The Student Room Group

Career paths after studying Modern Languages

Hi!
I was wondering if anyone could give me some piece of advice regarding the job prospects one student has after finishing the Modern Languages course at university. I know that there are a lot of alternatives, but this diversity makes it hard for me to decide what to do in the future. The irony in this situation is that everyone needs a foreign language if they are to obtain a satisfying job, but those who study foreign languages usually find difficulty in specialising in one particular field ( at least, this is the case in my county). So, could you give me a list of what I would be able to do in the future or maybe just give your opinion regarding the best path I could pursue, from your own perspective? I would really appreciate anyone`s help!
Reply 1
Original post by Diana Jalea
Hi!
I was wondering if anyone could give me some piece of advice regarding the job prospects one student has after finishing the Modern Languages course at university. I know that there are a lot of alternatives, but this diversity makes it hard for me to decide what to do in the future. The irony in this situation is that everyone needs a foreign language if they are to obtain a satisfying job, but those who study foreign languages usually find difficulty in specialising in one particular field ( at least, this is the case in my county). So, could you give me a list of what I would be able to do in the future or maybe just give your opinion regarding the best path I could pursue, from your own perspective? I would really appreciate anyone`s help!


Hi,

There are lots of career opportunities for ML graduates. Among the obvious ones are teaching, translating and tourism but there are plenty more such as international banking, multinational business and international organisations.

These two links might help you:

http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/careers-advice/1378/careers-with-languages-translation-interpreting-teaching-and-more

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/oct/16/language-graduates-jobs

And you don't have to stick to just one. As an ML graduate myself, I worked in tourism for many years before turning to translating.

Hope this helps you.
Good luck. :smile:
Reply 2
Original post by FionaMG
Hi,

There are lots of career opportunities for ML graduates. Among the obvious ones are teaching, translating and tourism but there are plenty more such as international banking, multinational business and international organisations.

These two links might help you:

http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/careers-advice/1378/careers-with-languages-translation-interpreting-teaching-and-more

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/oct/16/language-graduates-jobs

And you don't have to stick to just one. As an ML graduate myself, I worked in tourism for many years before turning to translating.

Hope this helps you.
Good luck. :smile:


Thank you very much! What languages did you study, if you don`t mind my asking? :smile: I find it hard to make a decision.
Reply 3
Original post by Diana Jalea
Thank you very much! What languages did you study, if you don`t mind my asking? :smile: I find it hard to make a decision.


I did French and Russian.

If you're finding it hard to decide, think about which languages you like or are especially interested in and see if they are among those in most demand. It's better not to base your decision on demand alone because you will be more motivated if you are studying a language you really love. Or you could take two languages, and complement one you really love with one that is high in demand. At the moment, as well as the more "usual" languages such as Spanish, French and German, there is rising demand at the moment for Chinese, Portuguese and Russian. But this is from a European viewpoint. You didn't say which country you're from, so it may different there.

Another thing to bear in mind is that language degrees come in various formats. Some include a lot of literature or history, while others offer more vocational modules including culture, current affairs and translation, so it's worth looking closely at that aspect when deciding which universities to apply to. For example, my course was a traditional, literature-heavy one that in fact was of very little use to me after I graduated. I would have been much better off with one which included more vocational modules. But if I had wanted to go into teaching, for example, the literature-heavy course would have been very useful.

Hope this helps. :smile:
Reply 4
Original post by FionaMG
I did French and Russian.

If you're finding it hard to decide, think about which languages you like or are especially interested in and see if they are among those in most demand. It's better not to base your decision on demand alone because you will be more motivated if you are studying a language you really love. Or you could take two languages, and complement one you really love with one that is high in demand. At the moment, as well as the more "usual" languages such as Spanish, French and German, there is rising demand at the moment for Chinese, Portuguese and Russian. But this is from a European viewpoint. You didn't say which country you're from, so it may different there.

