About the Repository
'Government Terms Translated' is a repository of terms related to policies and operations of the Singapore Government, which include the names of ministries, statutory boards, government agencies, organisations, government initiatives and schemes as well as MRT/LRT station names. The terms are available in the four official languages of Singapore: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
The repository aims to maintain consistency in the translation of these terms. We hope you will find the repository useful for searching Government-related terms.
'Government Terms Translated' is maintained by the Translation Department under the Public Communications Division, Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).
MCI works with other government agencies to review and update the repository with new terms to make it as relevant and as accurate as possible.
We welcome suggestions to enhance GTT to serve government agencies and the public better. Please leave us your suggestions via this Feedback Form.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What languages can I search in?
You can search for terms in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. For Chinese, you may search using Chinese characters or Han Yu Pin Yin.
2. How do I search for a term?
If you are typing a term in English, please select English in the “From” field and enter the term in the search box. If you are typing a term in Chinese, please select “Chinese”. The same applies to searches in Malay and Tamil.
Next, go to the “To” field and select the language you want to search for. You can select English, Chinese, Malay or Tamil.
Click on the search icon once you have typed the term you wish to search for and selected the “From” and “To” languages.
3. How do I search for a term using Han Yu Pin Yin?
Please select Chinese in the ‘From’ field and key the Han Yu Pin Yin in the search box. You can key using letters in lower case with or without indicating the tones, leaving a space after each character. For example, if you are keying in the Chinese term "外交部长", you can type "wai jiao bu zhang", not "waijiao buzhang".
4. How do I search for related terms?
You can search for related terms by selecting the relevant category you are searching for. Then, click the search icon to generate the list of terms belonging to that category. For example, if you would like to search for terms related to transport, you may wish to start by selecting the category of “Ministry of Transport” and clicking the search icon. The list of terms under the Ministry of Transport will then be generated.
5. Why can’t I find the translations of street names on GTT?
Translations of the street names are managed by the Street and Building Names Board (SBNB). The Chinese translations of street names are available to the public and can be found on the Property Name and Address e-Service portal (https://digitalservice.propertynaa.gov.sg/eservice/search). There are no Malay and Tamil translations of street names as several of them are transliterated from Malay or Tamil. This will also avoid confusion over certain street names. For example, Jalan Bukit Merah and Redhill Road are two existing roads at two different locations. This is also the case for Buffalo Road and Kerbau Road, which have the same Tamil translations but are two different existing roads.
