Translation of terms "family" and "household" Thread poster: Yakov Katsman
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Yakov Katsman 
United States
Local time: 06:55
Member (2016)
English to Russian
During translation of some state documents about economic help eligibility (SNAP, etc) i run into intermittent use of terms "family" and "household" in the same document and even in the same phrase. They are different legal terms but in many documents used randomly. I asked client and was told translate as is with different terms (in Russian - family=семья vs household=домохозяйство). Did you see similar pattern?
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 12:55
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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This also happens in my target language. The word that normally means "family" really means extended family, i.e. uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces. There is a separate word that means "family" as in siblings and parents who live in the same house. So, if the source text says "family" but it is unclear if it means immediate family or extended family, translators often just use both words with a slash in-between. (The word for immediate family is different from the word for "household", though).
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The same happens with my target language, though there is a big difference between the two terms as household denotes a person or group of persons, related or not to one another, who occupy the same accommodation and live there together. In social, economic and statistical terms we have different words for each: family = família; household = agregado familiar.
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I should add that in Portugal the notions of immediate family and extended family are slightly different from other countries. Here immediate family covers husband/wife, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws while the extended family covers uncles, aunts, first and second cousins and other relatives. It should be noted, however, that this notion of extended family has gained a new meaning with divorces and separations, often followed by new unions with people who were... See more I should add that in Portugal the notions of immediate family and extended family are slightly different from other countries. Here immediate family covers husband/wife, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws while the extended family covers uncles, aunts, first and second cousins and other relatives. It should be noted, however, that this notion of extended family has gained a new meaning with divorces and separations, often followed by new unions with people who were also divorced or separated and had children. There is also another notion, which is that of the distant family: people who, although belonging to the family by kinship ties, do not know each other or have rare contacts. In my case, for example, as my father came from a big family (he had 12 siblings), I have a very large distant family.... ▲ Collapse
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| What is the question? | Aug 4, 2023 |
I'm not entirely sure what the question is.
Family (relatives) and household (people in the house) are different things. They could be used as synonyms in an informal text which assumes that the people in a house are family, because this is generally the case. It should then be clear from the context that this is meant.
I don't think anyone would think of including third cousins twice removed who live in another country...
| | | | Vanda Nissen
Australia
Local time: 20:55
Member (2008)
English to Russian
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| It can be a bit tricky | Aug 4, 2023 |
As our colleague Ice Scream has said, no one is thinking about including third cousins living in a different country, however it is not always that obvious. I remember how during the pandemic the Australian government told that immediate family members of Australian citizens and permanent residents were allowed to travel to Australia. After seeing thousands of Chinese grandparents trying to come to Australia, they realised that the concept of an ''immediate family member'' is somewhat different ... See more As our colleague Ice Scream has said, no one is thinking about including third cousins living in a different country, however it is not always that obvious. I remember how during the pandemic the Australian government told that immediate family members of Australian citizens and permanent residents were allowed to travel to Australia. After seeing thousands of Chinese grandparents trying to come to Australia, they realised that the concept of an ''immediate family member'' is somewhat different in other cultures. For Australians, immediate family includes partners and children, while in other cultures parents are also seen as a part of immediate family.
At the same time, it is important to distinguish between the terms "family" and "household". For example, we have a housing crisis in Australia, and many people have to share accommodation. Some of these shared accommodation communities become households when they also start sharing other expenses. However, they are certainly not families. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:55
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Passe-partout | Aug 6, 2023 |
"Household" is probably the best term to use because it includes everyone who is living at an address whether they are all tenants, tenants + landlord, a family or an extended family, a family + paying guests, or any other combination of people. "Family", on the other hand, is restrictive because it can only include persons who are related to one another.
| | | | Barbara Carrara
Italy
Local time: 12:55
Member (2008)
English to Italian
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| Russian forum or En>Ru KudoZ sections? | Aug 7, 2023 |
As others who have replied so far, I am not sure I understand Yakov's post.
However, I wonder whether this shouldn't be reposted in the Russian forum. Or entered as an En>Ru KudoZ question.
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