Mobilitätswende

09:57 Oct 3, 2017 

"Mobilitätswende" is a bit trickier, although you may see something like this from McKinsey:
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/...

Or this one from the "Ford, Rockefeller and Surdna Foundations":
http://mzstrategies.com/transportation-transformation/

Our British friends have it easier; they usually say "transport," so there's no doubling down on -ation.

However, this is more about "Verkehrswende." The last link does include your "mode" (see the changing images in the middle). I did say below: "change in transport choices."

Best

09:51 Oct 3, 2017 

I don't know how you get to "self-help." Of course, "energy transformation" is used in chemistry:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/energy-transformation-defini...

The preferred term for "Energiewende" is transformation of the energy industry/market/sector/grid/network--take your pick. I've been translating a lot in this field and "transition" just doesn't cut it. "Revolution" you may use in marketing, but it sounds awfully close to Che Guevara fandom.

There are multiple issues with "transition."

First, it's not a temporary measure and it isn't just the next stage in a process. A "Wende" is typically a turnaround and it involves fundamental change (thus, transformation) and a lot of effort.

Second, you may be left wondering about the transition from where to where. It's not good as a title at all.

Third, I don't like "transition to" either. This sounds like no one has used a bike in a hundred years. It's more like "going back to the roots." More non-fossil fuel alternatives, more mass transit, less private transportation.

I think here's a pretty good discussion about it: https://energytransition.org/2013/12/change-or-transformatio...

08:54 Oct 3, 2017 

"Energy Transformation" sounds like a self-help book or the name of a P Chem textbook, after all the good names were taken! I think "Energy Revolution" conveys the idea better. It depends on the situation and audience.

The basic meaning that Björn and I seem to agree on is that Mobilitätswende refers to a change in daily travel behavior. The meaning is encoded in Mobilitätswende, so you have several options when translating it. If the text is a study on the Energiewende in Germany and your audience knows little about this, you may want to use "Mobilitätswende," defining it the first time, or "[literal translation]," defining it the first time. If your audience is people in the energy business, you may want to use the term agreed upon, especially if the client prefers it, in order to be consistent.

I should point out that #Mobilitaetswende is a fairly popular hashtag on Twitter. So is #modalshift. Looks like the/some people/businesses/organizations want a #transportationrevolution (Verkehrswende?).
https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/you-say-you-want-transportation...
At least this is terminology that I would be comfortable with. Depends on the situation.

11:30 Oct 2, 2017 

Don't take my word for it:
http://energyinnovation.org/what-we-do/power-sector-transfor...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-energy-industry-disr...
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/03/3-trends-transforming...
https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Break-Germanys-Transformation-A...
https://www.energy.gov/eere/technology-to-market/energy-tran...

Yes, I'm sorry, but I really don't like this term.

Other German sources:
http://www.oegsbarrierefrei.at/bmlfuw/mobilitaetswende/
https://kommunen-innovativ.de/agendakonferenz-wege-zur-mobil...

As you can see, it may not always be clear cut, but whether something is "sustainable" depends on whether it's renewably sourced--driving an electric car doesn't get any coal plants shut down. You may even have to add some if "volatile" or "intermittent" sources aren't meeting demand.

Overall, herbalchemist's answer seems closer, IMO.

Best

11:25 Oct 2, 2017 

Here's a nice diagram for you:
https://www.agora-verkehrswende.de/12-thesen/die-verkehrswen...

Unless the author is using terms interchangeably, I don't believe Armorel's answer fits in this context. That'd be good for either "Verkehrswende" or "sanfte Mobilität":
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanfte_Mobilität

See first link:
"Notwendigerweise ruht die Verkehrswende damit auf zwei Säulen: auf der Mobilitätswende – und auf der Energiewende im Verkehr (vgl. Abbildung 1.1)."

So, the term asked for is a change in "transport choices":
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm...

Side note: Whoever was the first to choose "transition" in this context should be tarred and feathered. It's a transformation, not a change in management or the next evolutionary stage. Or just change/switch/shift, as you said yourself once, Ramey:
https://www.proz.com/kudoz/german_to_english/energy_power_ge...

[to be continued...]

08:36 Sep 28, 2017 

Article by Craig Morris, lead author of Global Energy Transition:
https://energytransition.org/2017/05/germany-starts-to-addre...
Last year, I wrote about the founding of Agora Verkehrswende (the latter word meaning “transportation transition”) and wondered specifically if the sister organization of the think tank Agora Energiewende would take a truly holistic perspective – or merely come up with policy changes to rescue German automakers...
The first thesis – “a transportation transition will succeed with a mobility transition and an energy transition in transportation” – isn’t exactly poetry (at least, not in my translation), But it indicates the two-prong proposal: changes in both behavior and technology...
Although written in German, Agora’s preface ends with a sentence in English. The organization hopes that readers will say: “The Verkehrswende is about to complete the success of the Energiewende in Germany.” To be sure, both studies make a clear case for a mobility transition, but the energy transition will not be complete without the heat sector, which still makes up the greatest share of carbon emissions and fossil fuel consumption in Germany.

06:09 Sep 28, 2017 

Thank you so much - this has all been very helpful! I am translating various texts at the moment to practice for an exam and was interested in different uses of the term, hence the more general query. The various answers are very useful, thank you again

15:24 Sep 27, 2017 

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verkehrswende
(Move about 1/3 down in this text and you'll find the information which the asker should have provided)
More information:
https://www.fona.de/de/-wege-zur-mobilitaetswende-22133.html

12:04 Sep 27, 2017 

and welcome to kudoz! We'd be happy to help, and would really appreciate the context in which the term appears! Otherwise, we're just fantasizing!