yea, I was thinking if there were interesting variations I might be able to integrate them into something. Obviously still working on this conceptually, it's in it's infancy. If I don't hit a dead end and can make something of it I'll let you know.
Then that may simply mean I phrased my inquiry incorrectly, and you may be more accurate to my intent. As an example then take the name Michael:
Michael: Michel (French), Mikhail (Greek, Russian), Mihály (Hungarian), Mícheál (Gaelic), Michele (Italian), Michal (Polish), Miguel (Portuguese, Spanish), Mihail (Rumanian), Michiel (Dutch), Mikel (Swedish), Mihangel (Welsh), Mícheál (Irish), Miguel (Portuguese), Mikkel (Danish, Norweigian), Micheil (Gaelic).
This is my end goal for the term Sith, and while the internet can spit out results like this I find it more appealing to get the input of native speakers/fans with personal experience. Although it may make the process more difficult, I've got the time to wait for submissions. Fishing for interesting input I suppose.

So you're looking for the variations within dialects, not necessarily languages?

The desire was definitely across languages, since simple dialect shift would be less likely to produce a different result. Although languages can be viewed as different dialects of writing/speaking so... I suppose I just want people to intuitively understand my intent more or less. And since the first few responses reflected that, I'm not terribly worried in that regard. I left it a little open ended on purpose, even SW Universe languages. Just incase I missed Wookies shouting SIIIIITH in some book published within the EU. I want lore masters, foreign language speakers, that kind of thing to give their two cents on what they know or can confirm (unlike that little Wookie thing I just made up). Trying to anyway, and I hope that clarifies my intent somewhat more clearly.

I'm referring to dialect as it pertains to pronunciations based on language biases. Like the generic "z" sound used instead of "th" by almost every non-English European-language speaker speaking English. It becomes "zis" and "zat" and "zee ozzer zing." Effectively, it showcases the lack of use of that particular diphthong. Just as there are English idiosyncrasies when trying to pronounce foreign words and names. It drove me nuts living down south, where a county named Dubois was pronounced "doo-boyz".

Now, Wookiee just makes absolutely no sense. I never understood how the spoken grunts and growls translates into human phonics.

Then yes, on both points you're making I understand and agree with you.

Let me float the theory that with that particular sentient species in SW I'd have to guess protocol droids with translation software might have played an active role. If not then maybe Jedi or traders seeking not to get ripped limb from limb realized they had to bridge the gap in communication. I REALLY don't want to come off as offensive here (and I'm trying not to be even slightly) but in some instances people working with the deaf have a great aptitude for hearing and understanding things others might miss trying to listen casually instead of listening intently. People have also sought my help with varying degrees of babysitting and I am often terrible with kids (or so I've been told) especially understanding them when they start talking quickly or all upset. I guess it really depends on how hard you're ever trying to listen to a human being and gauge their intent. Often I fall short, likely a lack of effort.

Getting back to the intent of the topic, SW languages are sometimes crazy interesting and much harder to understand than Wookies. I remember something about Muun (even if they are EU now) being based in binary or something. I can only relate that back to maybe a spoken type of Morse code. Or I could be way off. At any rate I supposed I sought out someone who speaks German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, anything from African countries... those kind of inputs. Feeling like the Movies could have generated something of use in those countries dialects? All just a shot in the dark because of how interesting I find it, and wanting to learn new things I might put to use.

Off topic but in certain parts of France, we use "v" or "f" for your "th" ... "vee over fing" ....

The correct pronunciation of your "th" is a nightmare  ;D

In topic, for Sith, we just remove the h for the pronunciation ... it becomes "Sit" .... like "take a seat" ...

I feel like I'm experiencing some similar nightmare, attempting translations from English into Common Sith and then High Sith as well. Attempting to retain the proper meaning and avoiding simply "trading the letters" in some type of literal translation that could fail to do so. It simply seems to get more and more complex, requiring some serious research & reference materials. Really I see the fundamental need for a Sith Abbatar and/or Holocron in the process at times. The complexity required seems insane at times, but also seems necessary for some of my goals. Because believability comes from functionality at times, so I don't want to create flawed or imperfect results on accident. My fellow Full Metal Alchemist fans would be able to understand where I'm going here, or others that could grasp the ideology and structure of ritual sorcery. For example in FMA they have to draw out alchemic circles and diagrams to do anything properly, and the "meaning of words and a properly/soundly formed idea" are building blocks of proper sorcery. So if I want to construct an example of proper Sith ritual on something amazingly cool like the acid etched blades, or a create a profile picture of a Sith Sorcerer standing in a Ritual Circle that isn't pure gibberish this is crucial. Because I really don't want to just "make something up" that looks cool but if you really look at it means absolutely nothing. If a fan could look at half the image and say "wow I can read this, that's amazing it's creator knows his stuff" then I've succeeded. It's also in my mind a huge waste to spend too much money on supplies creating images or parts of any costume that looks ridiculous to a trained eye. Ultimately answering Saso Is-Kor's original question.

I get that this may all seem a little off topic within my own topic, but I've had pretty good success in cosplay creation over the years, and I've found the old saying true to me "the Devil is in the details". And although it can turn into an intricate process the end result is rewarding in the reactions from people. I want the most hardcore of hardcore fans to be impressed if they start dissecting my work in earnest. Primarily since this is my first large scale attempt in regards to SW and being a lifelong fan. Maybe it's just the desire to do it once and do it right, but I almost feel the need for assistance from serious professionals in fields of study related to linguistics with something bordering on Master's degrees or PhD's at times. Which also sounds like overkill in this regard, but appropriate to satisfy an attempt at perfection before fabrication. Likely instead I'll have to turn to individuals who have spent years honing fanfiction while trying to replicate lore. This is what I get for trying to elevate an outfit into artwork, but I feel like it'd pay off if done properly. Somewhere between instilling fear or awe on sight sounds very Sith Lord to me. Seeing the quality of work produced by individuals crafting ensembles on the forum reinforces this desire. Thus this statement is giving you what inspired this topic, grounding a seemingly unrelated thought to the heart of the matter. I just want to do better than original examples of "temple carvings" did. In their defense I'm working with way more material than they did at the time, so I'm holding myself to a pretty high standard. So if others with detailed understanding of Ancient and Common Sith want to assist I would likely create a new topic as well.

