Parità di genere e linguaggio inclusivo
interlanguage is the first translation company in Italy to obtain the certification for gender equality through thecertifying body Uniter and according to the UNI PdR 125:2022reference practice.
Gender equality is a central goal in the UN 2030 Agenda and is taken up in Europe by the Gender Equality Strategy for 2020-2025 to promote this important goal within organisations through institutional and cultural changes, also reflected in the adoption of inclusive language.
Achieving gender balance is an effective and measurable indicator of important benefits, both for businesses and households*. Companies that apply gender equality are more productive, more innovative, efficient and better positioned in the market than their competitors. **
Academic research also shows that when the number of women in the company grows, the collective intelligence also grows, and that their contribution is directly related to improved group performance. ***
But what does it take to move from talking about inclusion as a goal to implementing it as normal practice?
At interlanguage, which from the beginning of its business project has a distinctly female DNA and now has a majority of women in its workforce, we have always acted concretely to reflect the values of corporate social sustainability and inclusion in our practices.
For example,pay equity, work-life balance, support for parenting and encouragement of women’s leadership have always been our daily routine.
But being certified for gender equality means more than just that. There also needs to be a clear medium- to long-term strategy and the ability to systematise and convey a set of values and opportunities for inclusion in communicationas well.
What is crucial then is to create an inclusive corporate culture through an inclusive language.
Language and inclusiveness: not just a gender issue
The words we choose matter. They can include or exclude, empower or disempower. They carry symbolic identity and transformative value that can help recognise and shape the organisation.
Language inclusiveness is closely related to the target language and the specific context. It is constantly and rapidly changing and embraces many other aspects besides gender, which in itself does not guarantee inclusion, but rather diversity in its complexity.
Being aware of the value of the inclusiveness of language and managing its impact on the audience of a given language is a global need for all companies that are also increasingly evaluated and chosen based on whether or not they adhere to models of ethics and sustainability.
Inclusiveness of language is therefore also a powerful strategy to improve employee well-being and engagement, and to ensure that customers, new hires, and the entire target audience feel recognised, respected, and valued by the product or service being offered.
The expertise we offer you in interlanguage
Because of the inherent characteristics of inclusive language that we have mentioned and because of the scope and sensitivity of the issue, choosing a partner who is competent, up-to-date and, above all, credible and consistent with this challenge is a key choice for any company that wants to approach the inclusiveness of its language.
As the first certified language services company in Italy, at interlanguage we can offer our clients a partnership to manage an effective inclusive, multilingual corporate language strategy that fits the specific needs of language, market, industry and corporate style. Our experience in inclusive language ranges from internal to external communication, for both national and international clients.
Each company has its own peculiarities, and the need to adopt an inclusive language must also be reflected in translations, avoiding linguistic forcing but at the same time adapting them to the natural evolution of language and society.
For comprehensive support and advice on your multilingual inclusive communication, contact us here
*BCG, McKinsey
** Accredia
*** Harvard Business Review study report, 2021