A new year, a new project to keep my languishing brain cells engaged. Welcome to EnviroLingual, a place where I plan to talk about the environment, Earth sciences, geography, sustainable development, social justice, languages, translation, and perhaps everything in between.

I currently work as a freelance translator, writer, and editor specialising in subtitle QC and Chinese-to-English translation but abysmal rates, the uncertain future of the translation industry, and the myriad environmental challenges facing our planet have made me question my long-term career goals. Retraining in your 40s is not ideal but it’s far from impossible, so I’m considering studying for a degree in environmental studies with the Open University and pursuing a career in the environmental sector. The specialist knowledge I would gain would also allow me to carve a niche for myself within the translation world should I choose to continue working as a language professional.

This site will be a study journal of sorts, a place for me to document my journey into the world of environmental studies and publish my own scientific writing. I’ll share articles, videos, educational tools, and other items of interest in an effort to consolidate my own learning and inspire others to pursue a career in the environmental sector or science communication, no matter their age or gender.

Areas of personal interest include:

• Marine conservation.
• Wildlife conservation.
• Environmental justice.
• Environmental geopolitics.
• Environmental peacebuilding.
• Traditional ecological knowledge.
• Ecotourism and geotourism.
• The extractive industries and sustainable development.
• Human geography and physical geography.
• Science communication.
• Science journalism.
• Language learning and education.

Will I succeed in my academic quest or will this be yet another short-lived venture, just another project that I’ll lose interest in if something shiny and new comes along? I guess we’ll find out the hard way.

Update: As you can see, it’s been a few months over two years since I originally posted this article. Time flies when you’re pondering which direction to take in life and dealing with one setback after another. But rest assured, I’ll be posting more frequently in the months – and possibly years – to come.

So stayed tuned! EnviroLingual is just getting started.

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Please note that I am thoroughly opposed to generative AI on environmental and socioeconomic grounds and will never willingly or knowingly share AI-generated imagery or articles on this site. You can rest assured that all of the posts published here were written by a human being.