English→South African English

Translate English to South African English like a local.

South African English sounds like itself through British spelling, local words such as robot and bakkie, and easy shifts between standard and informal speech.

Going the other way? South African English to English

474 local dialects

AIRTranslate on iPhone choosing between English varieties

What locals actually say

¿Dónde está el semáforo?

Where's the robot?

Robot is the South African English word for a traffic light.

¿Nos vemos en un momento?

See you now-now.

Now-now means shortly or in a little while, rather than immediately.

¿Traes la camioneta para el asado?

Are you bringing the bakkie to the braai?

Bakkie means a small pickup, while braai is the local word for a barbecue.

Can you transfer the money to me?

Can you EFT me the money?

EFT is used as a verb in South Africa for making an electronic funds transfer, especially in everyday money talk.

Please send me the meeting notes.

Please send me the meeting notes, bru.

Bru is an informal South African term of familiarity that signals a relaxed, casual tone.

The weather is really nice today.

The weather is lekker today.

Lekker means very good or enjoyable and is common in informal South African English.

Are you feeling unwell?

Are you feeling kak?

Kak means bad or unwell and signals strongly informal South African speech.

My son is being cheeky today.

My son is giving me horns today.

Giving someone horns is a South African English construction meaning to annoy or cause trouble, usually in a casual register.

Notes like these come with every AIRTranslate translation, so you learn why locals phrase it that way as you go.

How South African English differs

South African English. British spelling; local vocabulary (robot for traffic light, bakkie, braai, now-now, izit, lekker informally); registers vary — keep slang for casual tone only.

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Every one of 474 dialects, with voice, camera, a keyboard for any app, and offline packs.

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Localization Notes explaining why locals say it that way