Inconsistent translations of the term One Health — a critical global health framework — could be undermining international efforts to safeguard human, animal and environmental well-being

Amid the escalating threat of climate change, environmental degradation and pandemics, global health depends more than ever on coordinated, cross-sectoral action. It’s why a growing number of researchers, practitioners and institutions are embracing One Health, a cooperative model that recognizes the interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health. But a new study led by Cary Wu, York Research Chair in the Political Sociology of Health, warns that inconsistent and culturally mismatched translations of the term are quietly undermining collaboration efforts.

, the flagship journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), the study reveals that in China alone, at least 20 different translations of the term One Health appear across policy documents, conference briefs, academic literature and media coverage. Similar inconsistencies were also found in Spanish and French. Without a consistent translation, coordination efforts suffer at the domestic and international level, and the One Health approach risks being poorly implemented across sectors and regions.

“If the term is translated in different ways, then people who are exposed to the term are isolated,” says Wu. “They don’t see the connections. Communication becomes a problem. Collaboration and knowledge creation become a problem. Local implementation becomes a problem.”

First introduced in global policy circles in 2004, the One Health approach was endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and others in 2008. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has only gained momentum. “The idea is not new,” says Wu, who traces the concept back to Indigenous knowledge reaching back thousands of years. “When they think about health, it is connected back to the earth, the river and the natural environment. The idea is very ancient, but how to promote the implementation of the approach is new.” 

The model promotes integrated health governance across medicine, veterinary science and environmental policy, calling for governments, sectors and communities to collaborate. Yet the concept’s success hinges on local adoption, which often begins with awareness and engagement.

One Health in Chinese contexts

Wu led an interdisciplinary team of York scholars with backgrounds in health, business, and design and colleagues from China in identifying and analyzing 87 Chinese-language documents, revealing a significant degree of variation in how the term One Health is rendered. While the most common translation, “同一健康” (tongyi jiankang or unified health), appeared in 40 per cent of documents, other translations included “全健康” (whole health), “健康一体” (health as one), “同一个健康” (same health) and “一体化健康” (integrated health) as well as the untranslated English phrase. 

The authors identify two potential root causes for the inconsistent translations in Chinese contexts. The first was the missed opportunity to establish a standard translation in 2014. That year, the first international symposium for One Health research was held in Guangzhou, and two One Health research centers were established. In all cases, the English term was used, resulting in various translations being adopted in press coverage.

The second is the lack of a top-down approach in promoting and championing the model. One Health has largely been introduced to China through academic and NGO channels, with different translations used to describe the concept. “To this day, the WHO, CCDC, and influential academic and political leaders have continued using different Chinese translations of the single term — One Health — in policy documents, conferences, and media releases,” Wu and co-authors write.

Recommended translation

The study recommends “同一健康” (unified health) as the most accurate, widespread and culturally appropriate Chinese translation of One Health. It aligns with both the WHO’s translation as well as traditional Chinese philosophical ideas about harmony between humans and nature.

The case for this translation is supported both by findings — the term appeared in 40 per cent of documents reviewed — and expert validation. In an interview with Dr. Jiahai Lu, founding director of the One Health Research Center at Sun Yat-sen University and chief editor of One Health Bulletin, he affirmed that tongyi jiankang is not only linguistically clear, but also conceptually aligned with the holistic vision of One Health.

A global issue, not just a Chinese one

While this study focuses on Chinese, the authors note similar inconsistencies in other major languages, including Spanish — where both “Una sola salud” and “Salud ?nica” are used — and French, which uses the terms “Une seule santé”, “Une santé” and “La santé unique.” While the differences may seem slight, the implications of inconsistent translations include siloed efforts, fragmented implementation, policy contradictions and public disengagement.

“If people are not exposed to or aware of this idea, they’re also less likely to practice or engage while living their everyday life,” says Wu. “How to protect animals, for example.” This kind of terminological fragmentation threatens the core promise of One Health: to serve as a unifying global framework for preventing future health crises through integrated, collaborative action.

