The Profession | Career Possibilities | Sample Jobs | Development Model | Career Management
Career possibilities utilizing foreign language skills parallel the opportunities of liberal arts graduates in general, but with a stronger focus on international or multicultural aspects. The obvious career paths for language majors are the professions in which foreign language is a primary skill -- language teaching, translation and interpretation. But as communication, travel, and business endeavors have expanded in the global marketplace, now even relatively small organizations may have a need to communicate with partners, clients, or customers in other languages, in the US as well as in other countries. Foreign language competence is an asset in an increasing number of fields as a secondary skill. In these lines of work the language competence supplements and enhances other primary skills that define the occupation, allowing a greater world reach.
In addition to the traditional classroom at the elementary, secondary or college level, there are now additional opportunities in corporate environments, in distance education and online teaching, and in the use of technology in teaching and learning.
Translation is the written word rendered from one language to another and Interpretation is the spoken word rendered from one language to another. Globalization has increased the need for T&I sector jobs, particularly in the area of software localization -- that is preparing software products for use in multiple countries/cultures.
Travel and Tourism Corporations
- Airlines – customer service and flight attendants
- Travel agencies – customer service, coordination with other countries
- The International Visitors Information Service in international airports to aid overseas travelers
- Hospitality industry - customer relations, business presentations and sales
Other Corporations
- Multi-national corporations - customer relations, business presentations and sales
- Advertising agencies – overseas marketing/production
- Book publishers - sales representatives, editor, editorial assistants, copywriter, etc.
- Computer companies – translate/localize software and its documentation
- Banks – customer service, translation
- Pharmaceutical sales representatives of multinational companies
Education
- Research assistants for original language research and/or research in foreign countries
- Library assistants to communicate with foreign libraries and evaluate foreign books
- International student advisors
Media and the Arts
- Print and broadcast media (newspapers, magazines, TV and radio) – correspondents, journalists
- Museums - multilingual curators and acquisitions assistants
- Entertainment (films, television, recording industry, etc.) – marketing, location coordinating
Service Careers
- Governmental social service agencies (welfare, immigration, etc.) – multilingual social workers/staff
- Medical services and legal services personnel
- Politicians/public servants – assistants for constituents service/representation
Government Agencies
- Department of State - embassy staff, cultural attaches, etc
- Intelligence Agencies (FBI, CIA, NSA, etc.) read foreign newspapers and summarize findings
- Department of Defense (Army, Navy, Air Force and National Security Agency)
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Voice of America - broadcasts news, educational, entertainment in various languages
- Bi-national Centers - teachers, staff
- Department of Commerce - trade representatives/assistants
A recent salary study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) shows that liberal arts graduates now have a greater variety of jobs from which to choose, including those in consulting and computer software firms.
Research on a dozen of the top ten job search websites produced a wide variety of listings for business jobs requiring foreign language skills. Language skills do not define the jobs, but are needed to work with a multilingual clientele. The computer and Internet business industries are major employers, but there are opportunities in many other fields.
- Customer Service Specialist
- Operations Manager
- Supervisor
- Outsource Vendor Manager
- Service Account Representative
- Sales Support Administrator
- Sales Representative
- IT Coordinator for Education Department
- IT Business Support Specialist
- Telecommunications Billing Analyst
- Pharmaceutical Consultants
- Account Representative
- Quality Manager
- Executive Secretary
- Project Administrator
- Business Analyst
- Database Administrator
- Market Data Systems Administrator
- Technical Support Manager
- Websphere Administrator
- Human Resources Specialist
- Training Specialist
- Telecommunications Call Center
- Helpdesk Analyst - Consultant
- Administrative Coordinator
- Customer Service
- Credit Manager
- Desktop Publisher
The best opportunities for utilizing foreign language skills are in the following industries:
Telecommunications
The rise in high-speed data services, Internet voice communication, and data networks and the increase in competition on a worldwide basis as telecom companies look abroad for new business has created new needs for multilingual workers.
Internet and New Media
In addition to programmers and engineers, there is also demand for employees in business development, marketing, research, and operations—especially content creation, which can be anything from writing and editing text to producing music or video. Again, these products have a global market, which increases the need for multiple language skills.
Publishing and Journalism
In addition to editorial positions in all the major media outlets, the Internet has added a host of new opportunities for people with technical, editorial, creative and marketing skills. Traditional journalism is a tough field to break into without on-the-job experience, but foreign language skills are an asset for positions with international news desks. The reader base is dispersing; the online journalist is writing for citizens of the global village. Internet has added a whole new layer of opportunity for people with editorial skills.
Computer Industry
Foreign markets are the new targets for software companies, particularly China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Germany, and the U.K. The majority of the openings will be in sales and marketing in both retail and business-to-business channels. For many positions, knowledge of the target language and culture differences will be necessary skills. Localization projects will continue to employ translators, quality control officers, software testers and project managers as staff team members.
