by Rebecca Rothwell, Relationship Manager
‘EDI, which stands for electronic data interchange, is the intercompany communication of business documents in a standard format.’ So states the first hit when you google ‘EDI’.
Ah.
The phrase Equality, Diversity & Inclusion is embedded inside Sport Wales, though not necessarily inside sport in Wales. It’s even rarer in other sectors and among the general public. Its acronym EDI is probably jargon, which, ironically, has the effect of excluding people.
Tripling
Three-word expressions are common in English: three is somehow more effective than two or four, and probably has something to do with how the human brain operates. Or Shakespeare. Definitely Cicero. Of the words themselves, you could argue successfully that equality means diversity and inclusion, and that inclusion means equality and diversity.
The phrase translates to Cydraddoldeb, Amrywiaeth & Cynhwysiant, which, like its English version, trips off the tongue not at all.
What about other words? We could use respect, tolerance, justice or dignity to the same end. Or we could take a leaf out of LEGO’s website and declare that ‘Everyone is awesome’, or echo the Schitt’s Creek motto of ‘Where everyone fits in’.
&
The ampersand itself is a symbol of equality. It means so much more than its dictionary definition of ‘and’, for whatever appears before and after is equal. Marks and Spencer would imply that Mr Marks was slightly more senior than Mr Spencer. Instead it is Marks & Spencer, the ampersand giving equal weighting to both entrepreneurs: each one being as important as the other.
