Translation is transcending traditional boundaries of linguistics because today one is also looking at intercultural, multimodal, and intersemiotic approaches to translation. Climate justice activists, especially those working with visual-dominant platforms such as Instagram, have a strong twofold obligation to translate climate and environmental discourses primarily in a visual language, in turn, to reach cultural resonances that make the climate crisis accessible to wider communities. This research project investigates the transformation of digital activism messages between verbal and visual communication channels. The research explores translation together with visual culture and social media activism through multimodal translation studies to fill a major research gap about how visual climate justice discourse operates. Intersemiotic translation entered academic discussion through Roman Jakobson, (1959) who defined it as the interpretation of verbal signs through any sign system extending translation studies beyond verbal communication. According to Eco, (2001) translation functions as a semiotic process that involves the negotiation of meaning between signs beyond language boundaries. Roots visual advocacy echoes this principle by articulating climate justice in a multimodal manner that reaches audiences beyond any linguistic boundaries. OHalloran, (2008) and Kress and van Leeuwen, (1996, 2006) developed Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA), which produced frameworks to understand how the simultaneous construction of meaning occurs when interacting with semiotic resources working together such as visual, textual, aural, and spatial resources. This study fits into this path by how climate justice stories are intersemiotically translated into visual forms in online social media advocacy, in particular through the Instagram videos featuring climate justice narratives produced by grass Roots organizations.

Academics such as Bassnett, (2005) argue that, in the wider realm of visual culture, translation can occur across visual media or in a way where images are representations and vehicles of cultural meaning. These intentions complement this study by examining visual translation strategies in the context of transnational activist communication, whereby images within social media offer purposeful carriers of climate justice messages. Translation, social media, and activism overlap and much work has been done on this by Cronin, (2017) who introduced the term Eco translation when he was focused on translation mediating global environmental discourses in the digital age. In a similar manner Perez-Gonzalez, (2014, 2020) argued that social medias, participatory nature is inherently transforming citizens media and activist translation practices. Desjardins, (2021) examined social media translation methods and highlighted how multimodal translation functions in digital activism. Because of this research focus is on the study of Roots Instagram videos so this work builds upon this framework exploring how activist messages are translated through semiotic modes by shifting narratives from verbal stories into compelling visual media that connect with a global audience. 

Because it is particularly relevant for our case study of Roots, Nixon, (2011) focused on the idea of “slow violence” specifically in the context of climate justice. He explained how such violence is visually narrated for public awareness and empathy, while Neumark, (2017) expands on this research through a focus on climate justice narratives communicated through digital media platforms, arguing that visuals are critical in communicating urgency and moral imperatives. The study will aim to respond to this gap by focusing on how climate justice discourses are inter-semiotically translated to a visual medium on Instagram, and what this offers for understanding how grass Roots activism use visual stories to impact public discourses.

This study benefits from theoretical concepts about cultural translation and localization and transcreation which establish essential research frameworks. Bhabhas, (2012) concept of cultural translation as a negotiation of meaning across cultures is important to understand how the global activism involved in climate justice engages with multiple audiences. Niranjana, (2023) demonstrated that translation functions as a power field where ideological battles occur when talking about activist media which challenges prevailing narratives. Wu, (2024) adds a new dimension in paradigm, putting forward the idea of intersemiotic translation methodology, in how to conduct analysis of soundscapes in travel writing through hearing the sounds involved. Just as Wu argues that auditory representations mediate encounters of culture and experience in subjective ways, this research also shares this methodology, taking up visual modes to examine how climate justice narratives are intersemiotically translated to make meaning through culturally resonant and politically rigorous visual discourses on Instagram.

Research objectives

1. To study the influence of Roots visual advocacy on the worldwide transmission of climate justice movement via social media platforms 
2. To investigate how the climate justice discourse of Roots is constructed by using intersemiotic resources.

Research questions

• How Roots utilizes their visual advocacy to promote the transnational spread of climate justice movement through social media platforms?
• How are climate justice discourse visually constructed in Roots Instagram videos through intersemiotic resources? 

