Our two team members Eve Stenger and Alicia Pretot recently translated a whopping 63,000 words of content for a human rights organisation. Dedicated to safeguarding children’s rights, remedial action, gender equality and non-discrimination, this organisation advises businesses and fellow non-profits across the globe on human rights affairs. We have collaborated with this client for years now, providing translations into French, German and Spanish.
In this instance, a long-standing researcher from the organisation had created a series of eight documents in English. These outputs were to be translated into French for public distribution. These documents included:
- A 46-page glossary defining key terms such as ‘accessibility’, ‘gender identity’, ‘human rights’, ‘safeguarding’ and ‘trauma-informed’;
- An introductory document outlining the organisation’s overarching perspectives and values;
- Guidance on providing remedy to individuals affected by abuse in line with the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs);
- A 25-page report on trauma-informed approaches to supporting survivors of abuse;
- Guidance on how to engage with individuals who have experienced or witnessed abuse;
- A toolkit for safely addressing allegations of abuse, harassment or misconduct;
- An 11,000-word report outlining practices, tools and insights regarding the investigation of abuse allegations;
- A 17-page checklist for preparing and conducting interviews and investigations into human rights violations.
Working in partnership to gradual deadlines
To ensure smooth delivery, we devised a project schedule and set individual target dates for each of the eight documents. We worked in a gradual manner, with our translator Eve translating one document after the other. Once one document was translated, it was then passed onto our editor Alicia for revision. This two-person process is the golden standard for translation, true to the international ISO 17100 certification. It involves translation by a qualified translator, followed by revision by an equally qualified second linguist. Revision offers both a safety net and a final polish, enhancing accuracy and style. The reviser checks the completed translation against the original source text, scanning for misunderstandings, typos, and room for improvement in general.
When breaking down delivery milestones, we deliberately prioritised the glossary. We did so because this glossary defined a whole string of terms that featured heavily in all other documents. To guarantee terminological consistency, we needed to first ensure the glossary was all in order before proceeding with the remainder of the files.
The question of gender
Whilst translating this glossary, important discussions arose regarding how to translate the term ‘human rights’. In English, which is a non-gendered language in the first place, this term refers to individuals of all genders. In French, there are multiple possible translations. The two main options are ‘droits de l’homme’ and ‘droits humains’. Both our client and the United Nations officially use both of these versions. The issue is, however, that the French word ‘homme’ is literally ‘man’. As such ‘droits de l’homme’ – although widely used – is not considered inclusive. Yet inclusivity is naturally a core concern for a human rights organisation. In agreement with the client, it was decided to keep ‘droits humains’ throughout, using ‘droits de l’homme’ only when as part of an official organisation name.
Indeed, in terms of gender inclusivity, our translator duo made the executive decision to write out both the female and male versions of all nouns referring to persons. This was done by writing out the male version of the word, and adding in the female version in brackets. Examples included:
- acteur(rice)s non gouvernementaux(ales) – non-governmental actors
- utilisateur(rice)s – users
- un(e) athlète – an athlete
- un(e) bénévole – a volunteer
- entraîneur(euse)s – coaches
- supporter(rice)s – supporters
- travailleur(euse)s – workers
- défenseur(euse)s des droits humains – human rights defenders
- réfugié(e)s – refugees
Officially in French, the rule is that Le masculin l’emporte sur le féminin (literally: The masculine prevails over the feminine). In practice, this means that if you have a group of 99 women and one man, the collective noun used to describe the group would be the masculine one. This is irrelevant in English as we do not have gendered nouns. By integrating both the male and female versions in our French translation, we sought to make our translation more inclusive. Because French is a gendered language, it is impossible to be entirely gender-neutral and therefore also include non-binary identities. There are debates on this linguistic matter, with both French and Quebec governmental organisations having placed restrictions on the use of gender-neutral pronouns in their French-language communications.
Steady progress and close collaboration
Thanks to our staggered approach and close cooperation between our project management team, translators and the client, we were able to make swift progress and deliver a whole four weeks before the scheduled deadline. By raising queries, we confirmed we were on the right track and delivering exactly what the client wanted. We are proud to have contributed to this meaningful project and have helped a wider audience access important support materials.
Who we are – First Edition Translations
In the localisation business since 1981, we are a proud founder member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. We also form part of the Association of Translation Companies, the European Language Industry Association and the Association of Cultural Enterprises. Over the years, we’ve built up a vast pool of qualified translators such as Eve and Alicia and we work very closely with them to deliver high-quality results. If you would like to know more about how we can help you, you can reach our team via our website.