Welcome to EnviroLingual, a place where I talk about the environment, Earth sciences, geography, sustainable development, social justice, languages, translation, and everything in between.

My name is Kelly McGuire and I’m currently working as a freelance translator, writer, and editor in the Netherlands, specialising in subtitle QC, transcription QC, and the occasional Chinese-to-English translation. 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 toying with the idea of studying for a degree in environmental studies with the Open University and pursuing a career within 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 also 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 and science communication, no matter their age or gender.

Areas of personal interest include:

• Marine conservation.
• Wildlife conservation.
• Environmental justice.
• Environmental geopolitics.
• Environmental peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
• 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.

Thank you for visiting EnviroLingual and feel free to look for me on Bluesky for more thoughts on environmental issues and language learning.

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.