Reflection

For the public document translation, I chose to translate "Nuclear Power and Sustainable Development" by Dr. H-Holger Rogner, which discusses how nuclear power plants fit into a sustainable energy infrastructure for the twenty-first century and beyond. His paper addresses several facets of nuclear energy, including socioeconomic, environmental, and geopolitical considerations. I chose to translate this paper specifically because it is immediately relevant to nuclear engineering, which is my chosen discipline. More specifically, it addresses nuclear waste in a broad geopolitical context. This is relevant because the purpose of the public document is to inform the general public of the nature and history of nuclear waste disposal, as well as the current outlook for it. Delving into minutiae such as containment media or behaviors of geological formations is not going to change hearts and minds, but explaining the efficacy of deep geological disposal in the context of commercial nuclear programs and climate change might. 

The stylistic choices made for the project reflect the intended audience—the general public. The format and art used are heavily influenced by channels such as The Infographics Show and Kurzgesagt. These channels' content is easily accessible to people of almost every age and background, and the graphics used to illustrate their points are visually stimulating. This is important because many of the subjects these shows cover are often highly technical and not easily accessible or eminently interesting to individuals without a strong STEM background. Subjects such as quasars, naval fleet dispositions, and even commercial nuclear power are all presented in short, readily digestible YouTube videos that engage a wide audience. I tried to emulate this format in the project to reach the same audience. While I feel there is a lot of room for improvement (audio quality, grammar, smoother animation, etc.), I feel that I did an acceptable job of the production considering time constraints and the fact that I have no prior experience. 

While some of the technical language is preserved in the script, visual aids are provided in the video to give context to the viewer and help them understand the terminology better. One example of this is at the beginning of section four, where the concept of reprocessing is introduced; the word "reprocessing" is used, and then a visual representation of fuel recycling is used to explain the meaning and usefulness of fuel reprocessing. This is the translation of the latter third of the paragraph on waste disposal on page 149 of Rogner's paper, where we read the following: “In once-through fuel cycles, spent nuclear fuel is considered HLW once it leaves the reactor core. In the case of reprocessing of spent fuel, only the non-recycled components are labeled HLW. Reprocessing, i.e., the extraction of unused uranium and the plutonium generated in the reactor, reduces HLW by some 95 percent with commensurate lower physical demand for freshly mined uranium.” Looking back, using the term “recycling” would probably have made the meaning of reprocessing clearer. 

The thesis of the project is that nuclear waste management is adequate to allow for safe expansion, according to Dr. Rogner. Although Dr. Rogner’s article does not go as in-depth on waste disposal as I would have preferred, I feel that it addressed the issue to the extent that the viewer would have enough introductory knowledge to explore the issue in depth should they choose to do so. I also believe it appeals to the viewer well enough to allay concern about nuclear waste management; if the video accomplishes that, it has achieved its goal.

The link to the original public document reflection can be found here.