Wunderman Thompson: ElaN Languages’ Unbias Button

Language matters. The way language and specific words are used shapes opinions, actions and outcomes enormously. Take job titles for example: a job title that’s inherently masculine, like fireman, mailman, salesman or cameraman, might discourage women from applying for that role. The use of certain words might be depriving that industry of an enormous pool of potential talent.

This problem needed to be addressed and International Women’s Day was the right time to do it.

Together with ElaN Languages, Wunderman Thompson tackled inherent gender bias by updating its online translation tool with a new feature: the Unbias Button. Traditional gender-biased job titles are now automatically updated with an unbiased alternative. The hope is that this tool will help level the playing field, giving everyone the same opportunities, and ensuring that every industry has access to the world’s talent.

To inspire change throughout the translation business, ELaN made its extensive database of gender-neutral words available to the industry giants, including Google Translate, iTranslate and Yandex.Translate. ElaN’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed by the competition and international press. The Unbias Button was immediately picked up by major publishers such as Adweek, Stable Media, AdAge, Chinese web technology company 163.com and LS:N Global.

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