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Climbing words in different languages?

Original Post
Brian M · · Long Beach, CA · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 155

Hey guys I was curious what common climbing words like belay and take were in other languages? I was particularly interested to what they were in Mandarin but any other language is more than welcome

Dom Caron · · Welsford, New Brunswick Canada · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 1,370

French:

Take = "À sec"or "prends-moi"
Belay = Assurer
Secured, Off-belay = "Vaché" or "auto-assuré"
Rappel = "Rappel"
Lead = "grimper en tête" or "premier de cordée"
Top-rope = "Moulinette"

I could go on..

Kirtis Courkamp · · Golden · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 378

This could be handy especially when the party above you yells rock in a different language. So you look up instinctively only to see a rock zooming at your head. I jumped out of the way but just barely.

dylan grabowski · · Denver · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 95

Buddy bouldered with some Japanese climbers in Yosemite and relayed this tid-bit...

A Japanese boulderer will say "Gumba, Gumba" to another climber, which sort of translates to "C'mon, C'mon!" Ya know, to support the send.

mcarizona · · Flag · Joined Feb 2007 · Points: 180

Mexico:
voy
vas

climbing
climb on

Joy likes trad · · Southern California · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 71

English,

Hurry up.
Focus.

Ok...blah blah blah
Shut up and climb!

Daniel Kaye · · Denver, CO · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 3,938

Link I found a while ago for an Italian paper on rock climbing I wrote...

http://www.gdargaud.net/Climbing/Lex_En.html

aikibujin · · Castle Rock, CO · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 300

Take: "shou1 jin3" or "shou1 sheng2"
Slack: "ge3 sheng2"
Belay: "bao3 hu4"
Belayer: "bao3 hu4 zhe3"
Belay device: "bao3 hu4 qi4"
Rock climbing: "pan1 yan2"
Climber: "pan1 yan2 zhe3"
Rappel: "sheng2 jiang4"
Off-belay: "an1 quan2"
Toprope: "ding3 sheng2"
Lead, leading: "xian1 feng1"
Carabiner: "tie3 suo3"
Rope: "sheng2 (zi)"
Harness: "an1 quan2 dai4"
Quickdraw: "kuai4 gua4"
Camming device: "ji1 xie4 sai1"
Nuts: "yan2 sai1"
Helmet: "tou2 kui1"
Sport: "yun4 dong4"
Trad: "chuan2 tong3"
Bouldering: "bao4 shi2"
Figure 8 knot: "ba1 zi4 jie2"
Prussik: "zhua1 jie2"

Of course this is just how everything is spelled in the Chinese Pinyin system. No one will actually understand you if you try to pronounce any of these.

TSluiter · · Holland, VT · Joined May 2013 · Points: 314
Dom wrote:French: Take = "À sec"or "prends-moi" Belay = Assurer Secured, Off-belay = "Vaché" or "auto-assuré" Rappel = "Rappel" Lead = "grimper en tête" or "premier de cordée" Top-rope = "Moulinette" I could go on..
Don't forget 'Allez!" = go! go!
Brian M · · Long Beach, CA · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 155
aikibujin wrote:Take: "shou jin" or "shou sheng" Slack: "ge sheng" Belay: "bao hu" Belayer: "bao hu zhe" Belay device: "bao hu qi" Rock climbing: "pan yan" Climber: "pan yan zhe" Rappel: "sheng jiang" Off-belay: "an quan" Toprope: "ding sheng" Lead, leading: "xian feng" Carabiner: "tie suo" Rope: "sheng (zi)" Harness: "an quan dai" Quickdraw: "kuai gua" Camming device: "ji xie sai" Nuts: "yan sai" Helmet: "tou kui" Sport: "yun dong" Trad: "chuan tong" Bouldering: "bao shi" Figure 8 knot: "ba zi jie" Prussik: "zhua jie" Of course this is just how everything is spelled in the Chinese Pinyin system. No one will actually understand you if you try to pronounce any of these.

