Because it's much more than translating words, it's transforming worlds.
What is inclusivity?
Inclusive language is not only grammatical constructions – it can, in many ways, be regarded as a project for social justice, starting with the language that we use.
Inclusivity is about not excluding certain members of society on the grounds of gender, class, sexuality, religion, disability, or any other determinants. For a brand, that translates into not excluding people or marginalized groups from your product or service. It's really as simple as that.
But as we know, the world is often more complex: inclusivity will be understood differently depending on the area or region. And this will, in return, have an effect on the path toward attaining inclusivity. It's a maze of cultural taboos, institutional and societal constructions, economic factors, and historical events.
But we shouldn't overlook the enormous role that language plays. The reason is that language is the living tool and the sum of a country's and culture's shared experiences. We are often not aware of the biases and constructions we force upon ourselves or those around us, simply just by talking. This is where inclusive language comes into the picture.
By definition, inclusive language seeks to promote social equality (sometimes called egalitarianism) and the idea that all human beings are "equal in fundamental worth and moral status". In linguistics, this is done by avoiding language, words, and phrases that can be considered racist, prejudiced, homophobic, sexist, or degrading to any sort of particular group. Instead, it promotes equality and a sense of worth to the community as a whole.
We understand that navigating through this field is a delicate matter. French, Arabic, and German will have grammatical genders and will therefore run into challenges that are vastly different from Scandinavian languages with common and neuter definitions. Some languages like Turkish and Finnish don't even have gender whatsoever. This is again wrapped in history and culture. Project:LingClusive has the expertise to guide companies, brands, and institutions through this process in a responsible manner.
Every culture is different and that calls for diverse measures
Every language is unique. With its own set of structures and grammatical quirks wrapped in a curious layer of culture, history, and politics,it helps us understand our relationship to others - whether immediate family structures, minorities, societal structures, or even contact with the countries and world around us.
It is, however, important that we recognize the power that language possesses. Language is not a separate and passive entity from culture and politics. Today, it is clear that language holds enormous power and that it's an active tool to shape the surrounding world. Individuals, companies, and society at large carry a responsibility to create a more inclusive and just world by using words in order to change the world for the better.
At LingClusive, you can get help and guidance to ensure that your website, service, or company lives up to the current standard of inclusiveness. Furthermore, you can expert advice on how to improve your text scripts to embrace and incorporate language that unites rather than divides.
If LingClusive doesn't have the answer, we can guide you to locale experts in your target country or target group.
Language Experts
This page is still being updated. We're excited to say that we will soon be able to represent you with more info on the experts! Currently, we support the following languages:
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