The methodology of this research involved qualitative, multimodal analysis of the visual, image-centered, dialog-free climate justice videos posted by Roots on Instagram. The studys focus was on intersemiotic translation. This means the study examined the translation of environmental narratives from verbal discourses into non-verbal sign systems such as images, color palettes, fonts and visual metaphors. Intersemiotic translation was the primary methodological lens of the study and the analysis examined how semiotic resources re-encode complex climate justice meanings for digital audiences. 

Fig. 1: Methodological procedure of Data Analysis.

This study uses Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006; OHalloran, 2008) to identify how Roots Instagram video, and the semiotic modes there in, related to climate justice discourses to activists. A purposive sample of ten dialogue-free scenes of video is identified and included in the study because they already engaged with climate activism, allowing for explicit point of departure for analysis. The presence of the semiotic modes were considered in four categories: visual features (i.e., flags, attire, color, logos), gestural features i.e., dance, posture, hand prints, spatial features i.e., gatherings, arrangements, local, and symbolic/graphic signage i.e., murals, symbols, branding. Each scene is watched several times, for comparison. The analysis sought to examine how the semiotic modes combined and intersemiotically reframe climate justice in such a way that gave highly culturally resonant narratives of identity, resilience, and solidarity.

The study analyzed not only the visual translations, but  also explored  how the act of translating in visual contexts is able to mediate cultural and linguistic differences, allowing activist content to operate across disparate transnational audiences. Through combining translation studies and multimodal analysis, this study aimed to reveal how we recontextualise climate justice discourses and circulate them on global digital sites, and advance the understanding of how visual strategies are used to create translations of climate activism on social media today.

For this investigation, data were collected from visually clad, dialogue-free video on climate justice shared on Instagram by activist group Roots. The chosen video showcases its multi-modal elements through visual scenes and movement and symbols which collaboratively deliver complex communications without words. Roots highlight their Instagram content because social media platforms have become essential for environmental activism especially for marginalized communities whose climate voices remain unheard in mainstream discourse. In this research, through an analysis of this video as example of intersemiotic translation, the aim is to identify how climate justice narratives are transformed and translated through different semiotic modes--visual, gestural, symbolic--engaging a variety of global audiences. In addition, zooming in on how these videos engage different modes provides a space to closely examine how digital activism employs multimodal practices to translate pressing ecological and social concerns into complex, impactful, accessible visual statements that can appeal to a range of cultural and linguistic zones of experience.

Fig. 2: Brazilian youth with national flag embody a culture of pride and are standing for climate justice.

This photo captures a moment of youth cultural expression, as youths are eagerly moving towards the camera while proudly bearing the Brazilian flag. This is contrasted with the festive mood around it as the photo was taken outside under a white canopy lined with string lights that evoke heat, warmth, and a sense of belonging. The flag colors of blue with yellow and green contrast the plant life around them to represent both national identity and environmental connection. Through their lively body movements the group shows happiness while expressing cultural pride and solidarity as well as youthful energy. The entire scene suggests that this was part of a larger community celebration or festival (Dasal, 2025). 

Fig. 3: Morocco representatives in traditional dressing articulate the impact of climate injustice.

Through its artistic appeal the image also represents essential social concepts which unite people from different backgrounds and create group identity while promoting community unity. The diverse group standing behind the scene indicates a multicultural event where various cultural practices and personal identities found their place in harmonious celebration and negotiation. The social environment depicted in this photograph represents an abstract model which represents larger discussions about human connection and collective inclusion and universal human experience.

Thus, the scene goes beyond celebration, it stands for the function of cultural production as a shared experience for dialogue and empathy bridging social and national boundaries. This visual representation supports climate justice principles through its focus on how cultural identity and environmental awareness connect with collective life. The well-known picture of Brazil serves as an effective visual instrument which educates Brazilians about their environmental responsibilities for protecting both the Amazon rainforest and global conservation initiatives. Climate justice analysis of this image shows how environmental destruction affects marginalized groups disproportionately because Indigenous people and Global South communities who contributed least to climate change now suffer from its severe consequences. The process of intersemiotic translation allows this image to function as a visual adaptation of climate justice concepts through which national flags and community journalists and celebrations work together to translate complicated socio-political environmental matters into accessible content for viewers. This scene provides space for understanding how non-verbal semiotic systems - color, arrangement of space, embodied performances - assist in mediating and delivering a successful message to all language speakers

Moroccan activists are depicted in traditional clothing, with national colors and culture references framing their dress and imagery. These semiotic decisions represent ecological fragility and cultural resilience through the act of reclaiming and communicating an identity. The scene interprets local identity into a visual discourse of climate justice, asserting agency for communities that are typically excluded from the dominant story. Through the visual presentation of the traditional garments, Moroccan national flag and shared community designed to highlight the communitys visibility in the face of global discourses surrounding climate injustice. It also reinforces that there local context or turf needs to be recognized as an element of agency that deserves an attention. 

