Responsable vs. chargé
In French, both responsable and chargé can translate to the English concept of being responsible, but they carry different nuances of accountability and duty. While responsable implies ultimate accountability, liability, and broad leadership over a project or team, chargé refers to someone who has been assigned a specific task, role, or mission to execute.
Responsable
The word responsable means that someone has the ultimate accountability, moral or legal liability, or authority over a person, project, or department. It is used when someone is the head of an operation and will answer for its overall success or failure. In a sentence, it is typically followed by the preposition de.
Elle est responsable de la sécurité du bâtiment.
(She is responsible for the security of the building.)
Le directeur est responsable des erreurs de son équipe.
(The director is responsible for the mistakes of his team.)
Je me sens responsable de ce qui s'est passé hier.
(I feel responsible for what happened yesterday.)
Nous cherchons la personne responsable de ce projet.
(We are looking for the person responsible for this project.)
Les parents sont légalement responsables de leurs enfants mineurs.
(Parents are legally responsible for their minor children.)
Chargé
The word chargé means that someone is tasked, entrusted, or appointed to carry out a specific duty or mission. It emphasizes the execution of an assigned task rather than carrying the ultimate burden of liability. It is frequently used in professional titles to mean in charge of a specific function, and it is also followed by the preposition de.
Il est chargé de la communication pour cet événement.
(He is in charge of communication for this event.)
Le comité est chargé d'évaluer les nouvelles propositions.
(The committee is tasked with evaluating the new proposals.)
Je suis chargé de vous accompagner jusqu'à la sortie.
(I am responsible for escorting you to the exit.)
Elle a été chargée de trouver une solution rapide à ce problème.
(She was assigned the duty of finding a quick solution to this problem.)
Le ministre chargé des transports fera une annonce demain.
(The minister in charge of transport will make an announcement tomorrow.)
Summary
To summarize, use responsable when talking about overall accountability, liability, or leadership over a domain. Use chargé when someone has been specifically tasked, entrusted, or appointed to execute a particular duty or mission.