The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2022 - 16

The translation industry increasingly relies on machine
translation engines that are not (yet) trained to
understand the complexities involved in avoiding
potentially problematic terms, or to pick up on the
more subtle tones of specific words in context to be
able to filter them out.
Many other languages
face similar challenges.
(For example, there's a
wonderful article from
Reuters5
that highlights the
particular challenges around
gender in various languages
around the world). There
isn't a perfect solution out
there (yet) to address this
challenge in all languages,
but that doesn't mean we
shouldn't try to be more
inclusive in all of them.
Add to that the complexity
of pronouns, which are
currently very binary in most
languages. For example,
" he " and " she " in English
and " er " and " sie " in
German leave no room for
other genders and require
the invention of new terms
such as " ze " or " hir. "
While some may still
consider inclusive language
to be the latest " politically
correct " fad, this movement
is long overdue and not going
to be stopped. Inclusive
language is already an
obvious choice for many
organizations, media outlets,
and even government
institutions, although many
practical questions still
remain for the translation
and localization trade.
For example, how far can
translators assume their
author supports inclusive
language? Do we have the
freedom to potentially change
16 The ATA Chronicle | July/August 2022
the tone of voice by adapting
an inclusive style? Should we
proactively ask our clients to
make this choice upfront, if
only to put it on their radar?
An additional challenge is
the fact that the translation
industry increasingly relies on
machine translation engines
that are not (yet) trained to
understand the complexities
involved in avoiding
potentially problematic
terms. These engines are not
capable (yet) of picking up
on the more subtle tones of
specific words in context to
be able to filter them out, let
alone replace them with more
appropriate terms in the
NOTES
1.
2.
specific context (e.g., using
" Kundinnen und Kunden " for
" customer " ). Certain types
of text (think user interfaces,
where space is at a premium,
or legal documents that
must be very close to the
source) also warrant careful
consideration. Keeping all
these things in mind, it
becomes clear we still have
quite a way to go toward a
fully inclusive language.
However, I believe we at
HubSpot can play a part in
making a positive change, at
least within the scope of the
content we create. So, not
only is writing inclusively
doing the right thing, but it's
also very important in
shaping the world we want to
see-and that our
grandchildren can be proud
of. Especially considering
that in this day and age,
when many more people
have access to a pen (thanks
to social media) than a
sword, it's even more
important to choose our
words wisely.
Martin Luther and the 95 Theses (History Channel).
Browne, Ryan. " Bitcoin Falls after Elon Musk Tweets Breakup
Meme, " CNBC (June 4, 2021).
3.
Vervecken, Dries and Bettina Hannover. " Yes, I Can! Effects
of Gender Fair Job Descriptions on Children's Perceptions
of Job Status, Job Difficulty, and Vocational Self-Efficacy, "
Social Psychology (January 1, 2015).
4.
5.
Duden dictionary website.
Funakoshi, Minami. " Gender and Language, " Reuters
(January 25, 2022).
Isabell Otterbein is a senior localization specialist
with the German team at HubSpot. She works
with the team to develop and shape HubSpot's
voice and style for the German market to ensure
clarity, accessibility, and cultural relevance. She
established the Operation Inclusive Language group at HubSpot
to facilitate the creation of inclusive writing guides in French,
German, Japanese, and Spanish. iotterbein@hubspot.com
www.atanet.org

https://www.history.com/topics/reformation/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses#:~:text=His%20writings%20were%20responsible%20for,shaped%20the%20core%20of%20Protestantism https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/04/bitcoin-falls-after-elon-musk-tweets-breakup-meme.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/04/bitcoin-falls-after-elon-musk-tweets-breakup-meme.html https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279288124_Yes_I_Can_Effects_of_Gender_Fair_Job_Descriptions_on_Children%27s_Perceptions_of_Job_Status_Job_Difficulty_and_Vocational_Self-Efficacy https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279288124_Yes_I_Can_Effects_of_Gender_Fair_Job_Descriptions_on_Children%27s_Perceptions_of_Job_Status_Job_Difficulty_and_Vocational_Self-Efficacy https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279288124_Yes_I_Can_Effects_of_Gender_Fair_Job_Descriptions_on_Children%27s_Perceptions_of_Job_Status_Job_Difficulty_and_Vocational_Self-Efficacy https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279288124_Yes_I_Can_Effects_of_Gender_Fair_Job_Descriptions_on_Children%27s_Perceptions_of_Job_Status_Job_Difficulty_and_Vocational_Self-Efficacy https://www.duden.de/rund-um-die-sprache/sprache-und-stil/Gendern https://graphics.reuters.com/GENDER-LANGUAGE/LGBT/mopanqoelva/ https://graphics.reuters.com/GENDER-LANGUAGE/LGBT/mopanqoelva/ http://www.atanet.org

The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2022

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