I’m a translator, and all translators are wannabe linguists (except for the exalted few of us who actually are linguists). I dream of diving deep into the study of language and mastering the tool I use in my profession. This means that “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang is about the adventure I want to have:
Aliens arrive at Earth. Someone has to learn to talk to them. Let me do it! Me! Me, me!