TranslateMedia is green too.
We know it isn’t polite to brag, but we thought we should explain our greenness to you – just in case you had ever wondered.
Whilst being green is not the main business goal of TranslateMedia, through our business model we employ, we do in fact have a very small carbon footprint.
So what is it that makes TranslateMedia so green?
Apart from residing in a Green Space, TranslateMedia works in a digital environment, and even though we translate over 5,000,000 words each month, we consume practically no paper or ink.
And best of all, none of our 1,500 plus translation team has a polluting commute –they login to us from home, we send them job alerts; they translate, and sign out.
They don’t always work in an open field….although I have heard that sometimes they work in their pajamas.
Our translation work covers four main market segments; media, legal/financial, technical, and NGO. Environmental translation opportunities slice through each of the segments, and to give you all some background, the following are some examples and explanations of environmental translation materials from the corporate and NGO sectors.
So what is “environmental translation?”
Simply put, it is the translation of documents that focus on such themes as the environment, environmental effects, or the environmental performance of governments, companies, products, and services. That definition is wide enough to include highly technical academic papers, dense government reports, product news releases, adult and children’s literature, and advertising.
Following are some specific examples of environment related documents for which there is translation demand.
Reports/CSR Reports
One fairly significant source of work in this field is a document put out by corporations called a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report, which discusses an organization’s responsibility for the impact of its activities. In the 1990s, a handful of corporations started publishing so called environmental reports occasionally, in which they talked about how they were saving energy in the workplace, taking steps to reduce waste emissions, and even sending staff members out to do neighborhood cleanups. More and more businesses started to produce these reports, and eventually their scope grew to include economic and social concerns as well as the environment. This practice was in keeping with a concept known as the “Triple Bottom Line,” which says that a business should not be judged just by its economic results, but by its economic, social, and environmental results.
Environmental reports have mostly given way to CSR reports. In keeping with the “triple bottom line” concept, these reports are generally organized into three main sections corresponding to economic, social, and environmental concerns. CSR reports are published once a year as a sister publication to the traditional annual report.
Translating CSR reports is moderately difficult, about the same as annual reports. Generally, they are not highly technical and the writing is fairly straightforward. A translator does not need an advanced degree in environmental studies to translate them. They do however need to be able to write well enough for public consumption as corporate clients can be very demanding about the quality of the work.
Marketing Literature
Another type of environmental subject matter is marketing literature, such as corporate press releases. This might include coverage of the launch of a new product that the manufacturer wants to advertise as eco-friendly, or it might be a statement that the business is providing financial support to some environmental nonprofit. The difficulty level of this type of translation will be no higher or lower than any other corporate press release.
Internal Documents
Corporations also put out a lot of documents for internal use that relate to the environment, such as environmental standards. Because corporations are very interested in raising the environmental awareness of employees, these documents can include internal policies, standards or procedures for employee reference, or educational materials.
The difficulty level can vary considerably, and the translation might be more difficult if the document uses a lot of technical or internal jargon and no glossaries have been provided by the client.
Material Safety Data Sheets
One of the most familiar environmental documents of all is the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). An MSDS is a document that describes the toxic properties of a chemical product and gives instructions for preventing accidents and for responding in case such measures fail. The difficulty level of this type of translation can be rather high and the translator should be familiar with chemistry.
Applications for Certification
Another type of corporate literature that bears mentioning is certification literature.
For example, you have probably heard of Energy Star, a program to certify energy-efficient consumer products. There are all types of certifications that corporations are trying to earn. Some of these are environment-related and some are not; some are mandatory and some are voluntary. Among the environment-related ones, several come to mind: ISO 14000 standards, European Union directives like RoHS (the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) and WEEE (the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive).
Written by:
Hamish Wood, Managing Director of TranslateMedia - Americas Division.
Hamish is based in New York and can be contacted directly: hamish@translatemedia.com
Source material: The ATA Chronicle
