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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

behindertenfreundlich vs behindertengerecht

English translation:

suitable for disabled guests (disabled-friendly) vs. fully adapted for disabled guests

Added to glossary by Hilary Davies Shelby
Mar 14, 2005 18:54
19 yrs ago
2 viewers *
German term

behindertenfreundlich vs behindertengerecht

German to English Other Tourism & Travel
Hello - got this in a hotel brochure. Some rooms are "behindertenfreundlich", while some are "behindertengerecht". Is there an "official" distinction between the two, or is this something the hotel made up?

Many thanks!

Hilary.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +2 It's a difficult one...
3 +3 catering to the demands of people with special needs
2 +2 disability friendly vs disability accessible
3 wheelchair friendly vs conforming to the 'Gesetze und Verordnungen für behinderte Menschen'
3 Nachgedanken: "They're both Quatsch"
4 -2 handicapped-friendly vs. handicapped-accessible

Discussion

Ian M-H (X) Mar 15, 2005:
No need to invoke thought police or being PC/Orwellian. Translators seek terms which will do as similar a job as possible to the original. Terms likely to be found offensive won't, if the original is seen as neutral. It's not emotion, it's professionalism
Michael Schubert Mar 15, 2005:
"Disabled" is actually older than "handicapped" and denotes greater severity: one paralyzed from the neck down is disabled; one with almost any other handicap is handicapped. Lesser abled was the fad a few years ago; special needs is used for children.
Francis Lee (X) Mar 14, 2005:
... "with the disabled visitor fully catered for"
http://www.disabilityview.co.uk/leicester.shtml
(looks like a dependable source)

Proposed translations

+2
8 mins
Selected

It's a difficult one...

According to the link, there is a difference:

"Es muss ausdrücklich darauf hingewiesen werden,dass „behindertenfreundliche“ Beherbergungsbetriebe nicht automatisch „rollstuhl- bzw. behindertengerecht“ sind und umgekehrt „rollstuhlgeeignete“ Beherbergungsbetriebe nicht immer zugleich auch „behindertenfreundlich“ sind. Der Begriff „rollstuhl- bzw. behindertengerecht“ ist objektiv messbar und beeinhaltet in Anlehnung an die DIN-Norm 18024 bzw. 18025 vor allem die bauliche Eignung des Gebäudes (Hotel, Pension, Ferienhaus, etc.) für Behinderte. Der Begriff „behindertenfreundlich“ ist nicht objektiv messbar, sondern er beschreibt den menschlichen Aspekt, z. B. ob behinderte Gäste bei den Inhabern bzw. Betreibern und dem Personal von Hotels, Pensionen, Ferienanlagen usw. willkommen sind und ob sie von der Bevölkerung des Urlaubsortes akzeptiert werden."

However, I'm not sure the hotel is trying to make quite such a clear distinction - maybe it's referring to the nuber of adaptations etc. in the rooms - so perhaps ypu could use something like "suitable for disabled guests" for "behindertenfreundlich", and "fully equipped rooms for disabled guests" for "behindertengerecht"??
Reference:

http://www.stadt-fuessen.de/1002.0.html

Peer comment(s):
agree Ian M-H (X) : yes - or maybe even "[fully] accessible" for the second term? It's tricky...
7 mins
agree Francis Lee (X) : fully equipped / fully catered for
1 hr
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Many thanks to all for these suggestions. As several people have suggested, I would go for "disabled" rather than "handicapped" in this day and age, and I think this suggestion hits the note of "disabled guests could probably manage in these rooms" vs "these rooms have facilities for the disabled" (adapted bathrooms, etc). "
14 mins

wheelchair friendly vs conforming to the 'Gesetze und Verordnungen für behinderte Menschen'

It's a legal distinction

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 mins (2005-03-14 19:09:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://www.bmgs.bund.de/deu/gra/gesetze/ges_4.cfm
Peer comment(s):
neutral John Bowden : Yes, it's a legal distinction - but "behindertenfreundlich" doesn't necessarily mean wheelchair-friendly (see link above)
15 mins
Something went wrong...
+3
1 hr

catering to the demands of people with special needs

to be politically correct you would have to use "special needs". Rewrite the sentences, if possible, or call the behindertenfreundliche Zimmer "rooms catering to the demands of people with special needs" and the behindertengerecht "accessible for people with special needs"
Peer comment(s):
agree Edith Kelly : pc
28 mins
agree Francis Lee (X) : catering/catered for
35 mins
neutral Michael Schubert : "To be politically correct" indeed! But it's been some time since I heard anyone express that as a positive, as something to be aspired to!
4 hrs
neutral Lancashireman : In UK 'special needs' is synonomous with 'learning difficulties'
5 hrs
agree Ian M-H (X) : maybe "special access requirements", to take Andrew's valid point into account?
13 hrs
Something went wrong...
-2
6 mins

handicapped-friendly vs. handicapped-accessible

I don't know whether there is such a clear distinction, but that's how I would pass along the hotel's own chosen distinction.

