Commit 1e61d2c5 authored by Suzanne Selhorn's avatar Suzanne Selhorn

Merge branch 'mjang-doc-add-examples-inclusive-language' into 'master'

Add inclusive language guidance to style guide

Closes technical-writing#119

See merge request gitlab-org/gitlab!38533
parents af4d722f 72ac2d43
......@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ GitLab documentation should be clear and easy to understand.
- Be clear, concise, and stick to the goal of the documentation.
- Write in US English with US grammar. (Tested in [`British.yml`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/doc/.vale/gitlab/British.yml).)
- Use inclusive language.
- Use [inclusive language](#inclusive-language).
### Point of view
......@@ -313,6 +313,60 @@ Capitalize names of:
Follow the capitalization style listed at the [authoritative source](#links-to-external-documentation) for the entity, which may use non-standard case styles. For example: GitLab and npm.
### Inclusive language
We strive to create documentation that is inclusive. This section includes guidance and examples in the
following categories:
- [Gender-specific wording](#avoid-gender-specific-wording).
- [Ableist language](#avoid-ableist-language).
- [Cultural sensitivity](#culturally-sensitive-language).
We write our developer documentation with inclusivity and diversity in mind. This page is not an exhaustive reference, but describes some general guidelines and examples that illustrate some best practices to follow.
#### Avoid gender-specific wording
When possible, use gender-neutral pronouns. For example, you can use a singular
[they](https://developers.google.com/style/pronouns#gender-neutral-pronouns) as a gender-neutral
pronoun.
Avoid the use of gender-specific pronouns, unless referring to a specific person.
| Use | Avoid |
|-----------------------------------|-----------------|
| People, humanity | Mankind |
| GitLab Team Members | Manpower |
| You can install; They can install | He can install; She can install |
If you need to set up [Fake user information](#fake-user-information), use diverse or non-gendered
names with common surnames.
#### Avoid ableist language
Avoid terms that are also used in negative stereotypes for different groups.
| Use | Avoid |
|------------------------|----------------------|
| Check for completeness | Sanity check |
| Uncertain outliers | Crazy outliers |
| Slows the service | Cripples the service |
| Placeholder variable | Dummy variable |
| Active/Inactive | Enabled/Disabled |
| On/Off | Enabled/Disabled |
Credit: [Avoid ableist language](https://developers.google.com/style/inclusive-documentation#ableist-language) in the Google Developer Style Guide.
#### Culturally sensitive language
Avoid terms that reflect negative cultural stereotypes and history. In most cases, you can replace terms such as `master` and `slave` with terms that are more precise and functional, such as `primary` and `secondary`.
| Use | Avoid |
|-----------------------|----------------------|
| Primary / secondary | Master / slave |
| Blacklist / whitelist | Allowlist / denylist |
For more information see the following [Internet Draft specification](https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-knodel-terminology-02).
### Language to avoid
When creating documentation, limit or avoid the use of the following verb
......
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