Report on So you speak Sustainability?
13th January 2024
I have recently joined the ITI SHEA group, and on Friday 13th January, I attended my first SHEA event: “So you speak Sustainability?”, presented by Maureen Cohen.
Maureen’s very thoughtful presentation was in three parts: who is speaking about sustainability and climate change, what people are hearing on the receiving end of the varied messages and information, and finally how we can bridge the gap between them.
First, terminology in the field, mostly originated in English, has evolved since “global warming” became a talking subject. By showing the progression from “global warming” to “climate change” and now to “climate crisis” and “climate emergency”, Maureen illustrated the fact that the terminology and the discourse are evolving constantly to convey related information and/or political messages, as well as reflecting people’s perception of the phenomenon. Furthermore, knowledge translation is adapting ideas and language from academia for policy makers (expertise, policy) and for citizens (information media). For linguists, this multiplies the potential for translation and interpreting in numerous niches (legal, scientific, marketing, etc.) while it presents challenges in adapting to each message. The terminology itself, mostly standardized by the dominance of English, is quite consistent.
The cultural response to climate change varies greatly between countries, and not only in people’s response, but also in the terms they use to communicate. This “cultural translation” can be seen at every level of transmission of the facts relating to climate change and the perception and intentions they trigger. Differences between countries are showing in the approach to climate change in the media, illustrating the degree of public awareness, engagement and trust in the facts. Communications between businesses and consumers reflect varied level of acceptance towards green options and the willingness to do more (organic products, carbon offsetting, etc.).
The final part of Maureen’s presentation illustrates this perfectly, with a case study about the translation of climate change terminology in the Marshall Islands, where the term “mejatoto” in Marshallese covers not only “climate change” but also all the impacts it has had and is having on their weather, their people, their economy and their tradition. This general view, without any distinction between nature and culture, shows that sustainability deserves a more holistic approach in its consideration and our answer to climate change.
During the 20 minutes of Q&A at the end, we talked about greenwashing and how some linguists choose not to work with texts negating climate change, and how we can inform the clients on the best way to talk about the subject. Some also recommended excellent podcasts and courses to learn more about sustainability. And even if we can’t help as linguists, we can certainly help by doing our bit and talking about our individual green initiatives. All in all, it was a great presentation bringing a lot of food for thought, as well as showing how vast and varied the field is for linguists.