Another thing to bear in mind is that language degrees come in various formats. Some include a lot of literature or history, while others offer more vocational modules including culture, current affairs and translation, so it's worth looking closely at that aspect when deciding which universities to apply to. For example, my course was a traditional, literature-heavy one that in fact was of very little use to me after I graduated. I would have been much better off with one which included more vocational modules. But if I had wanted to go into teaching, for example, the literature-heavy course would have been very useful.

Hope this helps. :smile:


Thank you, this is very useful information. I am from Romania but I am planning on studying in Scotland. I would like to study French and German, but my teacher keeps on advising me to take up an Arabic course, as it is in demand at present. I honestly do not see how this language could help me in the future, as I don`t intend to become a flight attendant. I also want to learn Spanish, but I think I will do a course after I graduate or maybe in a summer holiday because it pretty much resembles the Romanian language.

As far as the career path I am going to pursue in the future, I am still undecided. I do not think teaching would represent me, but it can be a back-up plan, so I don`t know whether I should choose a heavy-litterature course or not. Any further advice would be great. :biggrin:
Reply 5
I will imminently be starting a degree in French and German, and am currently conversational in Spanish. Journalism really interests me (not necessarily in my foreign languages but perhaps) - would anybody be able to share thoughts on possibilities for this? Do they have any suggestions for work experience/societies/opportunities to take advantage of whilst at university? Thanks!

Check out my blog: https://hereclaireandeverywhere.wordpress.com/
Reply 6
Original post by Diana Jalea
Thank you, this is very useful information. I am from Romania but I am planning on studying in Scotland. I would like to study French and German, but my teacher keeps on advising me to take up an Arabic course, as it is in demand at present. I honestly do not see how this language could help me in the future, as I don`t intend to become a flight attendant. I also want to learn Spanish, but I think I will do a course after I graduate or maybe in a summer holiday because it pretty much resembles the Romanian language.

As far as the career path I am going to pursue in the future, I am still undecided. I do not think teaching would represent me, but it can be a back-up plan, so I don`t know whether I should choose a heavy-litterature course or not. Any further advice would be great. :biggrin:


If your heart isn't in Arabic, you're probably better not to do it. It's a very difficult language and you need to be really motivated to do well.

Since you're not sure what you want to do later, you could think about a course which includes some vocational modules or lets you combine your languages with other subjects. I think at Strathclyde you can do languages with tourism or business and I have a feeling you can do that at Napier too. And Heriot Watt has an applied languages course that includes current affairs and translating/interpreting modules. Glasgow, which is where I studied is a traditional course, very heavy on the literature, as I mentioned before. We had to read and analyse a book every two or three weeks!

There are lots of summer courses in Spain where you can combine learning the language with a holiday. You should be able to find some information about that from the Cervantes Institute, the official body for the promotion of the Spanish language.

If you think of anything else to ask, I'll be pleased to help if I can. :smile:
Reply 7
Original post by claire..
I will imminently be starting a degree in French and German, and am currently conversational in Spanish. Journalism really interests me (not necessarily in my foreign languages but perhaps) - would anybody be able to share thoughts on possibilities for this? Do they have any suggestions for work experience/societies/opportunities to take advantage of whilst at university? Thanks!

Check out my blog:


Hi Claire.

Congratulations on your place. :smile:

You should check out the students union at your uni. They will definitely have loads of societies and some will be based on languages and other interests. There will probably be a fair of some sort during your freshers' week where all the societies and clubs will be vying with each other to get you to sign up.

Good luck!
Reply 8
Original post by FionaMG
If your heart isn't in Arabic, you're probably better not to do it. It's a very difficult language and you need to be really motivated to do well.

Since you're not sure what you want to do later, you could think about a course which includes some vocational modules or lets you combine your languages with other subjects. I think at Strathclyde you can do languages with tourism or business and I have a feeling you can do that at Napier too. And Heriot Watt has an applied languages course that includes current affairs and translating/interpreting modules. Glasgow, which is where I studied is a traditional course, very heavy on the literature, as I mentioned before. We had to read and analyse a book every two or three weeks!

