Forum:What's the difference between ''mate'' and ''partner'' in Template:Infobox Individual?
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I'm making a translation of Template:Infobox Individual in Chinese DW Wiki. Since I'm not a native English speaker, I got confused when it came to the labels mate and partner. At first, I thought mate was for non-humans and partner was for humans, then I noticed Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart used mate. So, I'd like to ask for your help to give me more details on these two labels. Thank you in advance! 胡大夫 ☎ 09:38, 25 October 2023 (UTC)
Discussion[[edit source]]
I don't know if there is necessarily a clear ditinction: there's also "spouse" which again has a similar meaning. The Cambridge Dictionary gives the following definitions for British Dictionary:
- Partner
- the person you are married to or living with as if married to them, or the person you are having a sexual relationship with
- Mate
- an animal's sexual partner
- Spouce
- a person's husband or wife
However, it also notes that "a mate is also a husband or wife" in American English.
As such, I'd conclude that your interpretation is probably correct and so likely safe to stick to for translations. I'd imagine that the British English meaning of "mate" is what was originally intended but that the American English meaning has started to sneak in. Alternatively, you could just combine these 3 fields as their definitions are clearly quite nuanced and have a lot of overlap.
Please do let us know if you have any other questions and good luck with your translations! Bongo50 ☎ 16:29, 25 October 2023 (UTC)