Translating copy relating to sustainability targets and achievements, to decarbonisation programs or to white certificates is about more than terminology. It is a professional skill that starts with understanding the european policies and initiatives in order to adapt the message to the local context. And while some organisations and mecanisms already have conventional translations, others simply don't exist or are organised completely differently.
Ideally, and to maximise your translation budget, find a technical french translator with experience of sustainability. A little prior knowledge of these markets means they won't waste hours researching very obscure concepts and their cross-border equivalent.
Here are a few examples...
Localisation of the sustainability mecanisms
The EU (and France) have adopted slightly different ways of trading carbon credits. For exemple...
Certificates of Electricity Attributes are called guarantees of origin (GO) accross Europe (incidentally, they are legally bound to the actual electricity they apply to, unlike their american or canadian equivalents who can sell them separately).
Sustainability targets are more often referred to as RSE goals (RSE stands for Environmental and Social Responsability).
PPAs and VPPAs best translate as Contrat d'achat d'électricité physique and Contrat financier d'achat d'électricité. The accounting rules are quite different from the ones applied in the USA or in the UK.
Translation of the actors of the decarbonisation markets
No, the IPCC is not translated as the Panneau International d'experts sur le Changement Climatique. It is more commonly known in French as the GIEC (Groupe intergouvernemental sur l'évolution du climat)
But the Carbon Disclosure Project remains known as the CDP
and the RE100 is just... the RE100.
The organisation in charge of keeping the Register of all "guarantees of origin" is the EEX and the body overseeing the white certificate implementation is the ADEME
DEFRA's nearest equivalent is the Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire, but it doesn't deal in environmental affairs, but the French government's sustainability branch is the Ministère de la Transition Écologique et de la Cohésion des Territoires (ministry of ecological transition and territorial cohesion)
Transcreating the ever-evolving terminology linked to sustainability policies
From carbon credit trading to the latest decarbonisation technologies, the sustainability sector is definitely known to challenge professional translators. The first step is generally to look for usual translations of the new terms and, failing that, to come up with a neologism that fits the application, that will talk to the target audience and that describe the purpose and the process. It helps to work with a french writer who is already familiar with the market.
English French glossary of sustainability and decarbonation terms
I will keep adding to this, so please watch this space...
English | French equivalent |
IPCC (Intergovernmental panel on climat change) | GIEC (Groupe intergouvernemental sur l'évolution du climat) |
EAC (Energy Attributes Certificate) | GO (Garantie d'Origine) |
White Certificate | CEE / C2E (Certificat d'Économies d'Énergie) |
DEFRA | Ministère de la Transition écologique et de la Cohésion des territoires (for the environmental side), and Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire (for the agricultural and food side) |
Environment Agency | ADEME (Agence de la Transition écologique) |
PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) | Contrat d'achat d'énergie physique |
VPPA (Virtual Power Purchase Agreement) | Contrat financier d'achat d'énergie |
You need a professional french translator specialised in environmental topics
If you are looking to tackle the french sustainability market with your white papers, web pages, social media campains, events or infographics, you will need to work with a professional french translator who understands the context and the terminology.
Feel free to get in touch for a friendly chat. I may have some availability coming up, or I can recommend a few trusted colleagues if I don't.
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