Moreover, the television series scene has also been used in a form of visual resistance to visualize and climate advocate local environmentalism to communicate the bleak state of environmental affairs to a global audience. The way these images are arranged creates a certain sense of the links between cultural identity, land, and environment by placing cultural identity as an inherent part of land, identity and environment in an attempt to override the dominant discursive position in ways that flatten the realities of the Global South. This was most consistent with the visual activist strategies around illustrated environmental concerns through social media platforms like Instagram where their non-verbal, multimodal visual transmission of information - connects a global audience to non-verbal climate justice.

Fig. 4: Dancing with the Mozambique flag represents intersemiotic translation of resilience.

This scene shows an engaging performance featuring the Mozambican flag and they serve as an effective example of intersemiotic translation in the context of climate justice discourse. The cultural act of waving the flag and dancing translates the idea of identity and national pride. The visual and gestural elements - i.e., the dancing, flag waving - carry interpretive depth regarding political manifestations of eco-climate vulnerability and inequalities producing vulnerable conditions in Mozambique, a relatively small contributor to global emissions but who violently experience global climate change conditions resulting from climatic disasters like cyclones and flooding, compounded by sea level rise and food insecurity. In this visual act, the gestures performed evoke the structural injustices. The gestures take on highlighted importance as they translate these injustices into a powerful non-verbal form of claiming recognition.

The performance moves away from simply serving as a celebratory representation of identity, to employing a performative act of a visual advocacy that resists the ex-ante marginalization of voices in the Global South about the environmental injustices that increasingly maintain our viability on the planet. This scene also illustrates how intersemiotic translation serves as a tactical method of activism that places national identity in a global/multicultural public space. The performance example helps portray how intersemiotic translations provision the abstractions of climate injustice to produce emotive, culturally contextual visuals that trigger emotional responses, recognition and action.

Fig. 5: Pakistani activist in traditional attire with national flag advocates for national identity.

A man in the Pakistani flag is shown in kurta, Sindhi ajrak shawl and red cap. These overlapping semiotic resources mark a national and regional affiliation. The scene intersemiotically translates Pakistans disproportionate climate vulnerability into a visual representation of resilience and identity. From the intersemiotic translation point of view, these cultural signifiers mediate complex socio-political meanings in the absence of verbal discourse. Rather, it translates the climate injustice issues into a visual discourse foregrounding Pakistans extreme vulnerability; it produces minimal contribution in global carbon emissions but suffers disproportionately from the impacts of weather disasters such as floods and droughts. The symbolic link between national identity and bodily resistance displays the unequal relationship between contributions and their effects in a visual form (Omol et al., 2024). 

The performance functions as a metonymic interpretation in which cultural identity functions to represent political and ecological struggles at large. By mobilizing national symbols in a collective setting, the individuals representation acquires added meaning as both an assertion of presence and a critique of exclusion from dominant global climate narratives. In this way, the act of displaying traditional attire alongside the national flag serves not merely as cultural expression, but as visual advocacy that inserts marginalized perspectives into global discourses on climate justice.

Fig. 6: The youth express urgency and resistance via an intersemiotic relationship with a mural of a red handprint.

This picture illustrates the function of intersemiotic translation in communicating climate justices multiple discourse in a visual frame. The smiling young youth extending out his red painted hand is a powerful intergenerational representation of young people engaged in climate justice activism, demonstrating the agency and responsibility of younger generations responding to environmental crises. The community mural contextualizes the smiling youth with the stylized scenery of clouds and mountains, contributing a rainbow of colorful handprints, which also has particular relevance to environmental stewardship and collective action. 

Fig. 7: Activist dancing in Maasai cultural attire to reflect belonging and identity.

