Empowerment - 赋能

[Dawei3]

Several friends in China were discussing how best to translate 赋能 into English.   Is "empowerment" a good translation?  

 

This is in relation to empowerment meaning "the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life." (from google)

 

Several translation apps & dictionaries also translate 赋能 as energizing and enabling (obviously empowering, energizing & enabling overlap somewhat in meaning in this context).  

 

Similarly, how would you translate "empowerment" into Chinese?  Would you (only) use 赋能? Google gives 赋权, but this seems more like a legalistic use as in "authorize."  

[陳德聰]

賦能 is translation-ese that has crept into buzzword-loving businessperson mouths and now is apparently “a thing.” Empowerment/Empower/Empowering is exactly what this word is meant to mean. I think energizing is bad. Enabling works, but not in the sense of enabling someone’s bad habits (being an “enabler”).

 

I can’t see myself using 賦能 to translate empowerment into Chinese unless I was going for the empty buzzword feeling it evokes. What kind of empowerment? Empowerment in the sense of helping marginalised people to participate in political processes that impact their lives? Empowerment in the sense of enfranchisement? Empowerment in the sense of ... ?

[Dawei3]

陳德聰 Thanks!  I like you "translation-ese" terminology.  I've never heard it before, but it makes perfect sense.

 

I should note the friends discussing this are all in Toastmasters speaking clubs in China.  Many of these clubs are bilingual and since Toastmasters is US-based, I could see them trying to translate English-buzz words into the Chinese equivalent  (I'll have to ask them what word they use for "buzzword").  

 

[Michaelyus]

This site might be useful. 

 

Quote

“赋能”一词，在国内最早火起来是因为阿里巴巴的执行副总裁曾鸣，他在《重新定义公司》的序言中提到这么一句话：

“未来组织最重要的职能是赋能，而不再是管理或激励。”

 

Would I see that as "empowerment" in the Western business sense? Absolutely. In the sociopolitical sense? Hard to say, given the differences in political environment. But I'd lean toward yes.

 

[Jim]

I saw a lot of similar terminology in glossaries provided in the NGO sector and wouldn't be surprised if the coinage originated there; swear Oxfam at least used to put theirs online but a cursory search just didn't find it.