We are currently living during a time in which breaching the language barrier is quite possibly the key to survival. Rarely in history have we seen such a need for global cooperation, and yet going forward, it is becoming more apparent that this need stretches beyond a global pandemic, in order to address a problem that has been growing at an accelerated pace since the Industrial Revolution. Translation is vital in the fight against climate change, in order to tackle a global pandemic that has been brewing for much longer.
It may seem as though getting politicians and diplomats to come together and discuss these issues is the hard part, and yet how do they communicate in a successful and relatable manner? This demonstrates the importance of translation in global politics, especially on an issue that cannot be solved by an individual group. But more than that, translation is a way of moulding sentiment and understanding the recipient, so that it translates in a way that is much more conducive to cooperation.
Translation against Climate Change, keys and solutions
Finding a way of reaching marginalised communities is key in the fight against climate change, and yet still, most documents are only translated into the six official UN languages: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic and Russian. This is at the exclusion of the world’s second most spoken language of Hindi, with an estimated five million speakers globally. Even if all important documents and research were translated into the top 10 most spoken languages, they would still only be accessible for just over a third of the global population, with some of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change also being some of the most linguistically-diverse areas in the world.
This then leads to a disparity amongst global powers and minority groups. When it comes to research regarding climate change, there is a strong bias towards English publications, as English is widely accepted as the global scientific language. This therefore overlooks many researchers who do not or cannot publish their findings in English, despite their local knowledge being hugely important in the fight against climate change.
By promoting more effective communication between developed countries and developing countries, it becomes more of an asserted global effort to tackle the problem head on. However, this communication works both ways and is only enabled through translation. Whilst the more developed countries need to find a way of communicating their advanced knowledge on how to approach climate change, in a way that is relatable to local communities, translation allows these marginalised communities to have their voices heard and make developed countries aware that their environmental negligence disproportionately affects their land.
There also seems to be much more emphasis nowadays on using translation and deliberate word choice to stimulate agreement amongst various groups. The conscious effort to discuss issues under the banner of “climate change” as opposed to “global warming” has had the intention and effect of uniting activists, scientists and officials as it is less disputable, whereas many used to argue that some of these changes were in fact leading to colder climates in certain environments. In this vein, an entirely new linguistic category has been derived known as Ecolinguistics, which equips translators and interpreters with the tools to enable these conversations in a sophisticated, flexible and specialized manner in order to garner the best results.
Whilst we are by no means close to solving the Environment problem, these steps are only enabling more expansive and detailed discussions that shine a light on where the problems lie, and allow for more inclusion in how to work towards a brighter future.