Background

In January 2021, WWF published the results of its 2021 report on responsible investment practices, titled RESPOND (Resilient and Sustainable Portfolios that Protect Nature and Drive Decarbonization).

We translated the report into Japanese under the supervision of a Japanese-native editor from WWF.

Our approach

We did thorough research on technical terms on responsible investment, and ensured consistency in the entire report. Japanese language has three types of letters: hiragana, katakana and kanji. Our first draft used terms in kanji for “asset manager(s)” and “asset owner(s)” because it is reader-friendly in general.

The supervisor changed them into katakana, which is used primarily for foreign words and names of persons from countries other than Japan. He explained the reason that as the target readers of the report are financial professionals, who are more familiar with those terms in English, they would clearly understand the relationship between asset owners, asset managers and portfolio companies. We shared this feedback with our translation team members, which reminded us of the importance of clearly understanding the target audience to choose words that best fit the context.

Aiming for smooth communication with the authors of the report, we did all exchange of emails and comments in English.

Outcome

The RESPOND report is based on a TCFD-aligned framework developed by WWF to help Asia-based asset managers strengthen their responsible investment practices to meet their clients’ expectations both now, and in the future. The report accompanies an update to the RESPOND online interactive platform that lets stakeholders explore the analysis in more detail. By using the RESPOND tool and framework, asset managers can better play a pivotal role in the transition towards a sustainable and net-zero economy.

The report shows that while Japanese asset managers lead the way in Asia, Asian asset managers fall behind European peers in their ESG practices.

We believe that the Japanese version of the report will be useful to Japanese investors who are seeking to enhance their responsible investment practices. Through their investments, they can shift financial flows away from unsustainable activities and towards climate-resilient and nature-positive business models that align with the Paris Agreement, contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and overall support the protection and restoration of natural capital.

Related information:
Press Release: ASIA ASSET MANAGERS NEED TO DO MORE TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURE LOSS, ACCORDING TO WWF REPORT (January 27, 2021, WWF Singapore)

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