(S2E1) Translanguaging as a neglected and necessary component of understanding urban sustainability

This research project, led by Annika Airas, a postdoctoral researcher at SFU Urban Studies, and Meg Holden, examines the ways in which what gets lost in translation to English surrounding questions of urban sustainability can be crucial to progress toward sustainability goals. In this podcast, Annika and Meg engage in conversation with other research team members, including Danish researcher Majken Toftager Larsen, who presents her synthesis of the meaning of the internationally-popular term 'hygge' and its relationship to urban livability and sustainability within a Danish context. Finnish researcher Salla Jokela introduces a Finnish word, 'säästäväisyys', that similarly has no direct English translation, and that carries meaning that takes more work to translate across cultural contexts as well. These terms, in their native Nordic languages, may have more to teach about urban sustainability than 'international best practices' can convey. 

 

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