The red paint on the youths hand provides a dual signifier, suggesting the urgency and potential violence of environmental destruction, as well as inviting others to engage. Without verbal language, we may think of these visuals and gestures as translating the conceptual principles of climate justice with different frameworks of inclusivity, collective responsibility, and ecological vulnerability into a communicative form that engages humanity. The visual representation connects global climate problems to local communities while displaying how artistic expression together with social activism and personal identity elements intersect. Intersemiotic translation reframes multi-dimensional nuances found in environmental discourses into convertible and emotively engaging visual narratives, which helps to mobilize larger publics around climate justice, and even monetize their global value through digital and social media.

Maasai activists are shown in traditional dress, or cultural garb, situated in a public space among others in a collective. Clothing, gesture and proximity act as the multiple semiotic resources that highlight the political symbol of Indigenous identity. The performance intersemiotically translates climate justice as inseparable from cultural yet, survival and ecological guardianship. The communal setting in the tent, along with the visible excitement of those present creates a meaningful index of cohesive identity. In this multi-modal configuration, visual cues like dress, position, and participation create meanings of collective identity and cultural pride that allow for a range of audiences to traverse the barriers of language. Positioned in the context of climate justice, this scene acquires another layer of meaning: the significance placed on how cultural expressions can never be divorced from environmental narratives for communities whose lives are formatted to local ecosystems.

In that regard, by representing abstract concepts such as heritage, solidarity, and ecological vulnerability into a visual language, this image illustrates how non-verbal, multimodal approaches are used in digital spaces to create a passionate and compelling case for inclusivity and cultural sensitivity in climate justice.

Fig. 8: Palestinian cultural articulation with a flag connects struggles for sovereignty to climate justice.

This image captures a lively celebration of culture happening under a tent in which people are in traditional dance with one person prominently displaying what looks like a Palestinian flag. The scene portrays an example of collective identity that receives its meaning from the combination of visual elements including clothing, body movements and physical objects. While the scene does not specifically present environmental issues, the shared moment and evident sense of togetherness and community engagement reflect the idea of collective actions that are at the heart of climate justice activism. The range of cultural signifiers reflects what is needed in confronting global environmental issues, including the need for different perspectives and lived experiences. The extension of the flag also introduces a political aspect to the scene that shows how climate justice discourse may be part of broader struggles for recognition, sovereignty, and cultural survival.

Fig. 9: The Cameroonian performance translated cultural diversity into a concerted climate advocacy campaign.

This photo depicts a pleasurable cultural experience of a man in traditional Cameroonian dress with Greetings from Cameroon sign holding scene of a community event. A Cameroonian performance foregrounds traditional attire, music and dance assemblies. These embodied and visual semiotic resources foreground cultural plurality and a sense of collective strength. The scene translates ecological vulnerability as recognition of solidarity embedding climate justice within local cultural expressions. Traditional knowledge together with collective community action and clothing representation serve as vital environmental stewardship methods which promote sustainability. The scene presents cultural richness in a place alongside community connections while referencing the interdependence of cultures and their ecological resilience despite lacking specific environmental context. 

Fig. 10: Radial activist formation spatially visualizes unite and share climate responsibility

This scene depicts many people (e.g., activists) from an aerial viewpoint in a radial formation around a symbol in the center glowing bright yellow - perhaps a stylized hand or the planet itself. The green space indicates the people are gathered in a natural setting outdoors. This specific spatial arrangement visually communicates collective unity and collaborative action through arrangement and symbolic scenery. In the context of climate justice, the central glowing figure could represent collective environmental aims or simply the planet, while the radiating formation represents global interconnectedness and work done collaboratively. The visual communicates the importance of collective agency in facing the environmental crisis, implying a hopeful story that societies can and must change through collective action.

Fig. 11: A desire to let the world know about Climate injustice.

The image represents an external setting where a table holds multiple information sheets and wrapped items and a functioning laptop possibly for community outreach or promotional purposes. The presence of pamphlets in the visuals indicates an intention to distribute information which could relate to climate education or sustainable living practices. The outdoor setting strengthens the relationship with the local site and anchors the project in a grassRoots movement. This can thus be viewed as a localized example of intersemiotic translation, where communities are being engaged via textual and material modes, aiming to inspire and participate in actions that connect to a larger climate justice agenda.

