Top Careers Options For Linguists
With the turn of the 21st century, the world transformed into a global village. Digitisation and increase in global business opportunities has led to intermingling of people on a day to day basis. This has led us to adapt to each other’s cultures and what better way to know about other cultures than to learn their language? Never before has there been such a high demand for language professionals who can communicate in more than one foreign language. This has given rise to a lot of lucrative linguistics job opportunities based on language skills.
As an expert in a foreign language, you can pursue a career out of many linguistics jobs like translator, interpreter, teacher, and foreign correspondent. In this article, we have discussed some of the most popular language-based careers. Many of the below-mentioned jobs can be pursued as a freelancer as well.
Translator
Translators are those experts who read, comprehend a particular language and further, expressing the same intended meaning, communicate its contents to another language. They usually specialise in two languages i.e., their native language and the other chosen language of their choice. In the present time, as almost everything has gone global, translators are in high demand in every field - right from corporates to educational institutions to government agencies. The two major responsibilities of a translator are to read, speak and write fluently in two languages and do research to understand the context, cultural references, and slang jargon so that they can be communicated exactly in the same way in the other language. Owing to their vital roles across all sectors, translators are handsomely paid. If you also want to become a professional translator and have an interest in language translator jobs, you need to ensure the following:
Master your native language as well as the foreign language of your choice because translation typically depends on how well you have mastered the two languages
In addition to your knowledge of a foreign language, you need to have proper training in translation
Do a certified translation course so that your recruiter can easily see that you possess the required translation skills
Do internships and try to gain as much work experience as possible
After doing all these, you can easily apply as a translator in any of the companies across industries and become a professional translator.
Interpreter
An interpreter is a person who interprets verbal communication from one language to another. They act as a medium between a wide range of people who have diverse languages, tempos, accents and personalities. An interpreter can also be referred to as a ‘Foreign Language Interpreter’. Interpreters mainly work on spoken communication. Sometimes, interpreters are required to travel with their clients to assist them in communicating with people who speak different languages. It may involve translating spoken presentations or speeches for a multilingual audience. An interpreter can work in sectors like education, health care, insurance, IT, legal. The major responsibilities of an interpreter involve the interpretation of questions, answers, explanations, statements, and arguments and it could involve any other form of verbal communication. They have to convert the dialogue and convey the intentions and thoughts of the original speaker while maintaining the integrity of the conversation. If you’re also planning to become an interpreter, you are required to possess the following key skills:
- Knowledge of different languages both spoken and written
- A professional certificate of interpreting training
- Understanding of the cultural diversity of the language you are interpreting
- Have good listening, retention, and note-making skills
The demand for translators is higher in popular IT firms and government agencies.
Foreign Language Teacher or Faculty
Possessing a good command in a foreign language along with a degree and teaching experience can earn you a foreign language teacher’s job in a school or a college. Foreign language teachers are in high demand due to the growing need of good experts. A foreign language teacher’s job is one of the highly paid jobs. Owing to the importance of foreign languages, many schools provide foreign language courses to students. In colleges, one can do a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and also pursue a Doctorate, in a foreign language. So, in order to become a foreign language teacher in a school or a professor or a faculty in a college, one must fulfil below mentioned are prerequisites:
Bachelor’s degree in the foreign language you want to teach
Do a student teaching internship that includes foreign language classes and get a certificate
Take your state’s required tests like TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) to become a teacher in schools or NET (National Eligibility Test) to become a professor in a college
Apply for teacher certification
In India, different states have different pathways to certification for individuals possessing a Bachelor’s degree in a foreign language. Those having a Master’s degree in a foreign language and have done a teacher preparation program can also become a foreign language teachers in many Indian states.
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Jobs in Embassies
An embassy is a diplomatic body of a country headed by an ambassador who represents his country in a foreign land. The major function of an embassy is to assist the citizens of its home country who are travelling, working or living overseas. Expertise in a foreign language can help you get various highly-paid employment opportunities in embassies, consulates and diplomatic offices in your home country as well as overseas. In an embassy, a language expert can work as a translator, interpreter, receptionist, librarian, customer support executive, office executive, research analyst, messenger and many more. These jobs could be permanent or temporary in nature. The eligibility of a person to work as a language expert in an embassy varies across jobs. However, the most common eligibility is to be fluent and have a good command in language in the host country’s local or official languages along with good communication skills.
International Correspondent (Journalism)
Almost all print and electronic media have their correspondents across the globe. A foreign correspondent is a journalist or a reporter who reports news from a foreign country to his/her country. This news typically covers topics like the political and economic affairs of that country, wars, conflict, foreign policy, international relations. A foreign correspondent lives in the country they reports from and works either as a permanent employee of a particular media or as a freelance journalist. If you are an expert in a foreign language and possess the following then you can become a foreign correspondent:
- A very good command in the language of the country you want to work in
- A degree in journalism, mass communication or related field.
- Relevant travel experiences (mostly abroad)
- Excellent writing skills
If you have a network of people or local reporters who can help you in gathering important news in the country you want to work in then this can give you an edge in getting you a job as a foreign correspondent.
Job in International Organisation
Bagging one of the language-based jobs in any international organisation is highly possible when you possess fluency and expertise in a foreign language. Many international organisations and agencies hire individuals who have a good command in a foreign language along with an excellent academic background. International organisations like the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), WWF (World Wildlife Federation), World Trade Organisation (WTO) give very good salary to language translators, interpreters, writers. If you study a foreign language and gain a good command of it, you could become a potential employee in a prestigious international organisation.
Language Trainer in Corporates
English is the second most spoken language in India. Having a sound knowledge of English is being seen as a metric of talent. Having been able to communicate effectively is considered a mandatory skill which is why many companies are working on their employees' language fluency abilities, especially English. Therefore, to increase the productivity of the companies, to maintain reputation and also to update the capabilities of their employees to upgrade them by all means, almost all corporate companies hire language trainers. They are usually called ‘Soft skills trainers’. These trainers are responsible for teaching the language to the employees of the company.
The language trainer is responsible for imbibing language fluency among the learners with confidence. A soft skills trainer should have the following skills:
Able to take the classes on reading, writing, listening, and speaking
Must deal with courses like Communicative English, Personality Development and Interview skills
Should have a sound knowledge of products like Voice, Accent Neutralisation, Phenoms and sounds, Pronunciation and Voice clarity
Anyone who is interested to work as a language trainer and possesses the above-mentioned skills can apply for the language trainer posts. Many corporate companies are hiring language trainers.
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Content Writer and Editor
Content writers and editors have always been in demand as every company or organisation needs unique content to attract more and more people (prospective customers) towards their products or services. Anybody with a passion for writing will definitely come across the segments of content writing and editing. These are actually two different types of professions, content writing majorly involves developing content through in-depth research and drafting the copy according to the given guidelines whereas, editing includes a broader view of the copy of how well it will fit into the content strategy and marketing. Content writers make quality copies advertising the products of the company by emphasising the company's vision and ideals. To work as a professional content writer, one need not have a specific degree, it is possible to bag content writing jobs by doing an internship and exhibiting the work highlighting your writing skills. The necessary skills that one should have in order to become a content writer are a flair for creative writing and proficiency in a language. If you possess the knowledge of a foreign language then there are very high chances of you getting a good content writer job in big companies and MNCs across all domains.