Sustainability Translation and Sustainable Translation: Foundations for a Dual Framework in Translation Studies

Authors

Daniel Dejica
Polytechnic University of Timişoara image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5074-5228
Noemi Sburlea
West University of Timişoara image/svg+xml

Synopsis

The growing prominence of sustainability across scientific, political, and corporate domains has intensified the need for multilingual communication, positioning translation as a key mediator of global environmental discourse. Yet the relationship between translation and sustainability remains conceptually unclear, with overlapping terms such as ecotranslation, ecotranslatology, green translation, sustainable translation, and translation for sustainability. This chapter addresses this gap by proposing a dual framework that distinguishes two complementary concepts. Sustainability translation is defined as a type of specialized translation involving texts in environmental science, climate policy, renewable energy, biodiversity, and sustainable development. Drawing on genre‑based approaches to LSP translation, we outline the textual, terminological, and interdisciplinary features of these genres and the competences required of translators. Sustainable translation, by contrast, concerns environmentally responsible and ethically grounded translation practice, examining digital infrastructures, AI technologies, and resource‑efficient workflows. Together, these perspectives clarify a fragmented conceptual field and support the development of future research, training, and professional standards.

Author Biographies

Daniel Dejica, Polytechnic University of Timişoara

Daniel Dejica, PhD, habil., is Professor in the Department of Communication and Foreign Languages, Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences and Director of the Center for Advanced Translation Studies (PoliCAT) at Politehnica University Timișoara. He is a PhD supervisor with the Doctoral School of Humanities at the West University of Timișoara. His teaching and research interests include translation, discourse analysis, and intercultural and interlinguistic communication. From 2009 to 2018, he was a member of the Doctoral Studies Committee of the European Society for Translation Studies. He coordinates the Translation Studies book series at Politehnica Publishing House and the Professional Communication and Translation Studies conference. Together with Muguraș Constantinescu and Titela Vîlceanu, he co-edited A History of Translations in Romanian, a multi-volume series published by the Publishing House of the Romanian Academy.

Timisoara, Romania. E-mail: daniel.dejica@upt.ro  

Noemi Sburlea, West University of Timişoara

Noemi Sburlea holds an MS degree in Specialized Translations and Interpretation from the Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest and is now a PhD candidate at the West University of Timisoara. She actively engages in the practice of translation and has authored a master's thesis that delves into the realm of sustainability of translations. Currently, her doctoral research centers on the exploration of the domain of environmental sustainability, with a particular emphasis on linguistic and translational methodologies and solutions that can overcome translational challenges.

Timisoara, Romania. E-mail: noemi.sburlea@e-uvt.ro

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Published

May 19, 2026

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Dejica, D., & Sburlea, N. (2026). Sustainability Translation and Sustainable Translation: Foundations for a Dual Framework in Translation Studies . In N. Kaloh Vid & V. Kučiš (Eds.), Transcultural Communciation, Health and Sustainability (pp. 125-142). University of Maribor Press. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.ff.6.2026.7