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La version fran?aise suit la version anglaise.

The entrepreneurially driven initiative teaches non-business participants the foundational skills for identifying opportunities and developing innovative solutions to start a new business.

Gabrielle Cooper-Saint-Cyr had already finished her BA in international studies at 快播视频’s Glendon College and was part way into a degree in translation services when she saw a poster for Glendon ENtrepreneuriat et Innovation A L’international (GENIAL) initiative on the hallway wall opposite her class.

“I thought this seems like the exact thing that I'm looking for. And it was already ongoing on campus, which was easily accessible,” she says.

At the time, Cooper-Saint-Cyr was trying to figure out how as a non-business student she could get the entrepreneurial skills and guidance needed to propel her work as a freelance translator forward. The GENIAL initiative did so much more. It gave her the confidence and know how to start her own translation business, not just do it off the side of her desk.

GENIAL, a bilingual initiative, offers Glendon students, Faculties and Ontario francophones training, extracurricular activities, and a research program in entrepreneurship and innovation. 

The fact that the GENIAL entrepreneurial incubator was open to everyone regardless of their degree and was in Cooper-Saint-Cyr’s first language, French, as well as English was a huge bonus for her.

“It’s especially nice if you’re working and living in Ontario as there aren’t always French resources available and not everything is bilingual. It also helps establish a better sense of community,” she says. “Translation is not like a traditional company that you're creating, so it was a bit more complicated, but any questions I had was easily answered.”

Cooper-Saint-Cyr is one of the winners of last year’s business pitch Student Entrepreneurship Competition presented by Glendon GENIAL and Desjardins Financial Group, which donated more than $775,000 to this initiative and a second initiative, YSpace’s ELLA for women entrepreneurs, to expand both accelerators. That gift helped not only with infrastructure needs for the GENIAL incubator and its Entrepreneurial Skills Passport program (ESP), but also resources for the experiential education component of the courses, specifically in social enterprise design, as well as the entrepreneurship project course. In addition, it allowed more modules to be added to the ESP program and provides seed funding to the student entrepreneurs.

“It really helped us get to the next level,” says Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Angelo Dossou-Yovo, who launched the GENIAL initiative in 2017. So far 64 students have gained entrepreneurial knowledge through the ESP program.

This year’s competition on Sept. 26 will again offer students, interested in developing their entrepreneurial spirit, the opportunity to pitch their venture project and get seed funding. 

Dossou-Yovo joined York’s Faculty of Glendon as a business faculty member in its four-year dual degree program, which offers students the ability to combine two years of studies at Glendon with two additional ones at the Emlyon Business School in France to earn an International Bachelor of Arts (iBA) in International Studies and a Global Bachelor in Business Administration (GBBA).

But when he saw the tremendous interest liberal arts students showed in attaining entrepreneurial skills, he realized there was an opportunity to offer something unique to the francophone and bilingual community.

“In this initiative we try to create an entrepreneurship mindset by focusing on the early stage of the life cycle of a business. We look at how to identify and develop business opportunities. How to know when something is worth spending time, money and resources on in the long run. The starting point is solving problems, and how to discover and identify opportunities, but also how to test them and make sure that you come up with something with a higher probability of success,” says Dossou-Yovo.

“We're in the business of helping would-be entrepreneurs and those interested in entrepreneurship to develop entrepreneurship skills they can leverage later on either to create a business or to look for a job in organizations where intrapreneurship skills are needed.”

Within the GENIAL initiative is the 15-week Entrepreneurial Skills Passport Program, a series of workshops, entrepreneurial activities, and presentations, where Cooper-Saint-Cyr developed the skills to start her translation business years before she originally intended. Despite not having a business background, she felt she was in the right place.

“I received a lot of help throughout. There wasn't ever a point where I was like ‘Oh, this is something I should rethink doing’ because I kept getting the help I needed, which is great. If you're going to go into a program of that sort you want to feel like you're on par with all the other students and can learn at the same pace.”

