Organising work

The list a project is run in. Near the end is la polyvalence, and English has the word and cannot use it here. English « polyvalent » is a technical term: a polyvalent vaccine, a polyvalent chemical bond. It does not appear on job adverts and it is not said about people. French la polyvalence is an ordinary workplace virtue, un agent polyvalent is a job title you will find in a hospital or a town hall, and il est très polyvalent is plain praise. English has no single noun for it and has to pick a register each time: « versatility », « being multi-skilled », « an all-rounder », « a generalist ». None of them is a category an employer can put in a contract, which is exactly what the French word is. Note the noun is what matters: the adjective is the more common form, and both are neutral.