There are lots of summer courses in Spain where you can combine learning the language with a holiday. You should be able to find some information about that from the Cervantes Institute, the official body for the promotion of the Spanish language.

If you think of anything else to ask, I'll be pleased to help if I can. :smile:


As far as the Arabic language is concerned, I never tried learning it, so I think that maybe I would like it. I come from a small village from Romania where the cultural diversity is amazing and thus I have a lot of friends who are of Turkish origin. I like the way in which the older members of their families talk in Turkish and I know that it is close to the way in which Arabic sounds. Furthermore, we have a mosque in the center of the village and I have heard many times the mullah reading from the Quran which is written in Arabic. This doesn`t make learning Arabic a piece of cake, but I guess I wouldn`t have an aversion to this language.

I know about Heriot Watt, but I am a little confused as regards the " applied languages" course. How does it differ from the normal language course? Do I have to learn economics or business, or do I get to choose from an array of different subject? And if so, which are they? We also have this type of course in Romania, but as far as I know, one can learn the languages in combination with economy, which doesn`t really suit my desires :smile:)

We also have the Cervantes Institute and this is a great idea: to combine business with pleasure :biggrin:. I would have liked to ask yor one more thing about courses in general, because I could not really grasp the essence of the definitions I found online. So, what does " Interdisciplinary degrees" and " Honours degrees with a major" mean? And in the case of " Honours degrees with a major", in the final 2 years do I study only one main subject and one minor subject? Or is there a core suject and other minor courses? I know the questions may sound silly, but I have a whole diffrent type of education in my country and there are a lot of subjects from day one to the graduation day.

I know there are a lot of questions, but I would really appreciate if your could help me figure this out. :smile:
Reply 9
Original post by Diana Jalea
As far as the Arabic language is concerned, I never tried learning it, so I think that maybe I would like it. I come from a small village from Romania where the cultural diversity is amazing and thus I have a lot of friends who are of Turkish origin. I like the way in which the older members of their families talk in Turkish and I know that it is close to the way in which Arabic sounds. Furthermore, we have a mosque in the center of the village and I have heard many times the mullah reading from the Quran which is written in Arabic. This doesn`t make learning Arabic a piece of cake, but I guess I wouldn`t have an aversion to this language.

I know about Heriot Watt, but I am a little confused as regards the " applied languages" course. How does it differ from the normal language course? Do I have to learn economics or business, or do I get to choose from an array of different subject? And if so, which are they? We also have this type of course in Romania, but as far as I know, one can learn the languages in combination with economy, which doesn`t really suit my desires :smile:)

We also have the Cervantes Institute and this is a great idea: to combine business with pleasure :biggrin:. I would have liked to ask yor one more thing about courses in general, because I could not really grasp the essence of the definitions I found online. So, what does " Interdisciplinary degrees" and " Honours degrees with a major" mean? And in the case of " Honours degrees with a major", in the final 2 years do I study only one main subject and one minor subject? Or is there a core suject and other minor courses? I know the questions may sound silly, but I have a whole diffrent type of education in my country and there are a lot of subjects from day one to the graduation day.

I know there are a lot of questions, but I would really appreciate if your could help me figure this out. :smile:


An interdisciplinary degree is one where you can create your own degree by choosing modules from different departments across the university. I know that the University of Stirling has a very flexible approach which is similar to this. Alongside your main degree subjects you can choose practically any undergraduate module from any department at the university in your first two years, as long as you have the academic qualifications needed for the modules in question. So, for example, you could do two languages and sociology or sports studies or biology or psychology. The problem with Stirling is that it doesn't offer German, only French and Spanish.

A single honours degree is where you spend 100% of your time studying one subject. So, for example, if you did a single honours degree in French, all of your modules would be connected to French in some way - French language, history, culture, literature, etc.

A joint honours degree is where you spend 50% of your time on each of two subjects.

And an honours degree with a major is where you spend 75% of your time on your main (major) subject and 25% of your time on a secondary (minor) subject. (Some universities split this 60:40.)

