Navigating the Translation of Nonbinary Pronouns: A Closer Look at Cultural Nuances

Conversations about gender identity are evolving rapidly, and the need to use inclusive language extends beyond the English-speaking community. However, in many languages the translation of gender-neutral and nonbinary pronouns presents a unique set of challenges that cannot always be solved by a direct word-for-word translation. 

These challenges highlight the need for cultural linguistic analysis to be done as part of the translation process from the beginning. It is also imperative to have translators who have done the necessary research to provide community-informed translation in these instances. When we take other local and cultural nuances into consideration, it is clear how critical it is to get these terms as accurate as possible in non-English languages.

Expanding Inclusive Pronouns in Translation for TV and Movies

In English, the pronouns they and them have come to be commonly used as alternatives to he and him or she and her for people who identify as nonbinary. We also see alternatives such as ze and zir emerging and finding their way into popular culture via TV and film.

Considering the global impact of the US film and television industry and how many US movies and shows are streamed in other countries, it is clear how important the topic of inclusive and informed translation is becoming.

The ways in which these nonbinary pronouns are being translated into non-English languages is not only an interesting evolution of language, but also an important opportunity to have conversations about how to improve the translation industry going forward to better serve our clients.

For example, In the Netflix remake of the American sitcom One Day at a Time, two nonbinary characters, Syd (they/them) and Margaux (ze/zir), are featured.

Since these pronouns are written in the source material, the script, of the show, it is a good example to show how nonbinary pronouns can be translated in different ways in the translation field.

Remy Attig, a researcher from Bowling Green State University, analyzed the Spanish and French subtitled and dubbed versions in one particular episode of One Day at a Time in a paper called, “A Call for Community-Informed Translation: Respecting Queer Self-Determination across Linguistic Lines” (2022).

The paper investigates how the show’s translators conveyed these identities from the source language to the target languages in one particular episode by comparing the source text with six parallel translations, and utilizing two translation strategies.

The first strategy relied on calque (word-for-word) translations from English. However, the results showed a “misunderstanding of the source text.”

The second strategy used “active engagement on the part of translators with Hispanic and Francophone Queer communities, replicating authentic Queer language practices” (p. 1).

Attig found that in the Latin American Spanish subtitled version of the episode, they and them were translated as ellos (masculine form of they) and suyos (masculine form of their), respectively.

On the contrary, the Spain Spanish subtitled versions used elle and le, both singular nonbinary pronouns.

The Latin American dubbed version kept the same English pronouns for the pronouns ze and zir, while the Spain Spanish dubbing used elli and li, both alternative nonbinary pronouns.

Finally, the French dubbed version includes on (one or we) and tout le monde (everybody) as the translations for they and them, respectively, and zi and zu for the English pronouns ze and zir.

Attig states that translations such as ellos and suyos (Spanish) as well as on and tout le monde (French) do not reflect gender-nonconforming identities. And although adapted, the use of French pronouns zi and zu has not been reported in French Queer communities.

However, the pronouns elle, le, elli and li do match nonbinary identities as Javier Pérez Alarcón, the Spain Spanish translator, made sure to add pronouns that are used in Hispanic Queer communities by contacting Trans Spaniards.

The study concludes that, regardless of the written, oral or audiovisual nature of a project, “translators of Queer-oriented texts and identities should be embedded within Queer communities, and at very least, should be allies who actively defer to the expertise that such communities have about their own experiences” (p. 17).

Clearly, providing literal translations for nonbinary pronouns does not convey the true identities of members of the LGBTQ+ community in a target language and culture. Understanding the specific context and nuance of translation and doing extra research when necessary is always important, but becomes especially so when a translator does not have first hand knowledge of the communities they are reflecting in their work.

While Attig’s study focused on a single TV show, we can see how valuable it is to have inclusive translation in TV shows and movies across non-English languages to accurately portray the story as well as properly representing the characters.

We also see an increasing need for community-informed translation in medicine and education. Both of these industries routinely serve the LGBTQ+ community where using the correct pronouns is vital to fostering belonging, ensuring the trust and well being of community members, and improving overall outcomes for the impacted communities.

– Written by Grecia Garcia Masson (she/her), Paragon Project Coordinator and Professor of Research Methodology, Text Analysis in Translation, and Writing Techniques for Translators at Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC)