Careers in languages and linguistics - 10 sectors you can explore

by StudyMalaysia.com on June 14, 2019 | Top Stories, Career Guide

Careers in languages and linguistics - 10 sectors you can explore - StudyMalaysia.com

So you want to study language and linguistics but you’re not sure what career you could end up with. Don’t fret – your career options don’t stop at teacher and translator. As a language major or graduate, you’ll be equipped with skills that come in handy particularly in global relationships. Your analytical and cross-cultural skills will also be in demand across many sectors of business and industry.

Here are 10 sectors you can explore.

Industry	Brief Description
Advertising and PR	The communications skills that modern language students will gain are particularly valuable for marketing, advertising and PR careers. You creativity and communication skills will help you in marketing a product, service, organization or individual to the world.
Consultancy	Linguists can provide a better understanding of language use, pronunciation and practice. You could train actors in pronunciation, intonation, and different elements of grammar in order to sound like real speakers of a language or dialect; or advise news presenters on how to pronounce foreign names. Consultants are also sought to provide historical accuracy in language use, for example when filming historical TV programmes.
Education	Share your love of language with others! There are opportunities not just as a teacher—you can also get involved in curriculum development, research, assessment, education policy, and more.
Information technology	Are you a language lover who is also an IT geek? You can pursue your interests in natural language processing, speech recognition, speech synthesis, language data analysis, speech technology, automatic translation, computer-mediated language learning, and more.
International relations	With the knowledge of another language, you’ll be able to work in international relations—a field that deals with the complexities of relationships between different countries.
Journalism and publishing	Whether you work as a reporter for your local paper or a foreign correspondent, the skills you gained in learning an additional language will help you investigate and write your stories with a more critical eye. Don’t like reporting? You can still work in publishing as a writer or editor.
Public service	A multilingual proficiency may be especially useful in the foreign and home office (diplomatic service, immigration, border control, national security and police).
Retail or trade	Whether working as a buyer or seller, your language and cultural skills give you an edge when it comes to communicating with customers. Also, the ability to speak a foreign language is always a plus!
Translation	Skilled translators and interpreters are needed everywhere, from government to entertainment to courts of law.
Travel, tourism and hospitality	As one of the fastest growing industries around the world, there is plenty of opportunity in travel and tourism. Your expertise will give you a better understanding of not just a language but of other cultures as well.