Marine Ecological and Environmental Terminology Hub launches at World Ocean Week

The Marine Ecological and Environmental Terminology Hub was launched at the opening ceremony of World Ocean Week in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Nov. 5 to promote international exchanges.

Yu Yingfu, vice president of China International Communications Group, and Li Yan, vice president of the Ocean University of China, launch the Marine Ecological and Environmental Terminology Hub at the opening ceremony of World Ocean Week in Xiamen, Fujian province, Nov. 5, 2026. [Photo courtesy of the World Ocean Week Organizing Committee]

The platform was jointly developed by the Academy of Translation and Interpretation under China International Communications Group (CICG) and the Ocean University of China. It aims to standardize foreign-language translations of key terminology in the marine ecological and environmental field, providing authoritative, standardized and accessible linguistic support for telling China's stories of marine ecological protection to the world and for China's participation in global ocean governance.

The terminology hub's first batch includes more than 1,000 Chinese-English terms in the marine ecological and environmental field. Corpus materials have been selected from 48 official documents and authoritative publications, covering five major categories: laws and conventions, communiques and reports, comprehensive works, terminology standards and technical documents. According to the CICG Academy of Translation and Interpretation, every term is marked with its source, ensuring that translations are consistent and traceable.

The platform features three core functions: terminology search, source tracing and personalized tools. It is available through both a WeChat mini program and desktop platforms, with data synchronized across the two platforms, and offers error correction and feedback channels to ensure the database continues improving.

In recent years, China has developed a number of expressions with Chinese characteristics in the marine ecological and environmental field. These terms often have multiple foreign-language translations across different forms of media, institutions and documents. Establishing a unified, authoritative and searchable reference platform will help reduce the risk of misunderstandings among international audiences and further improve the effectiveness of communicating China's marine ecological protection concepts and achievements, the developers said.

The platform will assist translation and international communication professionals — including translators, editors and foreign correspondents in China — with their translating and reporting, as well as help marine researchers with international exchanges and academic writing. Ocean-related industries and institutions can also benefit when translating cooperation documents and promotional materials, with the platform providing language support for international exchanges.

The 2026 World Ocean Week in Xiamen will run through Nov. 11. This year's edition features 33 events, including the opening ceremony, nine marine cultural exchange activities, 19 parallel scientific and ecological exchange activities and four marine economy matchmaking events.

The ocean week brought together an international and diverse group of participants and featured a wide-ranging agenda, including representatives of global organizations and institutions such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Centering on topics such as science and governance under the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, capacity-building training, ocean governance challenges, sustainable development and international cooperation, this year's ocean week used cooperation mechanisms such as China-ASEAN, BRICS and APEC to promote knowledge sharing, policy dialogue, capacity building and project matchmaking, building consensus and expanding cooperation to support global ocean governance.