Negotiating inclusion of gender and sexual diversity through a process of feminist translation in Quebec

Abstract

Abstract According to French grammatical rules the masculine prevails over the feminine. In Quebec since the 1980s, an inclusive, “non-sexist writing,” aimed at making the feminine visible, has been promoted by women’s activist groups and has been adopted in most governmental publications. Recently, a renewal of the notion of gender manifests itself through an emerging definition of inclusive writing as “neutral writing,” aimed at neutralizing gender in the French language. In this context, a feminist collective has undertaken the translation into French of Our Bodies, Ourselves, a major reference book on sexual and reproductive health. What effects has the coexistence of these two trends of feminist inclusive writing had on the process of constructing and writing this book and on the terminological choices made by the collective of translators? This case study showcases how the translation process opens a space for rethinking linguistic practices around gender.