Language inclusion and translation as strategic ESG tools

In 2004, the United Nations introduced the “Who Cares Wins” initiative, formally launching the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework — a means to align financial markets with sustainable development. Since then, ESG has become a global standard for measuring responsible business conduct. Its purpose is clear: create accountability and ensure businesses contribute to sustainable development while avoiding harm, such as environmental destruction, human rights violations, or corruption.

ESG in Canada

In Canada, ESG performance is increasingly intertwined with a crucial topic: Indigenous language inclusion. There are more than 70 Indigenous languages spoken by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, each carrying unique knowledge systems and worldviews. In mining regions from Nunavut to northern Québec, languages such as Inuktitut, Cree, and Dene remain vital for Elders, hunters, and knowledge keepers, whose insights shape environmental stewardship and community well-being.

ESG and Indigenous language translation

When engagement with Indigenous communities happens only in English or French, critical knowledge risks being excluded. As a result, accuracy and depth of impact assessments are limited, and relationships are strained, thus undermining a company’s social license to operate.

Recognizing this, Canada passed the Indigenous Languages Act in 2019. The aim is to preserve, promote, and revitalize Indigenous languages, while supporting Indigenous peoples in their efforts to reclaim, maintain, and strengthen them. For businesses, this legislation signals that language inclusion has moved beyond cultural respect to be a strategic responsibility.

Environmental (E): Shared understanding and stewardship

Environmental initiatives succeed when companies and communities work together. Translation helps align perspectives on environmental values, which may differ across cultural and linguistic lines.

Clarity in environmental reports

Transparent communication of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and monitoring reports are paramount for fostering trust and ensuring the well-being of communities. By translating these complex documents into accessible language, residents can gain a comprehensive understanding of potential environmental risks associated with mining operations. This includes direct impacts on air, water, and land, as well as the socio-economic effects and long-term ecological consequences.

Integrating Indigenous knowledge

Indigenous ecological knowledge (often expressed in local languages) becomes accessible to regulators and engineers, enriching project planning.

For example, in the Eeyou Istchee territory of northern Québec, Cree land-users identified key factors influencing moose habitat quality, including climate, habitat features, and hunting activities. Their insights led to the development of fuzzy cognitive maps that informed forestry practices and wildlife-habitat models, ensuring that Indigenous knowledge was integrated into environmental planning and management.

Transparency through multilingual communication

Clear bilingual or trilingual updates, whether in English, French, and an Indigenous language, build transparency and reinforce shared stewardship of land, water, and wildlife. This kind of communication also prevents misinformation and fosters collective accountability for environmental protection.

Social (S): Building trust and safety

Language is central to cultural identity and social connection. By investing in translation and interpretation, companies create opportunities for genuine dialogue with communities. This is particularly important in Indigenous engagement, where trust is built through both actions and respect for language.

Worker health and safety

Translating health and safety materials ensures that Indigenous workers clearly understand procedures and reduces risks in emergency situations. Clear, culturally appropriate communication saves lives.

Social license

Respecting language rights demonstrates cultural awareness and fosters trust. Translating training materials and job postings can help reach out and retain staff who might otherwise have felt excluded, while also showing the community that the company was serious about reconciliation.

Participation in consultations

Language inclusion makes consultations genuinely participatory, allowing Elders, hunters, and knowledge keepers to engage on equal footing.

Proponents and their consultants must consider whether knowledge holders will be speaking in their Indigenous language and, if so, arrange for qualified interpretation and translation. Some Indigenous words cannot be easily translated into English or French, as they carry cultural and contextual meanings essential for transmitting knowledge. Translation should therefore go beyond one-word equivalents, including descriptions of terms and context provided by interpreters or translators chosen by the Indigenous community.

These practices not only preserve knowledge but also apply to regulatory hearings, where Indigenous participants may wish to speak in their own language.

Governance (G): Compliance and accountability

Clear communication is at the heart of good governance. Translation ensures that key information is accessible and transparent, supporting ethical business practices.

Evidence of consultation

Translation provides documented evidence of meaningful consultation, helping companies comply with legal and regulatory requirements. Regulators are increasingly seeking evidence that communities have had the opportunity to review materials in their own languages before decisions are made.

Accessible reporting

ESG reports, project updates, and consultation results translated into local languages demonstrate accountability and openness.

Informed decision-making

Stakeholders can fully understand and respond to corporate plans, making governance processes more democratic when information is effectively translated.

Risk management

Translations reduce misunderstandings, thus helping to prevent conflicts, legal challenges, and reputational harm.

Accountability to investors

Publishing reports and commitments in Indigenous languages signals accountability and boosts credibility with ESG-focused investors. This transparency shows that a company’s ESG claims are backed by genuine community engagement.

Case study: Agnico Eagle’s Meliadine Gold Project

Agnico Eagle’s Meliadine gold project in Nunavut faced scrutiny over its EIS, particularly concerning the integration of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) and the adequacy of Inuktitut translations. The Kivalliq Inuit Association and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. criticized the draft EIS for its insufficient incorporation of traditional knowledge and the limited scope of Inuktitut translation. They argued that the translated sections were overly summarized, thereby hindering community members’ ability to engage thoroughly with the content.

This feedback highlights the importance of comprehensive and culturally sensitive translations in ensuring that communities can fully understand and participate in environmental assessments.

Why language inclusion and translation matter in mining now

Language inclusion transforms abstract ESG goals into the following tangible practices:

• A meeting where an Elder feels heard.

• A worker who can follow a procedure safely.

• An environmental plan enriched by Indigenous knowledge.

Each of these moments builds trust and resilience, while reducing risks for the company.

Language is more than words. In mining, it serves as a foundation for responsibility, respect, and resilience — and is one of the most effective tools for advancing ESG goals.

In the era of ESG-driven accountability, businesses have an opportunity to recognize that language is not a barrier. It is a bridge. By investing in translation and language inclusion, ESG performance can be enhanced, and a deeper respect for the voices and worldviews of the communities they impact can be demonstrated. 

Felicia Bratu is the operations manager of Wintranslation, in charge of quality delivery and client satisfaction. As a veteran who has worked in many roles at the company since 2003, Felicia oversees almost every aspect of the company’s operations, from recruitment to project management to localization engineering.