Fig. 12: Climate Justice Camp logo, with a handprint diverges from ecological care.

 The visual displays the text "CLIMATE JUSTICE CAMP" in large type below a round emblem, which conveys human agency and concern for the environment. The emblem shows a blue handprint, beautifully symbolizing agency that surrounds a circle with a tree or plant to describe life and ecological interdependence. The blue handprint is surrounded by orange and white segments suggesting a widening network and collective enthusiasm against a vibrant yellow background. In the case of the graphic, the text and visual are intersemiotic translations of climate activism into a short form representation. While text and logos are commonplace in our society, the graphic design is known for branding a climate justice event characterized or branded by solidarity, responsibility to ecosystems, and social activity at the center of activism discourse.

The study of the various scenes of Brazilian environ-mental youth waving flags, South African dancing in Mozambican traditional dress, Palestinian culture celebrations, and young women Pakistani environm-ental activists dressed in local dress shows a consistent pattern: they can all be seen to translate climate justice into, and even through, a variety of modes: visual, gestural and spatial, in a culturally meaningful translation of the concepts of identity, resilience and solidarity. The flags and clothing, for example, were visual metonyms of belonging to a nation; and the gestures (e.g. dance, handprints, and radial formations) were embodied translations of collective resistance; finally, the different forms of spatiality provided semiotic structures in which images of community (e.g. community gatherings on cemeteries, tents) and connection across communities (e.g. activists circling the globe in the air) could be visualized. Together the intermodal translations demonstrate us how the advocacy of Roots sought to shift the framing of climate injustice as both locally situated, yet collectively experienced, and to shift the hearing of marginalized voices in global climate dialogues, from Mozambique to the global North. The comparative reading also shows us how the cases, while culturally specific in their framing locations, utilized intersemiotic translation to turn abstract notions of climate into the embodied, and visible forms of activism.

Key findings

The analysis of these different visual artifacts shows that intersemiotic translation operates as a crucial method for emphasizing climate justice themes through politically charged digital activist media imagery. Every scene illustrates how cultural celebrations and community events along with symbolic logos and grassroots outreach transform vague environmental matters into concrete socio-political stories that connect with viewers at a deeper level than language-based communication methods could achieve. The visual semiotic resources of national flags combined with traditional clothing and performative gestures establish aesthetic significance for marginalized identities as well as their resilience and resistance within global climate debates. Community-centered scenes and iconic graphics translate collective action, intergenerational accountability, and environmental caretaking into powerful signs that invite solidarity and representational forms of inclusion in climate justice actions. Finally, as a whole, the multimodal nature of these visual texts indicates how intersemiotic translation can  mitigate the barriers posed by nuanced and complex climate justice discourses when addressing a variety of audiences, especially as it relates to acting upon an emotional and politically conscious level. This highlights the purposeful role of intersemiotic translation in Instagram activism for fostering possible cross-cultural interactions and legitimizing the voices of groups disproportionality affected by climate change, which in turn seeks to broaden the climate justice messaging reach and impact in a visually-dominated media space.

In conclusion, this research emphasizes that inter-semiotic translation is an important aspect of visual representation of climate justice in digitally mediated activist contexts. A review of Roots Instagram videos without dialogue reveals that multimodal methods using symbolic images combined with embodied gestures and culturally significant visuals effectively represent marginalized perspectives excluded from dominant discourse while explaining sophisticated socio-environmental matters. The images function as strong cultural expression and political claims which transcend linguistic and geographical divisions to create worldwide solidarity. Visual activism gains recognition as a translation site when translation studies expand their scope thus enabling a more sophisticated analysis of climate justice discourse construction and translation processes in digital environments. The key takeaway from this research is to unpack the indisputable potential and power of multimodal, intersemiotic translation to facilitate inclusive, accessible, and emotionally compelling climate justice sentiment that engages a global audience

A.B.; and A.B.: both helped plan the study, gather data, and do the analysis. A.B.: mainly wrote the paper, and A.B.: mainly explained the results and reviewed the writing. Both authors checked the paper closely, helped improve it, and agreed to submit the final version.

We acknowledge the support and contributions that made this research possible and express appreciation for the academic guidance received during its completion.

The author(s) declare no conflict of interest related to this study.