Be glad they didn't throw "behindertentauglich" and "behindertenzugänglich" into the mix (as well as something including "-mäßig"!)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs 46 mins (2005-03-15 00:41:09 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Hilary, I know this is for tourism purposes and you want to choose something that sounds the nicest. I think Silvia\'s suggestions below do the best job there. But the peer references/deferences to lists of language that has been deemed acceptable by various regional PC thought police are really shocking! How long before \"poor\" is tossed aside for \"fiscally challenged\"? Such recommendations come and go with the spring fashions and, personally, I make a point of ignoring them. It is the realm of politicians, not linguists.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Ian M-H (X) : I would very strongly recommend avoiding "handicapped" to refer to people. http://www.schoolnet.ca/aboriginal/disabl12/ http://www.acils.com/acil/talking.html
7 mins
Sad, the regularity with which Orwellian codes of acceptable language are applied to that which is not pretty, and how passively even intelligent linguists sign on! Think about what the words "disabled" and "handicapped" actually MEAN.
disagree silvia glatzhofer : see: http://www.gov.on.ca/citizenship/accessibility/english/prefe...
1 hr
Did you even look at this link you provided? They warn against using words like "blind" and "autistic"! Ontario's misguided attempt to disguise sad realities is hardly a world benchmark, and certainly not a standard I would associate myself with.
neutral Francis Lee (X) : I very much doubt they use that term in the Bay Area
1 hr
You would no doubt doubt, but I live in the Bay Area. There is a place in San Francisco called "Hospital for Crippled Children," and California uses "handicapped" consistently in the vehicular context (parking spaces, license plates).
neutral Lancashireman : I don't know why this question has spilled onto ‘notes added’ at the top but…in UK you can see reasonably fit people getting out of cars displaying ‘disabled’ parking permits. It saves them parking fees and they can also park on double yellow lines.
6 hrs
Spilled onto top because KudoZ limits space down here :-) Both "disabled" and "handicapped" are used commonly and absolutely synonymously here in the US. Agree with your note above, btw: "special needs" usu. means learning disabilities; educational term.
Something went wrong...
+2
4 mins

disability friendly vs disability accessible

seems to cover it although I'd say the distinction was hazy in any language

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs 42 mins (2005-03-15 08:36:42 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

After reading John\'s link, I\'d like to suggest a revised answer:
\"disability-friendly vs wheelchair-accessible\" (with hyphens!)

In UK English, disabled is still the standard term at least when talking about physical accessibility for adults (e.g. \"disabled toilet\" etc. \"wheelchair accessible\" is also frequent.
e.g.
\"Disability-friendly accommodation in AYRSHIRE,UK... hotels, bed and breakfast, guest houses, self catering and more.\"
www.friendly-places.com/categories/disability-friendly/ disability-friendly.asp?Location=Ayrshire
\"Wheelchair Accessible Holiday Rentals throught Europe and beyond.\"
www.holidaylets.net/find/wheelchair-accessible/13
Peer comment(s):
agree Michael Schubert : with hyphens, please :-)
2 mins
hypens would be good - thanks
neutral Nancy Arrowsmith : not used in US
8 mins
I can see from other answers too that there is a big gap between UK and US English on this one.
agree Claire Cox : with your second suggestion - what a nest of vipers this seemingly simple question has become!
14 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 days

Nachgedanken: "They're both Quatsch"

I know the question was resolved ages ago, but I thought this would be interesting: The former Behindertenbeauftragter of Rostock City Council is a student of mine, and so I thought I would ask him today what the difference was. His reply:

"They are both Quatsch! There is barrier-free and not barrier-free, everything else is meaningless. Barrier-free also caters, for example, for older people who aren't disabled, but need a walking stick or other aid."

So there's the word from the horse's mouth.



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