Does Your Company Use Inclusive Language Globally?

 Fri 21 April 2021

Does Your Company Use Inclusive Language Globally?

The language a company uses can make a big difference in ensuring that people from diverse backgrounds feel seen and appreciated. 

(1) That’s why many organizations are developing inclusive language policies to eliminate problematic terms, such as “man hours” or “blacklist/whitelist,” from both their external and internal content. 

If you’re a global company, you need to go a step further and pursue parallel efforts for all of the languages in which you operate.

(2)  Work with native speakers to identify terms or phrasing that could unintentionally exclude or offend your international customers, partners, or employees.

(3)  Also pay close attention to translations: For example, some languages (like French or Spanish) require adjectives to be gendered, and using them might inadvertently leave nonbinary users feeling excluded. These changes may seem subtle, but they’re an important way of making your company more inclusive for people of all identities in every language.

This tip is adapted from “Implementing Inclusive Policies Across a Global Organization,” by Nataly Kelly