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démobilité

English translation: virtual mobility

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:démobilité
English translation:virtual mobility
Entered by: Jennifer Thomas

11:10 Jan 31, 2019
French to English translations [PRO]
Business/Commerce (general) / Lifestyle / mobility
French term or phrase: démobilité
I'm translating a short feature about workplace mobility. The following article is quoted:
https://www.latribune.fr/opinions/tribunes/mobilite-numeriqu... in which the term démobilité appears several times. Here's an extract:
On peut se demander s'il y a encore, en 2018, un rapport entre le travail et le lieu de travail. Puisque l'on peut tout faire depuis son téléphone, donc depuis son lit ou sa salle de bain, pourquoi se déplacer ? La technologie aurait pu justifier une forme de démobilité, ne nous rendant plus obligé de nous déplacer pour « aller travailler ». Pourtant l'hyper mobilité semble prendre le pas sur la démobilité. En effet, nous pouvons parcourir 1000 km en 1h30, disposer d'une voiture en 2 minutes grâce à une App, alors pourquoi ne pas travailler en voyageant ?
The meaning is clear enough, and I have managed to find a fair few other references in French, however nothing equivalent in English so far. Is "demobility" going to be a new buzz word that has not yet made its way into popular usage..?
Jennifer Thomas
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:11
Distance/Remote/Home/Virtual Working
Explanation:
These are the terms that come to mind from the context you've given; I'd probably opt for remote, given that it is (new) technology-enabled.

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Note added at 28 mins (2019-01-31 11:38:04 GMT)
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Or you could rephrase the sentence to something like: "technology could warrant breaking the work-workplace link/umbilical cord..."
Selected response from:

John Peterson
Local time: 21:11
Grading comment
Thanks to everyone who added to the discussion and comments. I think we've just about got there, but won't be that surprised to see "demobility" creeping into usage before long.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2remote working
Margaret Morrison
3 +1Distance/Remote/Home/Virtual Working
John Peterson
Summary of reference entries provided
On "démobilité"
Ph_B (X)

Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


24 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Distance/Remote/Home/Virtual Working


Explanation:
These are the terms that come to mind from the context you've given; I'd probably opt for remote, given that it is (new) technology-enabled.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 28 mins (2019-01-31 11:38:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or you could rephrase the sentence to something like: "technology could warrant breaking the work-workplace link/umbilical cord..."

John Peterson
Local time: 21:11
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 119
Grading comment
Thanks to everyone who added to the discussion and comments. I think we've just about got there, but won't be that surprised to see "demobility" creeping into usage before long.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks John, but this doesn't come close enough for me. It's more about the impact on mobility and community than the fact that individuals are working remotely. However, I am erring towards "virtual mobility" as a result of the discussions and peer comments.

Asker: *commuting, not community


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AllegroTrans
44 mins
  -> Thanks
neutral  philgoddard: I feel this is a bit of an admission of defeat. There must be a more colorful and catchy way of expressing this, and particularly the contrast between hypermobilité and démobilité. It might involve the word "mobility", or something else.
5 hrs
  -> Thanks - as mentioned in the discussion, something like "virtual mobility" has already been pre-empted
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

30 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
remote working


Explanation:
Interesting! I can't think of a direct term and I think you're right that it's a coinage, meaning is clearly "Working from home" or "remote working" but that doesn't quite address the "not having to commute" neatness of the phrase. Anything using "mobility" is going to bark up the wrong tree and imply disability.

Example sentence(s):
  • https://www.theguardian.com/money/work-blog/2014/apr/30/what-happened-to-remote-working
Margaret Morrison
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:11
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AllegroTrans
39 mins
agree  Verginia Ophof
2 hrs
neutral  philgoddard: We've already had this.
5 hrs
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Reference comments


1 hr peer agreement (net): +2
Reference: On "démobilité"

Reference information:
Démobilité appears to have been coined/defined by Julien Damon. It's about decreasing the number of unpleasant journeys:

"... une partie consistante des utilisateurs, qui ne sont pas que des actifs, voit dans cette mobilité une nécessité et une contrainte. C’est toute l’ambition de la démobilité que de proposer de diminuer nécessité et contrainte [des déplacements]… La démobilité est une idée. Une idée simple. Il s’agit, tout en cherchant à accompagner les aspirations croissantes à la mobilité, de diminuer les déplacements pénibles... La démobilité est une perspective et une invitation à l’innovation pour diminuer les mobilités subies et augmenter les mobilités choisies"

Damon, Julien La Démobilité : vivre, travailler autrement

http://eclairs.fr/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/NOTEdemobilite....

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Note added at 2 hrs (2019-01-31 13:14:12 GMT)
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"Unwanted" rather than "unpleasant".

Ph_B (X)
France
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: French
Note to reference poster
Asker: Brilliant! That's exactly it. Now we just need the right word.


Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Alison MacG: Fondapol's website gives a summary of the NOTE in English & translates the title as Minimising travel: a different way of working and living www.fondapol.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Fondapols-Work-... [p.4]
3 hrs
  -> Thanks for this! Why don't you post it as an answer?
agree  philgoddard: You could say "maximum travel" and "minimum travel".
4 hrs
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