verantwoorden

English translation: accountability

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Dutch term or phrase:verantwoorden
English translation:accountability
Entered by: Michael van Laake

18:34 Sep 14, 2016
Dutch to English translations [PRO]
Government / Politics / Government agency policy report
Dutch term or phrase: verantwoorden
Help please, I'm kind of stuck here.

Policy document by a government agency.
Target audience: policy makers; scientists and researchers in the field the agency works in.
Specific context: policy recommendations for a large civil works project

Problem: use of the verb "verantwoorden" - note that it is not reflexive "zich verantwoorden".

Four examples, all from the same text
- het gezamenlijk verantwoorden om zicht te houden op...
- met een focus op gezamenlijk verantwoorden.
- een basis voor gezamenlijk verantwoorden...
- Dit is mogelijk door verantwoorden te organiseren als een leerproces...

They all sound a bit strange to me. These are all examples of intransitive use.
I have no problems with the transitive:
-bedragen verantwoorden > account for amounts
-je optreden verantwoorden > justify your actions

I'm looking at variations on: answerable, accountable, accountability, ... but I can't come up with anything that works ok. To make things more complicated, the term is used very often, it's one of the key points of these recommendations, so I'd like to have a good "single solution", rather than individual solutions for each occurence.

Help greatly appreciated.
Michael van Laake
Spain
Local time: 19:35
accountability
Explanation:
I think I'd probably go with "accountability", and "joint accountability" myself (which I think works in all of the examples you gave)

gezamenlijk verantwoorden = joint/shared accountability
verantwoorden = accountability

(of course, I don't know if (joint/shared) accountability is what yr text is about, as I don't have it here in front of me)



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2016-09-14 18:49:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

see e.g.:

"Next, management must generate joint accountability for results. In an environment of joint accountability, it is impossible for anyone even to think, let alone say, that he has done his job if the team has not achieved its targeted result." (https://www.asme.org/career-education/articles/management-pr... )

-------------------------
"Joint or Shared Accountability: Issues and Options

[...]
At the same time, inter-organisational arrangements involving horizontal accountability are increasingly being formalised, with shared or joint accountability for the achievement of specified outcomes.

[...]

Situations entailing joint accountability can obviously generate a number of problems with rectification because of the lack of clarity about who exactly is responsible when things go awry." (http://igps.victoria.ac.nz/publications/files/83e71189c2b.pd... )

-------------------------

"Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, discusses the concept of accountability and how systems outside of your individual organization have to establish a level of joint accountability in order to succeed. Canada presses that accountability is a necessary standard for achieving results. Without joint accountability programs internally, as well as externally in working with partners will not be able to guarantee success if the same standards of program implementation and data collection and analysis are not met by all organizations working together across the board." (http://resultsleadership.org/joint-accountability-geoffrey-c... )
Selected response from:

Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:35
Grading comment
Thanks for providing a solid backing of my initial guess.
One thing I am still wondering about:
Am I the only one who feels that the intransitive use of "verantwoorden" is a bit strange?
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4accountability
Michael Beijer


  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
accountability


Explanation:
I think I'd probably go with "accountability", and "joint accountability" myself (which I think works in all of the examples you gave)

gezamenlijk verantwoorden = joint/shared accountability
verantwoorden = accountability

(of course, I don't know if (joint/shared) accountability is what yr text is about, as I don't have it here in front of me)



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2016-09-14 18:49:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

see e.g.:

"Next, management must generate joint accountability for results. In an environment of joint accountability, it is impossible for anyone even to think, let alone say, that he has done his job if the team has not achieved its targeted result." (https://www.asme.org/career-education/articles/management-pr... )

-------------------------
"Joint or Shared Accountability: Issues and Options

[...]
At the same time, inter-organisational arrangements involving horizontal accountability are increasingly being formalised, with shared or joint accountability for the achievement of specified outcomes.

[...]

Situations entailing joint accountability can obviously generate a number of problems with rectification because of the lack of clarity about who exactly is responsible when things go awry." (http://igps.victoria.ac.nz/publications/files/83e71189c2b.pd... )

-------------------------

"Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, discusses the concept of accountability and how systems outside of your individual organization have to establish a level of joint accountability in order to succeed. Canada presses that accountability is a necessary standard for achieving results. Without joint accountability programs internally, as well as externally in working with partners will not be able to guarantee success if the same standards of program implementation and data collection and analysis are not met by all organizations working together across the board." (http://resultsleadership.org/joint-accountability-geoffrey-c... )


Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:35
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 51
Grading comment
Thanks for providing a solid backing of my initial guess.
One thing I am still wondering about:
Am I the only one who feels that the intransitive use of "verantwoorden" is a bit strange?

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): Yes, it is used as a noun (as in first example by asker).
30 mins
  -> Thanks!

agree  David Walker (X)
37 mins
  -> Thanks!

agree  Kitty Brussaard: / Post-grading: 'being (jointly) accountable' would be another way of putting it which might work better in some cases :-)
1 hr
  -> Thanks!

agree  Richard Purdom: ...or 'recognition' possibly
15 hrs
  -> Thanks!
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