May 27, 2026
Ask sustainability leaders what’s missing from their sustainability reporting process, and you’ll hear about resources, executive buy-in, better data and so on. Rarely will someone say a translator. But that role is often exactly what’s needed.
Enter the Translator
The translator is a skill set, not a job title. It requires understanding the sustainability landscape, knowing the organization well enough to surface the right information internally and the instincts to connect the two into a credible, compelling narrative for all audiences.
The role starts at the early stages of report development. Decisions about what gets measured and reported, and what supportive narrative is needed, have downstream consequences for every stakeholder engagement that follows. Without a translator involved from the beginning, organizations often find themselves with disclosures that satisfy a framework but still ring hollow.
The upstream role also involves helping colleagues understand why their work matters in the context of sustainability and purpose, and how effective storytelling can extend their impact. And because internal data are often imperfect or difficult to contextualize, the translator doesn’t just polish what’s there. The team member must be able to surface gaps, inconsistencies and weaknesses for internal consideration – and help frame them honestly before they become external headaches.
The translator role is equal parts internal advocate, cross-functional connector and external storyteller.
Why This Gap Is Riskier Than Ever
The need for a translator isn’t new. The politicization of ESG has made the consequences of not having one more visible. When no one owns the narrative, it gets built by others: skeptics, critics, agenda-driven activists, ratings agencies, the broader industry or the absence of communication altogether. And sustainability programs and reporting then become what everyone fears: siloed, defensive, non-differentiating and compliance-driven.
We’re already seeing the symptoms: goals and programs reduced or canceled, reports delayed, ownership of the reporting process migrating to non-subject matter experts, greenhushing as a default and more.
The organizations best positioned to navigate this moment aren’t the ones going quiet. They’re the ones with a translator who has the ear of the communications team, a presence in investor relations and government affairs conversations, an understanding of what customers and other stakeholders are asking and the trust of leadership to be able to balance a variety of competing considerations.
Who Is the Translator and Where Do You Find One?
The translator likely works within or near the sustainability team. But what matters most isn’t org chart proximity; it’s a specific combination of skills.
Look for someone who can:
- Move fluidly among internal audiences — from data-oriented teams gathering inputs, to legal reviewing disclosures, to executives who need a clear narrative
- Understand external stakeholder expectations — what investors, customers, raters, policymakers and community partners need to hear, and how that information may differ from group to group
- Communicate with credibility and nuance — especially when progress is slower than planned, goals have shifted, or the story is more complicated than the headline suggests
- Build trust across functions — so teams across the enterprise are willing to bring the translator in early, not just loop them in at the end
Communications skills matter. But stakeholder empathy and organizational fluency probably matter more.
What Translation Looks Like in Practice
The translator’s first order of business is to work with internal teams ahead of reporting season to surface the right content and frame it accurately. It means knowing when to push back internally. For example, when a team wants to quietly drop a goal from the report because progress stalled, the translator is the one to remind everyone that external stakeholders are already tracking it and that a thoughtful narrative about the journey is far more credible than silence. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s integrity.
And it means making sure the report travels. A 50-page sustainability report is not a sales tool, executive talking points or a government affairs brief. But the content inside can fuel all of those if someone takes the time to translate it. That means working with stakeholder-facing teams to develop summaries, proof points and tailored messaging to tell the story in an audience-specific manner.
The Reputational Stake
Organizations that have the translator function, and leadership that treats narrative as seriously as metrics, don’t just report better. They build a more durable trust and reputation, which are especially important during times of imperfect progress, shifting priorities and external pressure.
Sustainability storytelling should never be about “spin.” It’s about making sure the substance of the work is understood, trusted and usable by the people who matter most. If your organization is investing in sustainability reporting, ask a simple question: Who is translating that work into a narrative your stakeholders can understand and appreciate? If the answer is unclear, that’s the next capability you need to build.
Lauren Rengel is a Chicago-area corporate social impact and sustainability leader with more than 15 years of experience building sustainability programs, leading corporate philanthropy, and translating ESG and impact strategy into stakeholder-facing narratives for organizations across the United States and Caribbean.
