# Jargonbusters

**IFRC language should be clear, jargon-free and inclusive.**  

We want people to have a positive emotional response to the IFRC’s work, and this will only happen if our audience feels we are speaking to them directly. 

We also want our readers to care about the people IFRC and National Societies are supporting. So please always put people at the centre of your communications about humanitarian work.  

Don’t infantilize or dehumanize people with patronising language such as “the most vulnerable” or “those we serve”.  

Please also try to avoid any words or phrases that have military connotations. Our own internal documents are littered with references to people being “targeted”, but it’s always preferable to say that people were “selected” or “identified” – or even just that they are being supported.  

The following list includes common IFRC jargon words alongside some ableist, gendered and pejorative language that we should not use. This list is not exhaustive, and IFRC staff are encouraged to add to it by emailing [Alison Freebairn](mailto:alison.freebairn@ifrc.org). 

<table><thead><tr><th>❌ Words to avoid:	</th><th>✅ Please use instead:</th><th data-hidden></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Aborigine</td><td>Indigenous People/Peoples; First Nations</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>actors</td><td>organizations, partners</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>addict/addicted</td><td>person with a substance abuse disorder</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>additionally</td><td>also, and</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>amongst</td><td>among</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>beneficiaries</td><td>people</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>businessmen</td><td>managers, executives</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>cameraman</td><td>camera operator, film-maker</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>chairman/chairwoman</td><td>chair</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>decimated</td><td>badly affected</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>elderly</td><td>an elder/elders, seniors</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>emotional support</td><td>comfort</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>engaged with</td><td>involved</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>exacerbate, exacerbated</td><td>worsen, worsened, made worse</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>forefathers</td><td>ancestors</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>frequently</td><td>often</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>the handicapped, handicapped people</td><td>people with disabilities</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>homeless person</td><td>unhoused person, unsheltered people</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>impact/impacted</td><td>affect/affected</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>is able to</td><td>can</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>locals</td><td>local people, the community</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>mankind</td><td>humanity</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>man-made</td><td>technological, artificial, human-made</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>manned, manning</td><td>worked at, staffed, staffing</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>manpower</td><td>workforce, employees</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>participate</td><td>take part</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>perished</td><td>died, were/was killed</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>policeman</td><td>police officer</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>prostitute</td><td>sex worker</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>quantify</td><td>count, measure</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>reach out to/reached out to</td><td>contact/contacted</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>recovery actors</td><td>humanitarian organizations, Governments</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>remains engaged</td><td>continues</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>request/requested</td><td>ask/asked</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>scaling up</td><td>increasing, expanding</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>stakeholders</td><td>partners</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>sufficient</td><td>enough</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>target/targeted</td><td>select, identify, support</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>target beneficiaries</td><td>help people</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>the disabled</td><td>people with disabilities</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>the vulnerable/most vulnerable</td><td>at-risk people, people in vulnerable situations, people in conditions of vulnerability</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Third World</td><td>developing countries; Majority World</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>those, e.g., “those affected”</td><td>people, "people affected", “the people we support”</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>to a man</td><td>unanimously</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>trainings</td><td>training, training courses</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>transgendered</td><td>transgender</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>transwoman, transman</td><td>trans woman, trans man</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>utilize</td><td>use</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>victims</td><td>survivors, affected people</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>


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