# stakeholder



## mkellogg

Here's a word that is commonly looked up in the French-English dictionary, but doesn't have a translation:

stakeholder

Example (from Google):
Draft policies requiring *stakeholder* and community input will be posted on this website prior to them being submitted to Ministers.

Any ideas on how to translate it?


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## elroy

I would say "acteur."


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## valerie

A big french bank (listed in Paris) uses the term 'partie prenante' in its 2003 financial statements. It is not as easy to use as 'stake holder' in english, but the sense is there.


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## Dorian

mkellogg said:
			
		

> Here's a word that is commonly looked up in the French-English dictionary, but doesn't have a translation:



It may not be in the online dictionary, but it is in the dictionary that it is based on, the Collins-Robert.  It also suggests _partie prenante_.


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## Addyblue

In my Robert & Collins dictionary, it says : N. _(Betting)_ dépositaire (m/f) d'enjeux


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## joce

The 1st entry in the online Collins http://www.wordreference.com/definition/stakeholder.htm?v=b
would translate "actionnaires majoritaires" in French medias.

However, it seems that it also took a meaning regarding the "societe civile", as we say in French (also a phrase missing in the online Collins, which groups the trade unions, associations,...). So I would translate the google example:
"Afin de recueillir les opinions des acteurs de la societe civile et de la population, les projets de loi/reglementation seront..." (Tell me if you feel I'm wrong.)

I think the word community is also poorly translated in Collins online.

[Btw, I'd like the whole sentence to be translated into French and put somewhere in evidence for the French government to learn good democratic principles...!]


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## valerie

I think 'stakeholder' is a more precise word than 'les acteurs de la société civile', it means people affected in their interests by ... in this case the draft policies.

In the case of a company , they usually group under the category 'stakeholder':
- Shareholders
- Employees, Human resources,Trade Unions...
- Customers
- Providers (if relevant)
- Other community related subject: Cultural actions, Social sensitive actions, Sports support, Environmental concious actions, etc...

Perhaps 'la société civile' translates much better the concept of 'community'?


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## Dorian

I just thought I would put in my two bits worth as a native English speaker.

Until 3 or 4 years ago, you hardly ever heard the word stakeholder.  It was usually only seen in corporate newsletters, and referred to investors or shareholders.  (This is my impression, anyway.)  The only definition in Websters is "person entrusted with the stakes of bettors".  That's pretty obscure, and explains why I hardly ever saw the word.

Then all of a sudden, the word exploded in usage.  You would see notices of public meetings with the phrase "all stakeholders are welcome to make submissions".  I remember discussing with my wife what on earth this word was supposed to mean.

Since it is so new, I have had to work out what it means, and it seems to mean any person or group or organisation that feels they are materially affected by an issue.

Such is the glory and agony of a living language!  But it means that unless you have a really recent dictionary (English or English-French) it will not reflect the new meaning.


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## joce

So maybe it is as broad as "le public concerné", but the trouble is that this "public concerné" does not really include constituted bodies such as trade unions and associations. Maybe you've to say jointly "le public concerné et la société civile" in French. Of course the initial suggestion of "parties prenantes" groups them, but it is very vague (at first sight you're not aware at all what/who these "parties" may be), whereas "stakeholder" seems much more concrete.

As for the concept of community, I think it is only consituted of individuals (and families) who live in a given place or so. These are not "société civile", they are really the people, "la population" in French government addresses:
community [kə'mjuːnıtı]
noun
(plural:  -ties)
1  	
a  	the people living in one locality
b  	the locality in which they live
c  	(as modifier)
example: community spirit
2  	a group of people having cultural, religious, ethnic, or other characteristics in common
example: the Protestant community
3  	a group of nations having certain interests in common
4  	the public in general; society

This leads to a question: why did the australian government in the google example say "stakeholders AND community"? Is the community not already a stakeholder according to what was said above?


