So, we came across a Facebook post that pointed out a website called Shabdkosh, translates the English word ‘freaking’ in Hindi to ‘Homosexual’.
Turns out the post is not doctored or anything. We tried searching for word meaning on Shabdkosh ourselves. Here are the results.
What’s really wrong with this, you ask?
Cambridge Dictionary defines freak as “a thing, person, animal, or event that is extremely unusual or unlikely, and not like any other of its type”. Translating ‘freaking’ to ‘homosexual’ is wrong on all levels.
I mean seriously, Shabdkosh people, it’s 2018 for god’s sake.
And we are tired of this homophobia and bigotry. #freakdoesntmeanhomosexual
Can we please stop naturalising and normalising heterosexual desire, that in turn demonises homosexuality?
People are fighting all over the world against this sort of bigotry. What happens when it remains entrenched in the discourse of narratives?
The language we use normalises things for us. It’s high time that we start acknowledging the problem that remains seeped in the discourse of communication. From calling someone not in line with the gender norms, a “chhakka“, to actually ridiculing the word “chhakka“, we need to pause and stop, in order to think about the impact of the words we use.
We hope, the website will now at the very least make the required changes to their shabdkosh.