{"id":2742,"date":"2023-02-02T09:56:25","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T09:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.switch2.it\/?p=2742"},"modified":"2023-02-02T09:56:45","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T09:56:45","slug":"sustainable-interpreters-and-greenwashing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.switch2.it\/en\/sustainable-interpreters-and-greenwashing\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable Interpreters and Greenwashing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"For about 3 years now, I have been writing (strictly private) notes about how I – an interpreter, a natural person, a freelancer – deal with the sustainability goals of the 2030 Agenda<\/a> for Sustainable Development.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is the 2030 Agenda?<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 2030 Agenda was approved on 25.9.2015 by the governments of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, and endorsed by the UN General Assembly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is a plan consisting of 17 Sustainable Development Goals<\/a> (SDGs) as part of a broader programme of action to be achieved in the environmental, economic, social and institutional spheres by 2030. It is not a final solution to all problems, but it is a good starting point for building a different world and giving everyone the chance to live on an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable planet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I attended various meetings on the subject and had to question myself. In my notebook, over time, I wrote down my virtuous behaviour: using public transport<\/strong> whenever possible, not printing out materials<\/strong> to prepare for assignments, changing outfits while recycling clothes<\/strong>… things like that. This file has been among my notes for several years, but I have never had the courage to turn it into marketing material. Why not?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is it all Greenwashing?<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

It seemed excessive to me to define myself as a ‘green interpreter<\/strong>‘ or a ‘sustainable interpreter<\/strong>‘, or to talk about applying the SDGs the way you would for a business – which I’m not. It seems more like greenwashing to me. But there is a good side to all this. I started to think about my habits, my behaviour, what the market demands of me. And I found several aspects that are compatible with the 2030 sustainability goals.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For example: working remotely (RSI)<\/strong>, as the pandemic taught us, definitely had a lower environmental impact than travelling a hundred kilometres by car, and this brought me in line with Goal 13 – Tackling climate change<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not only that, but by not having to appear in front of managers and directors, I have reduced my wardrobe<\/strong>. That too is a small contribution to sustainability.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By not eating lunch in a canteen, restaurant or buffet, I have consumed the right amount of food<\/strong> and created less waste in the form of dishes, leftovers, etc. This is also sustainable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However, I believe that declaring oneself a ‘green interpreter’ – which is true of so many non-profit companies or B-corps – is more of a marketing issue at the moment than anything else. As an individual – as a freelancer – of course I have to strive to be sustainable<\/strong>, to do my part in this world, in this country, in this market, to make my contribution to sustainability, but by definition I am a ‘travelling’ creature<\/strong>, always on the move. I seldom work in the same place, so I have to use some form of transport.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sustainable behaviour<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sure, I can invest in an electric car, offer to work remotely, car-share with colleagues,<\/strong> but all this is common sense<\/strong> for an individual.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For companies, it is different: as a group of individuals, it is important to have a well-structured plan, set goals and have rules to achieve them. I am not saying that this does not apply to individuals, just that there are different factors at play when it comes to individuals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But let’s move on to my thoughts on the sustainability of the interpreter. By offering language training<\/strong><\/a>, I also contribute to\u00a0Goal 4, Quality Education,<\/a> because I can help improve the skills of the people who come to me to learn.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Similarly, when I translate training courses and formative company meetings<\/a>, I basically do the same thing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Want to know more? I can also tell you about my contribution to Goal 5, Gender Equality<\/strong>:<\/a> I provide language tools to enable people to build their curriculum vitae, which can promote equal opportunities in their work and social environments.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Finally, by working with benefit societies and b-corps, we interpreters are required to sign codes of ethics and sustainability<\/strong> that provide for virtuous and, \u00e7a va sans dire,<\/em> deontological behaviour.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As an individual, I can contribute to any of the 17 goals if I wish. But I prefer to talk about facts, because as individuals we are all fallible, even if we wash green (I just did)!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And you, how are you trying to be sustainable?<\/p>\n

<\/menu>\n<\/menu>\n<\/menu>\n<\/menu>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For about 3 years now, I have been writing (strictly private) notes about how I – an interpreter, a natural person, a freelancer – deal with the sustainability goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.   What is the 2030 Agenda?   The 2030 Agenda was approved on 25.9.2015 by the governments of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[118,117],"class_list":["post-2742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","hentry","category-simultaneous-interpreting-en","tag-green-interpreter","tag-sustainable-interpreter","post_format-post-format-image"],"yoast_head":"\nSustainable Interpreters and Greenwashing - Switch2.it<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Defining sustainable interpreters is just Greenwashing sometimes. 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