This text is from the 2013 Transparency International report: “Whistleblowers in Europe“. At Transparency International EU we’re calling for EU-wide whistleblower protection, so we thought this little translation guide might help European officials draft such legislation.
“Whistleblower” is not a universally recognised term that can be easily translated into other languages. However imprecise, this colloquialism – which conjures old-fashioned images of a police officer chasing after a thief – has evolved over the decades to mean a person who exposes wrongdoing that has occurred in their midst.
Regardless of whom the person contacts – their line manager, a dedicated helpline, a journalist, the police, an NGO or a government watchdog – a whistleblower is someone who speaks up when most people do not. They are beacons, bell-ringers, alarm-sounders – people who shine the light on secrets that should become known in order to end wrongdoing.
The difficulty in translating the term whistleblower into other languages has led to problems in how whistleblowers are perceived publicly. In many EU countries, terms such as “informant”, “denunciator” and “snitch” are still commonly used by citizens and the media alike. Journalists in some non-English-speaking countries simply use whistleblower for lack of a better alternative. They then may have to explain the term to audiences.
This difficulty has also created challenges when it comes to proposing and drafting whistleblower protection laws. Because whistleblowing is not a commonly accepted legal term.
The following are some commonly used translations from several EU languages, including any connotations they may carry – positive, negative, neutral or none.
BULGARIAN
служител, подал сигнал за нарушение – employee who signals a violation – negative
CZECH
oznamovatel – reporter – neutral
udavač – informer – negative
práskač – snitch – negative
DANISH
whistleblower – often used by the public
sladrehank – snitch – negative
DUTCH
klokkenluider – whistleblower (“bell-ringer”)
slachtoffer – victim – term occasionally used by former whistleblowers
ESTONIAN
vilepuhuja – whistleblower (“piper”) – negative
väärkäitumisest teavitaja – one who informs about wrongdoing –neutral
korruptsioonist teavitaja – one who informs about corruption – most neutral
koputaja – snitch – negative
FINNISH
ilmiantaja – a person who finds out information and passes it on – somewhat negative
FRENCH
lanceur d’alerte – one who alerts about wrongdoing – commonly used term
signalement – whistleblowing (“reporting”)
dénonciation – whistleblowing – neutral/negative
alerte professionnelle – whistleblowing – used by trade unions
alerte éthique – whistleblowing – term used by NGOs and media
donneur d’alerte – term used in official contexts (for example, concerning the EU)
GERMAN
whistleblower – often used by media and in official contexts
Denunziant – squealer, tattletale – negative
Hinweisgeber – hint-giver – neutral
Nestbeschmutzer – one who dirties their own nest – negative
GREEK
καρφί (karfi), σπιούνος
(spiounos), ρουφιάνος
(roufianos), χαφιές (hafies) – snitch – negative
πληροφοριοδότης (pliroforiodotis) – informant – neutral/negative
μάρτυρας δημοσίου συμφέροντος – public interest witness – positive
HUNGARIAN
közérdekő bejelentés – public interest – reporting – positive
bejelentés – reporting
panasz – complaint – reporting wrongdoing to authorities
ITALIAN
sentinella civica – civic sentinel – positive (used by Transparency International Italia)
informatore – informant – neutral (linked to secret police)
segnalante – reporting person – neutral (used in anti-corruption law)
denunciante – denouncing person – neutral – judicial term
fare una soffiata – to blow – neutral to negative
talpa – mole (spy) – negative
corvo – crow – negative
delatore – leaker – very negative
spia / spione – spy – very negative
LATVIAN
ziĦotājs – denouncer – negative
Trauksmes cēlējs – alarm-setter – neutral
Trauksmes celšana – setting the alarm – a process by which wrongdoing is made public – neutral
LITHUANIAN
pranešjas – whistleblower
MALTESE
jiŜvela – neutral term for disclosure
POLISH
denouncer, informant – negative
sygnalista – signal – positive (new term used by certain NGOs)
PORTUGUESE
chibo / bufo – snitch – negative
denunciante – whistleblower
ROMANIAN
avertizori de integritate – those who give integrity warnings – positive
SLOVAK
oznamovateľ – whistleblower – positive
donášač, udavač, práskač – snitch – negative
SLOVENIAN
etični upornik – ethical resisters
žvižgač, piščalkar – one who whistles
prijavitelj – one who reports – neutral (used in the Slovenia’s Integrity and Prevention of Corruption Act)
SPANISH
denunciante de acto de corrupción – blowing the whistle on an act of corruption – neutral
SWEDISH
visslare, visselblåsare – whistleblower – neutral
WELSH
chwythwr chwiban – whistleblower