The final piece, the pitch competition, teaches students to communicate the value of their business to potential partners and to hopefully attract seed funding to launch and scale their business.

Although Cooper-Saint-Cyr wasn’t sure what to expect when she started, she says, “it definitely went beyond my hopes.” By the end of a few months, including some time off to concentrate on her other studies, she had already registered her company and lined up several contracts.

“That was amazing. They know what they're doing for one, but they also know when to push and when to allow you to take a step back. They are great in helping you push forward when you have your doubts.”

She is now looking to expand her business and offer more services.

“I think that's a success story,” says Dossou-Yovo. “You know, that wouldn't be possible if she did not have access to the GENIAL initiative while being student at Glendon.”

It’s also another way organizations like Desjardins are stepping up to help York create positive change now and into the future.

L’initiative GENIAL de Glendon aide la population étudiante et les communautés francophones de l’Ontario à exceller

Cette démarche axée sur l’entrepreneuriat inculque aux personnes qui débutent en affaires les compétences fondamentales qui leur permettront d’identifier des occasions et de concevoir des approches inédites pour créer leur entreprise.

Ayant déjà à son actif un baccalauréat en études internationales du Collège universitaire Glendon de l’Université York, Gabrielle Cooper-Saint-Cyr préparait un dipl?me en traduction lorsqu’elle a remarqué une affiche GENIAL (Glendon ENtrepreneuriat et Innovation ? L’international) sur le mur en face de sa classe.

? Je me suis dit que c’était exactement ce que je cherchais. Le projet était déjà en cours sur mon campus, alors c’était très facile d’y accéder. ?, explique-t-elle.

? l’époque, Mme Cooper-Saint-Cyr cherchait à développer ses compétences entrepreneuriales en tant qu’étudiante non formée dans ce domaine afin de mieux gérer sa future carrière de traductrice autonome. GENIAL a fait beaucoup plus pour elle : en plus de lui fournir les compétences techniques et la confiance nécessaires, l’initiative l’a encouragée à fonder une entreprise de traduction.

GENIAL est une initiative bilingue qui offre à la population étudiante de Glendon, aux facultés et aux francophones de l’Ontario une formation, des activités para-universitaires et un programme de recherche en entrepreneuriat et en innovation. 

Le fait que l’incubateur entrepreneurial GENIAL soit ouvert à tout le monde — peu importe leur dipl?me —, et qu’il soit offert en fran?ais (la langue maternelle de Mme Cooper-Saint-Cyr) ainsi qu’en anglais était un énorme atout.

? C’est particulièrement utile si vous travaillez et vivez en Ontario, car tout n’est pas bilingue et des ressources ne sont pas toujours offertes en fran?ais, explique-t-elle. De plus, le programme renforce notre sentiment d’appartenance à la communauté. Une entreprise de traduction diffère beaucoup d’une entreprise traditionnelle. Je n’ai toutefois eu aucun mal à obtenir des réponses satisfaisantes à mes questions. ?

Mme?Cooper-Saint-Cyr faisait partie des étudiants et étudiantes ayant remporté la compétition entrepreneuriale de l’année précédente, organisée par GENIAL et commanditée par le groupe Desjardins, qui avait contribué plus de 775?000?$ à cette initiative ainsi qu’à?l’initiative ELLA de YSpace — qui est consacrée aux femmes entrepreneures ?—, afin de renforcer ces deux accélérateurs. Ce don a permis non seulement de répondre aux besoins en infrastructure de l’incubateur GENIAL et de son programme Passeport Compétences entrepreneuriales (PCE), mais aussi de fournir des ressources pour la composante d’éducation expérientielle des cours, notamment pour la création d’entreprises à vocation sociale, ainsi que pour le cours sur les projets d’entrepreneuriat. De plus, il a permis d’ajouter des modules au programme PCE et de fournir un financement d’amor?age aux étudiant?e?s entrepreneur?e?s.

