We always seem to have a reason to be on our phones – the latest craze, of course, is Pokémon Go, but even before Pokémon we had this urgent need for immediate knowledge of news about our family and/or friends, up-to-the-minute news and weather, news and gossip about celebrities, sport, and so on; and sad to say, we seem to have narrowed our view of the world right down to the measurement of our phone screen.

Nomophobia: Is This a Real Word?

Nomophobia: Nomophobia is the irrational fear of having to be without your mobile phone, or, not being able to use your phone. It may be due to the device running out of battery power, running out of minutes, or the absence of a signal.

Nomophobia: This word refers to a psychological syndrome whereby a phone user is afraid of being out of cell phone or mobile contact.

So, yes, translation experts, Nomophobia is now a real word!

Now We Have a Mobile Phone Phobia!

During a research study conducted to determine the stress level and psychological ramifications of mobile phone usage on our behavior, the word Nomophobia was coined: it’s been defined as a ‘no-mobile-phone-phobia.' The word attempts to describe the level of fear generated when a mobile phone user is not able to use their cell phone to communicate.

Nomophobia comes from three words – the negative word ‘no’; ‘mo’ comes from mobile phone; and ‘phobia.' It’s been interesting to note that the media have started using these words more frequently and you’ll often hear them referring to Nomophobia as a new and modern disease – the disease of being enslaved by our mobile phones.

The word ‘phobia’ translates to ‘irrational fear,' and to some it may sound extreme referring to our use of cell phones as a phobia. So let’s test it, shall we? Let’s all leave our cell phones home tomorrow, and those people who now feel that Nomophobia doesn’t relate to our cell phones may just change their minds! By the end of the day, we could all be suffering from Nomophobia!

The Triggers for Nomophobia

Nomophobia is simply the fear human beings exhibit when their mobile phone fails to perform the most basic communication tasks that it’s been designed to provide. The trigger to this behaviour is when, for any general, technical or operational reason, the mobile phone becomes inactive: this could well be due to an empty battery, no reception, lack of network signal, finished credit, or the worst scenario of all – leading the cell phone at home or the office!

What we probably all agree on is that Nomophobia is very obvious in individuals who keep their cell phone very close (quite often in their hand) to stay in touch with and communicate with family members, friends, colleagues, and employees.

Let’s hope that professional translators are familiar with these two new words and have no problems translating them!