I was asked this question last week. I answered incorrectly. I stand corrected. I said yes, thinking only about how the element symbols and arrangement are universal. But the names are different in different languages, even though many are derived from latin so come out very similar in different languages. But to get a taste for the variety out there, check out these different variations, many of which are produced by the same people:
In Spanish
In French
In German
In Dutch (because I have a special place in my heart for the Dutch)
In Arabic
In Swahili
In Russian, the language of Mendeleev
It is somewhat surprising that the languages that use different alphabets would use our alphabet characters for their elemental symbols. Can you imagine learning element symbols with an alphabet different than your own? It sure would seem more cryptic.
While some element names are very different (check out Sulfur, for instance), others seem quite universal (the Noble Gases). I wonder why? Perhaps those elements that have been discovered and named more recently, since communication across the world has become easy, have internationally-agreed upon names. Hydrogen appears to have its name translated literally in German and Dutch....to wasserstof. Funny!
To top it off (if you're still reading) there is always the Periodic Table of Comic Books. I know it's not a language, but it's funny and creative so I'm including it here anyhow.
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