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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

démobilité

English translation:

virtual mobility

Added to glossary by Jennifer Thomas
Jan 31, 2019 11:10
5 yrs ago
5 viewers *
French term

démobilité

French to English Other Business/Commerce (general) Lifestyle / mobility
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..?
Proposed translations (English)
3 +1 Distance/Remote/Home/Virtual Working
3 +2 remote working
References
On "démobilité"

Discussion

Jennifer Thomas (asker) Feb 8, 2019:
I do actually like Virtual Mobility as an option. This article expands on what we've been saying, and also removes the term from the education context.
http://www.flexibility.co.uk/issues/transport/virtual-mobili...
philgoddard Jan 31, 2019:
John I like "real/virtual mobility". It doesn't matter that it's also used in the education sector - its meaning will be clear from the context.
John Peterson Jan 31, 2019:
I'd argue that terms like remote working can cover the effect of reducing or eliminating journeys (with the idea of a commute being some sort of ordeal that can now be avoided). Virtual Mobility can highlight journey-related issues that démobilité seeks to capture, but it seems to be confined to education (see link).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_mobility

Proposed translations

+1
24 mins
Selected

Distance/Remote/Home/Virtual Working

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..."
Note from 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.
*commuting, not community
Peer comment(s):
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
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. 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."
+2
30 mins

remote working

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:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/work-blog/2014/apr/30/what-happened-to-remote-working

Peer comment(s):
agree AllegroTrans
39 mins
agree Verginia Ophof
2 hrs
neutral philgoddard : We've already had this.
5 hrs
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

On "démobilité"

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".
Note from asker:
Brilliant! That's exactly it. Now we just need the right word.
Peer comments on this reference comment:
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
Something went wrong...
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