School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics

Rachel Chopping loves literature. When she was younger, she wanted to be a writer. Then, when she got a bit older, she saw that working in publishing was an option – one that she would quite enjoy.

“It's kind of the best of both worlds because you can still write your own work and you have the advantage of being in the industry and helping other people's work get out, which is just as fulfilling,” she says.

Since her dream took shape, many years ago now, Rachel has been methodically working to turn it into a reality.

Johnny Milner’s award-winning The Chosen Vessel draws together various strands of his life and passions. The eerie historical drama was inspired by 19th century Australian writer Barbara Baynton’s short story about a young woman alone in the bush, who is attacked by a swagman. Johnny’s short film, which diverges from the original story, drew upon his research for his PhD, which he conducted through the ANU School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics (SLLL).

Donna Chan considers herself a languages person. The Hong Kong native earned her first bachelor’s degree in translation, and she deployed those skills free of charge for friends; translating written materials between Cantonese and English while working in marketing. When she moved to Australia 15 years ago, however, Donna started studying accounting because she thought she’d have a better chance of landing a job in that field.