Something that pops up again and again in translations to English is the use of male generic pronouns when talking about a person or people in general.
In this modern world where gender equality is a given (in most countries), it is largely unacceptable to refer to the general “you” or “their” as the masculine “he” just as, in many cases, “spokesman” should be “spokesperson” unless referring to a specific person.
The days of “mankind” and doing things “his” way are long behind us. It is now “humankind” or “humanity”. Once used to refer to all humans, the term “man” is now generally reserved for male adults.
In many companies, gender equality policies are rife and it may be considered improper or offensive to submit a document referring to “the client”, for example, as “he must understand the product as best suits him”. Use gender neutral pronouns such as “they” and “them”.
But for the translation from Spanish, for example, where “su” refers to both males and females, this topic can be very confusing for native Spanish speakers. Just as the gender labeling of every object in the Spanish language is confusing for an English speaker!
To make it clearer, when translating “su” when it refers to a person in general, use “their”. When referring to an object or company use “its”. It still surprises me just how often such a translation pops up, for example, “The company sacked his employees” or even “their employees”. It is always “its employees”.
And if it seems more appropriate to use “he/she” instead of “they” or “his and her” instead of “their”, try mixing it up and putting “her and his” if you feel it suits.
If you are still confused about whether to use “his” or “their” or “chairman” or “chairperson”, ask the client and find out just what their gender policy is!
Spanish version: El problema del género
Tags: gender equality, gender neutral, gender translations, generic pronouns, pronouns
Hi,
I don’t know if you’re aware that constructions such as “the company sacked their employees” or “Google are planning to roll out a new initiative” are only ungrammatical in American English. In British English, however, they are not only acceptable, but also probably mandatory. I know it doesn’t sound kosher, but there is a “separated by a common language” issue there. Regards
Very interesting post. I actually wrote something recently about the use of gender in different languages. More specifically the lack of gender in US English.
I agree that using strictly masculine terms when referring to people in general is not a good idea, and a neutral or alternating policy should be used instead. However, I believe that taking gender out of a language completely is a degradation of the language. If you are talking about a man or a women specifically why is it offensive to express this in your language? The example that bugs me the most is “actor”. Why are there no more “actresses”? If you’re a woman, you’re a woman. Why use the masculine form “actor”?
Here’s my original post: We’re All Just a Bunch of Cousin Its – Gender in the English Language: http://blackbirdesolutions.com/elife/2010/10/05/all-just-bunch-cousin-its-gender-english-language/
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