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Benutzer

English translation: 'The user' 'they'


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08:32 Oct 20, 2011
German to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - IT (Information Technology)
German term or phrase: Benutzer
Hello everyone!

I need a piece of advice from someone who has experience in translating software user manuals (from German into English). How does one refer to the user in English -just "he" or "he/she" (also his/her)?

Example: "Jeder Benutzer kann seine empfangenen Emails extern weiterleiten." I cannot avoid translating 'seine' here, for ex., it is important, so what is the customary approach?

Thanks in advance!
Svetlana Virjnevschi
Local time: 10:42
English translation:'The user' 'they'
Explanation:
Usually it is perfectly possible to avoid having to use gender completely.


Selected response from:

GWilliams
Local time: 09:42
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.



Summary of answers provided
4 +3'The user' 'they'GWilliams
Summary of reference entries provided
Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications
Alison MacG

Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1, peer agreement (net) from those meeting criteria: +2
'The user' 'they'


Explanation:
Usually it is perfectly possible to avoid having to use gender completely.




Example sentence(s):
  • "The user can enter their password to log in"
  • "Whilst logged in, they will be able to access all company resources"
GWilliams
Local time: 09:42
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Malina Alexandra Pricop (meets criteria): I usually work around the gender problem but if I must, I use "they"/"their".
4 hrs
agree  Ilse Schwender: I do agree:)
12 hrs
agree  BethanyHH (meets criteria): also agree!
8 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)




Reference comments


2 hrs
Reference: Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications

Reference information:
This of course only represents one point of view, but you did ask for a style guide for a technical/IT field.

Bias-Free Communication
Avoid the generic masculine pronoun. Use the instead of his, or rewrite material in the second person (you) or in the plural. If necessary, use a plural pronoun such as they or their with an indefinite singular antecedent, such as everyone, or with multiple antecedents of different or unknown genders, such John and Chris. Use his or her for the singular possessive case if you can do so infrequently and if nothing else works.

Correct
A user can change the default settings.
You can change the default settings.
Someone may have the file checked out on his or her computer.
John and Chris each have their own profile.
The message remains there until your friend logs on to the Internet and retrieves his or her messages.

Incorrect
A user can change his default settings.
Each employee can arrive when he wishes.
Each employee can arrive when s/he wishes.

Agreement
Pronoun-antecedent agreement is particularly difficult with singular personal pronouns. Writers and editors do not want to give offense by using a singular pronoun of a particular gender as a general reference, so they use the gender-neutral but plural they to refer to a singular antecedent. Although this usage is gaining acceptance, it remains a problem for localizers and for the worldwide audience. Whenever possible, you should write around this problem.

Correct
A user with the appropriate rights can set other users’ passwords.
Authentication verifies the identity of the user.
Right-click the name of the person you want to call, click Make a Phone Call, and then choose from the list of published numbers.

Incorrect
If the user has the appropriate rights, he can set other users’ passwords.
Authentication verifies that a user is who she claims to be.
Right-click the name of the person you want to call, click Make a Phone Call, and then choose from the numbers they have published.

If it is impossible to write around the problem, do not alternate between masculine and feminine pronouns to refer to the same individual, and do not use he/she or s/he. Using the slash mark in this way is confusing for worldwide readers, and even many native English speakers consider it confusing and annoying.
It is all right to use he or she occasionally, but doing so excessively may distract the reader. If you need to make third-person references to more than one person in the same topic, use he for some individuals and she for others. In all cases, leave no doubt about the antecedent
for each pronoun.
http://faculty.unlv.edu/jensen/CEE_common/textbooks/pdf/Micr...

Alison MacG
United Kingdom
Does not meet criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thank you very much!

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