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## Dorian

For the Google quote about stakeholders and community, I would like to see the entire article.  I can't tell from the short passage quoted what is really going on.

However, at a guess, I would say that stakeholders are community individuals and groups who have a material interest in the outcome of the issue.  "Community" refers to other individuals and groups, who are not specifically affected by the outcome, but who are interested anyway.

That said, the word "stakeholder" is most often used by government bureaucrats who are not famous for their excellent use of English and who are frequently in love with jargon and fad words.  Is that not in other languages as well?


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## aurayfrance

I assure you it's not a French word!   But it exists in your language:

http://www.bartleby.com/61/76/S0697600.html

The right translation in French is "dépositaire d'enjeu". Rather technical...


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## Addyblue

Addyblue said:
			
		

> In my Robert & Collins dictionary, it says : N. _(Betting)_ dépositaire (m/f) d'enjeux





			
				aurayfrance said:
			
		

> I assure you it's not a French word!   But it exists in your language:
> http://www.bartleby.com/61/76/S0697600.html
> The right translation in French is "dépositaire d'enjeu". Rather technical...



*On dirait qu'il y a de l'écho dans l'air...*


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## aurayfrance

Addyblue said:
			
		

> *On dirait qu'il y a de l'écho dans l'air...*



Désolé, disons que je suis intervenu pour donner la référence du bartleby.


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## Dorian

aurayfrance said:
			
		

> I assure you it's not a French word!


Sorry, aureyfrance, I confused you and everybody else by leaving out a word in my post.  I meant to say that bureaucrats use jargon whatever language they write in.  The last paragraph should have read 

That said, the word "stakeholder" is most often used by government bureaucrats who are not famous for their excellent use of English and who are frequently in love with jargon and fad words. Is that not *the case * in other languages as well?





			
				aurayfrance said:
			
		

> The right translation in French is "dépositaire d'enjeu".


I don't agree that this is a good translation.  

If you mean the traditional, original meaning of stakeholder, yes.  If we go to the horse races and decide to bet with each other on the result, we might pick one person to hold the money (the "stakes").  After the race, he/she will give the money to the winner or winners.  That person that held the money is the "stakeholder".  

But the new meaning of stakeholder, which means simply someone who will be affected by a decision (whether to build a road in the area, or close a swimming pool), needs a translation different from "dépositaire d'enjeu", I think.


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## aurayfrance

"But the new meaning of stakeholder, which means simply someone who will be affected by a decision (whether to build a road in the area, or close a swimming pool), needs a translation different from "dépositaire d'enjeu", I think."

I understand what you mean by stakeholder. I think the most general phrase to translate it would be "les personnes concernées". Les personnes concernées par la construction d'une route, la fermeture d'une piscine... "Parties prenantes" seems too formal and wouldn't be used in that context (it's a little bit like a seller and a buyer in a contract. We say: les parties prenantes au contrat...).
You may also use more specific words depending on the context. For example, if a road is to be build, you will use "riverains", the people who live next this future road and will be affected by its construction.


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## lucdertes

In french "actors" means the people who ACT....
Actors: Johnny Depp,Brad Pitt, and all of the ones who act(in latin, to act means to DO), Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and so on...


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## JamesM

aurayfrance said:
			
		

> "But the new meaning of stakeholder, which means simply someone who will be affected by a decision (whether to build a road in the area, or close a swimming pool), needs a translation different from "dépositaire d'enjeu", I think."
> 
> I understand what you mean by stakeholder. I think the most general phrase to translate it would be "les personnes concernées". Les personnes concernées par la construction d'une route, la fermeture d'une piscine... "


 
I think the difference between "persons concerned" and "stakeholders" is significant, in English, though. A stakeholder may be an individual, a corporation, a governmental body, a trade union, a professional association, etc. In other words, the parties involved may be representing their own personal interests, or "stake", in the outcome, or they may be taking up a position for a body of people or an organization. 

Perhaps I'm wrong... but doesn't "les personnes concernées" imply the "individuals" involved?