But I still enjoy just trying to find out what I'm looking for here as well. It's all of interest to me. The continued input is as well. Helping to satisfy my craving for knowledge is greatly appreciated. Since knowledge is power.

Meh. I actually speak English and cannot for the life of me figure out the 'f' in "laugh" or "enough", and then turn right around and get "ghost".

But then you get others with speech impediments that can't distinguish between the pronunciation of 's', 'sh', and 'th'. I wanted to make a t-shirt playing off of this:

The image would show a dog standing up, and the text would read

"My dog doethn't know thit."

The double entendre of "He doesn't know the command "sit" or imply that the dog is stupid and doesn't know "$#!%"

Oh it is mind boggling for us frenchies when we learn the language as well ^^'
But our own language is full of silly exceptions too. So we adapt ^^'

Duh, that's because it is pronounces "fost".

"ille" .... the nightmare to explain that to a kid that learns to read ...

Try to explain the difference of pronunciation between "Famille" "morille" "bille" and "ville" "mille" ...

+point xD

Uh I never thought about that! Guess I'll have to try with my son soon enough.

aaaaand this.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D3PdcqWWwAAn5RY.jpg)
Plus,
English is difficult. It can be understood though through tough thorough thought.

Exaclty, now you're getting it.

Point back, I've been looking for that breakdown of "ghoti" for a loooong time.

Then why doesn't it make the same sound as "frost"? HA! Gothca there.

Not like all the insights into French are bad, but slightly off topic if not interesting.
I typed a long reply to the great Darth Rondoudou... but timed out, so I was not re-typing that paragraph... although I appreciate the alliteration

SO English: Sith
     French: Sit

     others...?

Uh.. because English. Duh.

yep, root language of evil itself... that's why Sith seems impossible to translate into... it's root language is English

The Sith language seems to have odd parallels or coincidences within other languages... So I'm sharing a little of that now because in SW "there is no such thing as coincidence" right? It's sometimes funny but also a little creepy (at least to me so far anyway) so we'll see what others think.

In Spanish the word Diablo means Devil in English. But if you take the word Diable from Sith it means "curse" in English. Found it funny it's only one letter away.

Going from the point of view of English into Sith, "All" translates into Visa... So Visa really does mean everything/ is a gateway to "All" in a Sith frame of mind.

A correlation between English and Sith again this time, Status = Right. Literally translated from English the word Right= Status as a Sith word. Kind of ironic because Sith determine the right to rule in their society by the status one holds. Power dictates where you stand more often than not, giving you the "right" to hold power in society.

So, those are the fun little ironic bits I've found in my work/research along the way that stuck out. I don't know if Visa is a Sith company but that would make credit card rules and skyrocketing debt make a whole lot more sense IMO. Completely a joke, but a scary thought. Channeled the Dark Side by accident huh Visa?  :o

And diable is litterally devil in French.

Awesomeness, thanks for that! So (from English) Curse translates into Diable in Sith which directly correlates to Devil in French/one letter off in Spanish for the same meaning as well. Too interesting... Adds an extra air of darkness to Sith Curses for sure.

French and English are both heavily Latin based languages, and in Latin "Devil" is "Diabolus", from which we also get the word Diabolical. So yeah, "Curse" in Sith being a variation of that makes sense.

Even so, I'm still wowed that the French word for Devil is perfectly synchronized with the Sith word for Curse... But yes, I paid attention in language studies and laughed when Latin was declared "a dead language" considering the Catholic Church uses it still prevalently (if I'm not mistaken) and it's fundamental in structure of so many languages in common use today. I understand that being a root language and a spoken language are highly different concepts, but dictionaries and English (among several other language, like French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, God knows how many possibly...) teachers always reference it as a learning tool for/meaning behind the words. I just found that direct correlation a bit astonishing, and love this type of thing tremendously. Makes me want to review info on creators of the Sith Language for their backgrounds in more depth. Possibly a French speaker making inside jokes along the way? But thank you for your knowledge/input as always Taegin.

(http://i.imgur.com/G8gF7rV.jpg)

Latin in used in Vatican, so you are right. But it's probably far from being the same language ancient Romans spoke. Hence the dead language status.
But still, many languages in Europe are based on it. So...

English is actually a Germanic based language, it just has a lot of Latin based words because English mugs other languages in dark alleys to go through their pockets for spare words and loose grammar.

;D -1 point for that analogy. That right there made me want to listen to some gangster rap while just pondering the thuggish style of the English language. "Oh those your words, I'll be taking those, give me all those prepositions to! I don't care what they mean, hand them over I'll figure out something to do with them; their mine now." I've always had so many people say how hard it is even attempting learning English... it's such a mutt of a language (sorry people in the UK this isn't a reflection on you, just a statement on the odd synthesis of the language because technically Americans further ba*****ized it over time) that it's often incomprehensible. Trying to learn it growing up I was often like WTF? because it feels like complex math but with the variables and equations constantly shifting.

You are right of course Illyiss (BTW, great to see you), but I think you could make an argument that it is as much Latin based as it is Germanic.

The second biggest influence was French, which of course is Latin based, which is why there are so many different tense and plurality "rules" in English.  American English even more than the Queen's English.  Go home English, you're drunk.  LOL