I began studying Russian when I started as an undergrad at the University of Sheffield, primarily because I was interested in the language itself. Since then, I have developed a keen interest in Russian culture, history and politics, and have been lucky enough to spend time living in Russia, in both Yaroslavl and St Petersburg. I have worked as a freelance translator (www.vhemplanguageservices.com/) for a couple of years now, since finishing my MA in translation studies. This has given me many further opportunities to explore Russia through the varied texts that I translate.