An ecologist is a scientist whose work is to study ecology: how plants, animals, people, soil, water and weather fit together, who eats whom, what happens if a river dries, why a forest stays healthy or falls apart. That is the careful, main meaning in English — a trained researcher, often with a university job or field work.

An ecologist一個ecologist is a scientist是一位科學家 whose work is to study ecology他的工作是研究生態學: how plants, animals, people, soil, water and weather fit together植物、動物、人、土壤、水跟天氣怎麼互相配合, who eats whom誰吃誰, what happens if a river dries河流乾了會怎樣, why a forest stays healthy or falls apart森林為什麼會健康或崩壞。That is the careful, main meaning in English這是英文裡嚴謹的主要意思 — a trained researcher是一位受過訓練的研究者, often with a university job or field work常常有大學的工作或做田野調查。

Though actually, a second, less common reading floats around: “someone who campaigns for the environment.” That extra sense may come from ideas like deep ecology, or from languages close to English. In Spanish, ecologista often means an environmentalist, not a lab-coat scientist.

Though actually不過其實, a second, less common reading floats around還流傳著第二個比較少見的解讀: “someone who campaigns for the environment.”就是「為環境奔走倡議的人」。That extra sense這個額外的意思 may come from ideas like deep ecology可能來自像深層生態學這樣的想法, or from languages close to English或來自跟英文相近的語言。In Spanish在西班牙文裡, ecologista這個字常常 often means an environmentalist指的是環保人士, not a lab-coat scientist不是穿實驗袍的科學家。

In careful English we keep the two jobs apart: the scientist is an ecologist; the campaigner is an environmentalist, or, more loosely, an eco-warrior. If you mix them, a working scientist may feel you have given them a political job they did not ask for. Some scientists are both; the words still name different hats.

In careful English在嚴謹的英文裡 we keep the two jobs apart我們會把這兩種身分分開: the scientist科學家 is an ecologist叫做ecologist; the campaigner倡議者 is an environmentalist叫做environmentalist, or, more loosely或更鬆散地說, an eco-warrior叫eco-warrior。If you mix them如果你把兩者混在一起, a working scientist一位在職的科學家 may feel可能會覺得 you have given them a political job they did not ask for你給了他一個他沒要的政治身分。Some scientists有些科學家 are both兩者都是; the words這兩個字 still name different hats還是代表不同的身分。