Article 14 ideas to make your translation business more sustainable

The climate crisis is a real and pressing problem that a lot of us spend a lot of our time worrying about. It’s a reality that can’t be ignored.

Although it’s change on the part of the big players that will really make a difference, we’re genuine believers in the power of the individual. Every little thing we do as individuals to minimise our impact on our planet adds up, and makes a difference.

We know that a lot of translators make a real, consistent effort to live more sustainable lives. But sometimes we don’t appreciate the impact our businesses can have.

So we’ve put together some tips for ways to reduce that impact. Some of these might already be second nature to you. Some might be timely reminders. But there might be some things in here you hadn’t considered before.

Ready to make your business more sustainable?

Let’s jump straight in.

Your digital footprint

As translators, almost all of what we do is achieved by using a computer. And as everything online appears to be disembodied and entirely virtual, it’s easy not to realise just how much of an impact the way we use the internet can have on our carbon footprint.

Here are some ideas for ways to minimise yours.

1. Manage your emails

Do you really need to hang on to those emails from 2015 clogging up your inbox? Probably not.

Take some time to give your emails a proper clean out, getting rid of anything superfluous. It’ll take you a long time the first time you do it, but once you’ve got things straight it’ll be a quick, occasional job.

If you don’t do this already, get into the habit of checking your spam folder regularly and deleting its contents. You might also stumble upon messages that shouldn’t be in there, so that’s another great reason to keep on top of this folder.

2. Unsubscribe mercilessly

You know those marketing emails you receive regularly, but just delete without a second thought?

It’ll take you just a few seconds longer to unsubscribe from them, rather than deleting them on autopilot. Your inbox will be less cluttered, and you’ll be saving yourself the time it takes to go through and delete them all.

Each email sent has a tiny impact, but when you add up all the emails sent, but not even read, every single day, that impact suddenly becomes very significant.

3. Streamline your files

Have your files stored in the cloud?

Just because you’ve got terabyte upon terabyte of space available doesn’t mean you have to use it!

Review it on a regular basis and delete any files that have become redundant.

If you use Google Docs as part of your work, then you could consider getting into the habit of deleting the documents you’ve created there once you’ve saved them elsewhere.

For files you need to keep but don’t need regular access to, think about switching them to a harddrive, which uses less energy.

4. Make your website greener

Have a website? That’s great news for you and your business, but gives you something else to think about in terms of sustainability.

The good news is that a greener website is generally a more SEO-friendly website. Search engines like websites that load quickly, and websites without cumbersome image files will have better site speeds. Which means more potential clients will be pointed your way!

You can easily teach yourself about how to make your website better for SEO and lower its carbon footprint with the help of endless online resources.

But if you don’t have the time or the inclination to learn about the technical side of optimising your site, then it’s a good idea to ask a web developer for help.

5. Use an eco-friendly search engine

Google has become a default for lots of us, but there are green alternatives, like Ecosia. With every search you do, you’re helping plant trees!

You might need to turn back to Google occasionally if you’re doing SEO-research or something else Ecosia isn’t quite as good at, but for your day to day searches it will more than meet your needs.

Whilst we’re on the subject of online searches, regularly clearing out your cookies and search history also helps save on energy consumption, as well as being good for privacy.

6. Minimise the power your devices use

Be conscious of things like how long your devices take to go to sleep, and what your brightness settings are. Every little helps save energy.

If you’ve got into the habit of leaving your devices in sleep mode at the end of the day, then it’s time to kick it. You already know all this, but it’s easy to forget when life is busy.

Consciously take a look around you and notice where energy is being used unnecessarily, then do something about it!

That’ll also extend the useful life of your devices, which is great for your pocket and the planet.

7. Use your devices well, then dispose of them well

Electronic devices don’t go in the bin. They can be recycled somewhere local to you, all it takes is a little research and a little effort. If there’s still life in them, give them away!

On that note, though, if there’s still life in them, then maybe it’s not time to be trading them in for the latest model just yet. The most environmentally-friendly phone or laptop is the one you’ve already got.