??Nous avons pu passer à la vitesse supérieure??, déclare Angelo Dossou-Yovo, professeur agrégé de gestion et d’entrepreneuriat et fondateur de l’initiative GENIAL en 2017. ? ce jour, 64?étudiantes et étudiants ont acquis des connaissances en entrepreneuriat gr?ce au programme PCE.

Cette année encore, la compétition du 26 septembre offrira aux étudiantes et étudiants désireux de développer leur esprit d’entrepreneuriat la possibilité de présenter leur projet et d’obtenir un financement d’amor?age. 

? son arrivée à Glendon, M. Dossou-Yovo enseignait le commerce dans le cadre du programme de double dipl?me en quatre ans du collège universitaire, qui donne aux étudiant?e?s la possibilité de combiner deux années d’études à Glendon avec deux années à l’?cole de commerce emlyon en France afin d’obtenir un baccalauréat international ès arts (i.B.A.) en études internationales et un baccalauréat en administration des affaires (B.A.A.).

Cependant, quand il a réalisé l’engouement des jeunes universitaires pour le développement de compétences entrepreneuriales, il a souhaité lancer un projet unique en son genre pour la population francophone et bilingue.

? Dans le cadre de cette initiative, nous tentons de développer un esprit d’entreprise en nous concentrant sur les premières étapes du cycle de vie d’une entreprise. Nous examinons les moyens de définir et de développer des occasions d’affaires, c’est-à-dire savoir si un projet vaut la peine qu’on y consacre du temps, de l’argent et des ressources à long terme. Tout commence par la résolution de problèmes, la recherche, l’évaluation et la validation de possibilités commerciales pour maximiser les chances de réussite ?, explique M. Dossou-Yovo.

? Nous aidons les entrepreneur?e?s en herbe et les personnes intéressées par l’entrepreneuriat à développer des compétences entrepreneuriales qu’elles pourront exploiter plus tard, soit pour créer une entreprise, soit pour chercher un emploi dans des organisations où les compétences entrepreneuriales sont nécessaires. ?

Gr?ce au programme Passeport Compétences entrepreneuriales de 15 semaines proposées dans le cadre du projet GENIAL, Mme Cooper-Saint-Cyr a pu développer les compétences nécessaires pour créer sa propre entreprise de traduction. Cela s’est fait bien bien plus t?t que prévu. Bien qu’elle n’ait pas de formation commerciale, elle s’est sentie au bon endroit.

? J’ai re?u beaucoup d’aide tout au long du processus. Je n’ai jamais remis mon choix en question parce que j’ai continué à recevoir le support nécessaire, ce qui était formidable. Quand on s’engage dans un tel programme, on veut avoir l’impression d’être sur un pied d’égalité et d’apprendre au même rythme que tout le monde. ?

La dernière étape, la compétition ? pitch publique ?, permet aux jeunes entrepreneurs et entrepreneures d’apprendre à présenter les atouts de leur entreprise auprès de futurs partenaires, dans l’espoir d’obtenir un financement pour en accélérer le développement.

Même si Mme Cooper-Saint-Cyr ne savait pas trop à quoi s’attendre lorsqu’elle a commencé, elle affirme que les résultats ont dépassé toutes ses espérances. Au bout de quelques mois seulement — avec quelques interruptions pour se consacrer à ses études —, elle a fondé son entreprise et obtenu plusieurs contrats.

? C’était incroyable. Ils s’y prennent très bien et ils savent quand il faut pousser et quand on peut prendre un peu de recul. Ils nous aident à continuer d’avancer quand on a des doutes. ?

Mme Cooper-Saint-Cyr cherche maintenant à développer son entreprise et à bonifier son offre de services.

? Je pense, déclare M. Dossou-Yovo, que c’est un bel exemple de réussite qui n’aurait pas été possible sans l’accès à l’initiative GENIAL durant ses études à Glendon. ?

C’est aussi une autre fa?on pour des organisations comme Desjardins d’aider York à susciter des changements positifs aujourd’hui et à l’avenir.

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