Translating Ecologies: Ecosystems Representation in the Promotion of Rome’s Nature-Based Tourism

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between eco-translation and nature-based tourism, with a focus on how ecological knowledge is conveyed across languages and cultures in the promotion of protected areas in and around Rome. While tourism discourse is often framed as inherently persuasive and promotional, the study argues that in the context of the current ecological crisis, translation plays an additional role in shaping ecological consciousness and fostering sustainable travel practices. Building on recent developments in ecolinguistics and ecocritical translation studies, the article positions eco-translation as not only a metaphorical framework but also a practical concern in the transmission of site-specific environmental knowledge. The investigation focusses on the website of RomaNatura, a regional body managing a large system of parks and nature reserves. By analysing and comparing nature-related words and semantic categories in parallel corpora of the Italian and English versions of the website, the study examines how natural entities and ecosystems are represented and translated. Findings suggest that RomaNatura’s translation practices succeed in transmitting ecological content, but often at the expense of engaging descriptions that could strengthen tourists’ affective connection with natural environments. The study concludes that eco-translation in tourism should not only preserve ecological accuracy but also foreground eco-cultural narratives, thereby integrating environmental education with promotional goals. In this way, translation can contribute more effectively to ecoliteracy and to the development of sustainable tourism practices in urban destinations such as Rome.