Lots of universities give you the flexibility, especially in your first year, to take a subject that is completely unrelated to your degree course.

Applied languages courses focus on learning the language and on other vocational uses of the language, so there would be very little, if any, focus on literature, and you would usually have a choice of modules. Here is the link to the programme content of Heriot Watt's French and Applied Language Studies Course, to give you an idea:

http://www.undergraduate.hw.ac.uk/programmes/R100/

In this course your main language would be French but you can also continue studying German as a secondary language (the other way round is also offered) and then choose from a range of other modules. Economics is one of those but you don't have to choose that if it's something you're not interested in.

:smile:
Original post by FionaMG
An interdisciplinary degree is one where you can create your own degree by choosing modules from different departments across the university. I know that the University of Stirling has a very flexible approach which is similar to this. Alongside your main degree subjects you can choose practically any undergraduate module from any department at the university in your first two years, as long as you have the academic qualifications needed for the modules in question. So, for example, you could do two languages and sociology or sports studies or biology or psychology. The problem with Stirling is that it doesn't offer German, only French and Spanish.

A single honours degree is where you spend 100% of your time studying one subject. So, for example, if you did a single honours degree in French, all of your modules would be connected to French in some way - French language, history, culture, literature, etc.

A joint honours degree is where you spend 50% of your time on each of two subjects.

And an honours degree with a major is where you spend 75% of your time on your main (major) subject and 25% of your time on a secondary (minor) subject. (Some universities split this 60:40.)

Lots of universities give you the flexibility, especially in your first year, to take a subject that is completely unrelated to your degree course.

Applied languages courses focus on learning the language and on other vocational uses of the language, so there would be very little, if any, focus on literature, and you would usually have a choice of modules. Here is the link to the programme content of Heriot Watt's French and Applied Language Studies Course, to give you an idea:

http://www.undergraduate.hw.ac.uk/programmes/R100/

In this course your main language would be French but you can also continue studying German as a secondary language (the other way round is also offered) and then choose from a range of other modules. Economics is one of those but you don't have to choose that if it's something you're not interested in.

:smile:


Thank you so much for your explanations! Though, I would have one more question :biggrin: At the University of St. Andrews, I have the possibility of studying Arabic and French and German ( so, three languages). Do you happen to know if I will learn them all up until graduation? An if so, are they equally porportioned or is there one language more important than the others? On the official website I read that in the last two years one must study just two subjects and I am a little confused...Does it mean that in the end I will study only two languages?
Original post by Diana Jalea
Thank you so much for your explanations! Though, I would have one more question :biggrin: At the University of St. Andrews, I have the possibility of studying Arabic and French and German ( so, three languages). Do you happen to know if I will learn them all up until graduation? An if so, are they equally porportioned or is there one language more important than the others? On the official website I read that in the last two years one must study just two subjects and I am a little confused...Does it mean that in the end I will study only two languages?


I'm not familiar with St Andrews and their website is very confusing but this is a triple-subject course so I think you would study all three languages in your last two years but you have the option at that point of taking a different subject in place of one of your languages if you want to:

"As a Triple Subject Honours student you will gain credits in your Honours years from three modern languages or two modern languages and one other subject. No more than one-half and no fewer than one-quarter of the credits can be taken in each of the three subjects."

:smile:
Original post by FionaMG
I'm not familiar with St Andrews and their website is very confusing but this is a triple-subject course so I think you would study all three languages in your last two years but you have the option at that point of taking a different subject in place of one of your languages if you want to:

"As a Triple Subject Honours student you will gain credits in your Honours years from three modern languages or two modern languages and one other subject. No more than one-half and no fewer than one-quarter of the credits can be taken in each of the three subjects."

:smile:


Yes, I think I also read that, but this system with credits doesn`t really help me. :biggrin: I think I finally understand the whole process. Thank you again for your help!
Original post by Diana Jalea
Yes, I think I also read that, but this system with credits doesn`t really help me. :biggrin: I think I finally understand the whole process. Thank you again for your help!


You're welcome. :smile:

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