I think the "re-assignment of meaning" for stakeholder was done in an attempt to express a concept that corporations (initially) need to be aware of all parties involved in a process rather than focusing on their shareholder's interests exclusively.

Here's a fascinating collection of definitions for "stakeholder" from Google:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=SUNA,SUNA:2006-05,SUNA:en&defl=en&q=define:Stakeholder&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title


Do you have a phrase similar to our quasi-legal "all parties concerned"?  "Parties" here has the same kind of broad definition that stakeholders have... a party can be an individual or organization.


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## malseine

Une définition qui me paraît claire et appropriée au domaine financier / commercial:

"One who has a share or an interest in an entrerprise."
May include: shareholders, directors, management suppliers, government, employees, the community.

investopedia.com


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## 8jatpc

on dit parfois, mais dans un cadre physique plus restreint, "les acteurs locaux"


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## liulia

I have seen "partenaires" and "acteurs locaux" used to translate "community stakeholders".


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## ScottieKat

Hi
I am guilty of using 'stakeholders' in documents for government, it is quite a useful word now! I have seen it in French government documents as "acteurs principaux" (have I got the principaux correct?), and used in the sense of people/organisations/groups affected by radioactive waste.


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## zonta

Why not simply "les intéressés" ?


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## brounieboo

Thanks for all these interesting informations!


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## Jumot

Bonjour,

Dernièrement, j'ai vu les "intervenants" pour "stakeholders". _Antidote_ définit ce terme comme suit:

*Personne ou groupe qui intervient dans un processus. *_Tous les intervenants dans ce dossier n’ont pas été consultés_.

Je suppose que si l'on détient des "stakes" dans un dossier, on interviendra un jour ou l'autre.


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## maarten-martin

Bonjour,
"les parties concernées" has the right flavour, according to me.
combines "parties" (=vague, jargon) and "concernées" (=clear and understandable).


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## MarianaElSalvador

Addyblue said:


> In my Robert & Collins dictionary, it says : N. _(Betting)_ dépositaire (m/f) d'enjeux




Ceci est bien trop littéral... et fait réference de façon exclusive aux paris


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## Keith Bradford

I understood it was Tony Blair (or one of his speech-writers) who re-invented the word _*stakeholder*_ in order to extend the concept of shareholder to include those who had no financial share in a company but a great deal of interest _at stake_.  Here stake is equivalent to _enjeu_.

As for _*community*_ - for 15 years I held the job of Community Relations Officer and came to thoroughly detest the word. The problem is that it can be stretched to mean anything from three hippies in a squat to the entire United Nations. But when it's used carefully one can distinguish between a geographical community (les riverains - la population - les habitants - les gens du coin...) and a moral community (the academic community = _les universitaires_ - the Jewish community = _les Juifs_ - the medical community = _le corps médical_ - the international community = _les diplomates_ et par extension _les pays _qu'ils _rep_resentent...).


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## JamesM

Blair may have brought it into the mainstream but it has apparently been used with its current meaning for the better part of a hundred years.

See this footnote from a paper on the subject:

http://www.nicolaifoss.com/teaching/Mahoney_Stakeholder%20Paper.pdf



> 2 The shareholder vs. stakeholder debate has been ongoing for at least the last nine decades (cf. Clark, 1916). Berle (1931) argued for what is now called "shareholder primacy" --- the view that the corporation exists for shareholder wealth maximization. Dodd (1932) argued for what is now called the "stakeholder approach" --- the view that the proper purpose of the corporation also included more secure jobs for employees, better quality products for consumers, and greater contributions to the welfare of the community. Stout (2002) documents the intellectual progress made over the years concerning the Berle-Dodd debate.


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## karikhou

Un peu tard... mais si cela peut aider.
Stakeholders se traduit en français par "parties prenantes" (employés, partenaires, fournisseurs, sous-traitants, etc. d'une société)

K


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