Room for improvement

Definition

A diplomatic way of saying that something is not satisfactory and needs to be better, often used to soften criticism.

Etymology

This euphemistic phrase gained popularity in the 20th century, particularly in educational and corporate settings. It reflects the English tendency to use spatial metaphors ('room') for abstract concepts, suggesting that improvement is not just possible but that space has been deliberately left for it.

Kelly Says

This phrase is a masterclass in diplomatic language - it manages to convey criticism while maintaining hope and avoiding direct confrontation. It's become so associated with polite criticism that saying someone has 'room for improvement' is almost more damning than direct criticism would be.

Translations

AMአማርኛ
ማሻሻያ ቦታ
ma-sha-sha-ya bo-ta
ARالعربية
مساحة للتحسين
mas-ha-at lil-tah-seen
BNবাংলা
সুধারণের জন্য স্থান
su-dha-ra-ner jon-no sh-than
CACatalà
espai per millorar
es-pai per mi-llo-rar
CSČeština
prostor pro zlepšení
pro-stor pro z-le-p-se-ni
DADansk
rum for forbedring
room for for-be-dring
DEDeutsch
Verbesserungspotenzial
ver-be-se-rung-po-ten-zi-al
ELΕλληνικά
χώρος βελτίωσης
cho-ros be-l-ti-o-sis
ESEspañol
espacio para mejorar
es-pa-sio para me-jor-ar
FAفارسی
فضا برای بهبود
fa-za ba-ra-ye be-ho-o-b
FISuomi
parannusmahdollisuus
pa-ran-nus-ma-h-dol-li-uus
FRFrançais
marge de progression
mar-zh de pro-gres-sion
GUGU
સુધારા માટે જગ્યા
su-dha-ra ma-te ja-g-ya
HAHA
wuri don gyara
wu-ri don gy-ara
HEעברית
אזור לשיפור
a-zor le-shi-por
HIहिन्दी
सुधार के लिए जगह
su-dhar ke liye ja-gh
HUMagyar
javítási lehetőség
ja-vi-ta-si le-het-se-g
IDBahasa Indonesia
ruang untuk perbaikan
ru-ang untuk pe-re-ki-kan
IGIG
ọdịnala maka nkwụ
o-di-na-la maka nkwu
ITItaliano
spazio per miglioramenti
spa-zio per me-jo-ra-men-ti
JA日本語
改善の余地
kai-zen no yo-chi
KKKK
жаңару үшін орын
jan-a-ru u-shin or-yn
KMKM
ទន្ទឹងសម្រាប់កែប្រែ
ton-deng sam-raep kae-prae
KO한국어
개선의 여지
gae-seon-ui yeo-ji
MRMR
सुधारणेसाठी जागा
su-dha-ra-ne-sa-thi ja-ga
MSBahasa Melayu
ruang untuk penambahbaikan
ru-ang untuk pen-am-bah-baik-kan
MYမြန်မာ
ကျဆောင်ပြုလုပ်ရန် နေရာ
ky-sa-u-ng py-lu-ok yan ne-ya-ra
NLNederlands
kamer voor verbetering
ka-mer voor be-ter-ing
NONorsk
rom for forbedring
room for for-be-dring
PAPA
सुਧਾਰ ਲਈ ਥਾਂ
su-dhar lai than
PLPolski
pokój na poprawę
po-koy na po-pra-we
PTPortuguês
espaço para melhoria
es-pa-ço para mel-ho-ri-a
RORomână
spațiu de îmbunătățire
spa-țiu de im-bun-a-țire
RUРусский
пространство для улучшений
pro-stran-st-vo dlya ul-tsu-she-niy
SVSvenska
rum för förbättring
room for for-baet-tring
SWKiswahili
chumba kwa maendeleo
chumba kwa ma-en-de-leo
TAதமிழ்
சிறப்பிடற்கு இடம்
si-rap-pi-di-r-ku i-dam
TEతెలుగు
మెరుగుదలకు స్థలం
me-ru-gu-da-laku sth-la-m
THไทย
มีช่องว่างให้พัฒนา
mi chong-wang hai pat-ta-na
TLTL
puwang para sa pagpapabuti
pu-wang para sa pa-ga-pa-bu-ti
TRTürkçe
gelişim alanı
ge-li-shim a-la-ni
UKУкраїнська
простір для покращення
pro-sty-r dlya po-kra-shchen-nya
URاردو
تحسين کے لیے جگہ
ta-h-seen ke liye jagah
VITiếng Việt
không gian để cải thiện
khong gian de cai-thien
YOYO
ọfẹ fún ṣe àbọ
o-fe fun se a-bo
ZH中文
有改进空间
you gai-jin kong-jian
ZUZU
ikhaya lekuthuthukiswa
i-kha-ya le-ku-thu-thu-ki-swa

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