And when the time does come to get yourself a new one, consider getting a refurbished one rather than a new one. It’ll be far cheaper, and recycling a pre-loved device is great news for the environment.

A lot of sites selling refurbished tech offer guarantees of one or two years which will help put your mind at ease.

Other ideas for a more sustainable business

8. Travel by public transport

Unless you’re an interpreter, you probably don’t have much call to travel for work.

But in-person events can be a great boost for your business, so it’s great to go along to them on a fairly regular basis.

From an environmental perspective, it’s best to focus your energies on events taking place close to you. Extra points if you can get there by public transport! Train travel is great for getting some work done on the way and enjoying the view.

A lot of the biggest conferences in the translation world dot around the place each year, so grab the opportunity to attend when they come to your neck of the woods.

9. Be conscious of your energy use at home

Sky-high energy bills are normally quite enough motivation for us all to keep our energy use to a minimum when we’re working from home.

Do what you can to stay warm or cool without resorting to heating or air conditioning, but within reason! Remember your brain can’t be expected to work properly if you’re shivering or sweating buckets.

If you have a bad habit of leaving a certain light on or letting the TV go to sleep rather than turning it off, try using post-its to remind yourself.

If you can, switch to a green energy provider so that you know all the energy you’re consuming is renewable.

And if your house is poorly insulated and it’s hard to keep cool or warm during the day, then if it’s at all feasible for you, you might want to consider a coworking space instead.

10. Fuel your brain with a plant-based diet

No one’s saying you have to go full-on vegan, but making an effort to eat less meat and dairy, and eat seasonally really can have a huge impact on your carbon footprint.

Every single plant-based meal and translation snack makes a difference!

11. Be conscious of your freelance wardrobe

The clothes we live our day to day lives in can also make a difference to the impact we have.

Next time you’re looking at investing in some new comfy clothes to sit at your desk in, look into supporting a genuinely sustainable, eco-conscious brand that can back up their claims.

Or, even better, head to your local charity shop and find your new threads there.

And remember that just as with your tech, the most sustainable wardrobe is the one you already have!

12. Work with clients that share your values

As well as doing things differently in your day to day, the choices you make when it comes to the clients you work with is another way of having a positive impact.

Of course, not everyone is in a position to pick and choose the work they accept. You’ve got bills to pay, and if there’s work on offer then you can’t be expected to turn it down on principle.

But if you’ve got a steady stream of work coming in you can afford to be more choosy and say no to clients that don’t align with your values, choosing to support clients that are doing positive work instead.

13. Join a community

Just because you work on your own doesn’t mean you need to take on climate change alone. We have so much more of an impact when we join forces.

You could join an online movement like Sea Change Together run by Kate Stansfield. This is a chance for eco-minded translators to come together monthly to support each other and help drive change. Follow her on LinkedIn and ring the bell on her profile to get updates on this and sign up for the next meeting.

But you can also take things offline! There are local environmental groups all over the place, and chances are there’s a group of like-minded people doing good near you, whether it’s specifically geared towards green businesses, or living a greener life in general.

Get involved, and you’ll be building a stronger local community around you whilst you have a positive impact on our planet.

14. Share your sustainability journey

One of the best things we can do for our planet is inspire other people to play their part.

So don’t be shy, share your efforts to make your business more sustainable on your social media. Share what you’re doing for the specific causes that mean the most to you.

Yes, it’ll be imperfect and yes, it’ll always be a work in progress. But if sharing the changes you’re making can inspire just one other person to do the same, you’ve already achieved something amazing.

Here at LSP.expert, we know it’s hard to find the time or motivation to worry about the state of the planet if you’re overwhelmed with client work and admin, struggling to manage your business.

That’s why our software is designed to save you huge amounts of time and make keeping on top of things easy, so you’ve got more free time and headspace.

It’s up to you what you decide to use that extra capacity for, but if you use at least part of it to do something positive for the environment, that’ll make us very happy indeed. Try LSP.expert out for yourself!