Thanks! Do you happen to know a good source with tones as well ?
Matt Enlow · · Wyoming · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 589
dylan grabowski wrote:A Japanese boulderer will say "Gumba, Gumba" to another climber


"Ganba" is the word you're looking for, short for "ganbatte" :)

Japanese climbers often use a lot of English words (especially climbing with foreigners), just with good accents to make them sound Japanese.

I've heard "tension" and "take" both used. "Slack" too, though it sounds more like "surakku"
Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,665
TSluiter wrote: Don't forget 'Allez!" = go! go!
I just clicked to post how that very thing was the dumbest looking thing around a few years (OK, maybe more like a decade) back, when scores of English speakers would start shouting it, (mispronounced, of course) at people climbing near them.

OK, in order to offset the griping above, I'll attempt to contribute something:
If climbing in Malaysia/Indonesia, you are going to 'Panjat Batu' (Climb Rock).
aikibujin · · Castle Rock, CO · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 300
thebmags wrote: Thanks! Do you happen to know a good source with tones as well ?
Yeah I know a good source... me! I edited my original post, I assumed you'd understand it since you asked.
AaronJ · · Tokyo, JP · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 231
Matt E wrote:I've heard "tension" and "take" both used.
Interesting, I don't think I ever heard "teeku".

Looking through aikibujin's list of commands and thinking of the Japanese, almost all of those simply use transliterations of the English. Notable exceptions: they do say quickdraw, but they also call them "nunchaku" (i.e. nun-chucks). They have a word for trad (transliterated English), but I have rarely heard or seen a corresponding word for sport. Words for different kinds of holds (crimp, jug) are all Japanese in my experience, and usually mimetic.

Once you get into mountaineering, many of the loanwords shift from English to French and German - eisen, pickel, etc.
Jon H · · PC, UT · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 118

Hebrew:

  • Rope = Chevel (The "ch" is a hard guttural H, like you're clearing your throat. Similar to "Loch" in a true scottish brogue)
  • Quickdraw = Runner (Plural = Runnerim)
  • Harness = Ritma (reet-MAH)
  • Rappeling = sneppeling
  • (I'm) climbing = metapes (meh-ta-PESS)
  • (I'm) safe = batuach (ba-TU-ach)
  • Belayer = meavteach (me-av-TAY-ach)
  • Falling = Fuck!
Dom Caron · · Welsford, New Brunswick Canada · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 1,370
TSluiter wrote: Don't forget 'Allez!" = go! go!
Yep. Probably the most commonly used French word in the world of climbing.

You'd think "Gaston" would be used in French - and it is in Canadian French - but it's not used in France. Instead they use "Épaule" which litteraly means "shoulder". Weird given that the name is derived from the famous French guide Gaston Rébuffat..
Brian M · · Long Beach, CA · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 155
aikibujin wrote: Yeah I know a good source... me! I edited my original post, I assumed you'd understand it since you asked.
Thanks thats exactly what I was looking for!
pierref · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2015 · Points: 0

in french
take a whipper: "voler" or "s'en mettre une" (very popular).

Take care when using "prends moi" and particularly when using "prends moi sec"

It can be misunderstood outside our climber planet

TSluiter · · Holland, VT · Joined May 2013 · Points: 314

prends moi sec = take me dry!

ha!

trent Brown · · Hohenburg, Bavaria, DE · Joined May 2015 · Points: 60

Korean

Ambyuk deum ban. Rock climbing.
Take. Tension.
Bbal. Foot
Son. Hand
Eoreun right
Woin left.

And alot of stuff that sounds something like english.

Dom Caron · · Welsford, New Brunswick Canada · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 1,370
pierref wrote: Take care when using "prends moi" and particularly when using "prends moi sec" It can be misunderstood outside our climber planet
Hahaha yup but the same can be said for many climbing expressions, e.g. :

"I was jamming the crack until I reached deep enough to hit the juicy pocket"...

Ha!
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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