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Langauge graduates

I'm looking for career ideas. Apart from the usual translating, interpretation and teaching, what other careers are out there for language graduates?

What are you guys planning to do?
What degree are you planning or doing right now?
Other general comments would be ace too.

Thanks! :biggrin:

Reply 1

kellywood_5

17

I know this doesn't help you in the slightest, but planned degree: French and Spanish, planned career: teacher :p:

Lol have you checked out the prospectuses and websites of the universities you're interested in? They usually have a section of the careers their graduates have gone into, and even careers that don't require knowledge of a foreign language will be accessible to you because employers love us linguists :biggrin:

Reply 2

luke88

OP

11

Yeah I have, it does help but I dunno...

Kelly... where would just studying Spanish Studies get you?
Would I be less likely to get a job than the rest of you guys with 2 subjects?

Reply 3

kellywood_5

17

luke88

Yeah I have, it does help but I dunno...

Kelly... where would just studying Spanish Studies get you?
Would I be less likely to get a job than the rest of you guys with 2 subjects?

I'm not sure really, but if you just want to do Spanish and nothing else, it's better to do that than a joint degree with something you don't really want to do. It shouldn't really affect your job opportunieis as you'd still have the fluency in the language and you could probably take modules in other subjects in your first year. Can you do that though? A lot of universities seem to want an A-level in a foreign language if you want to do a single honours language from scratch.

Reply 4

garethDT

13

I understand language graduates are very employable in business but can someone explain why? I plan to do a language degree but I really can't understand how that would be attractive to a company considering most international business is done in English anyway.

And also Law/languages is meant to be a good combination but how do languages help with law?

Reply 5

luke88

OP

11

kellywood_5

I'm not sure really, but if you just want to do Spanish and nothing else, it's better to do that than a joint degree with something you don't really want to do. It shouldn't really affect your job opportunieis as you'd still have the fluency in the language and you could probably take modules in other subjects in your first year. Can you do that though? A lot of universities seem to want an A-level in a foreign language if you want to do a single honours language from scratch.

Portsmouth - No previous knowledge of Spanish is needed to do Spanish Studies, amongst a few others. :biggrin:

Reply 6

luke88

OP

11

garethDT

I understand language graduates are very employable in business but can someone explain why? I plan to do a language degree but I really can't understand how that would be attractive to a company considering most international business is done in English anyway.

And also Law/languages is meant to be a good combination but how do languages help with law?

International companies policy to languages is... we will sell in our customers languages but we'll buy in our language. Language graduates are desperately needed in this country for business, as wlel as tecahing, banking, all other sectors where the international world is involved.

Langauges and Law go well together, especially with us being in the European Human Rights.
Graduates here would deal into cases in your target language country.
For example, if you did Law and French... you'd focus on cases in France, where a British person needs representation, needs a lawyer etc.

Reply 7

Manatee

14

luke88

Langauges and Law go well together, especially with us being in the European Human Rights.
Graduates here would deal into cases in your target language country.
For example, if you did Law and French... you'd focus on cases in France, where a British person needs representation, needs a lawyer etc.

I'm afraid that's a misconception - if you haven't studied the law of the other country (and, more specifically, if you aren't professionally qualified in that country's law), knowledge of the language alone is useless in the situation you describe. I have a degree in languages and have qualified as a lawyer, and I have never had anything to do with legal cases abroad. The most I have done is liaise with local lawyers in other countries, but even that was done in English, since they all speak it perfectly! If a British person abroad needs a lawyer, they will find a local one - there is no point in being represented by a British lawyer who speaks the lingo but knows next to nothing about the actual law.

That's not to say that languages aren't attractive to employers in the legal sector, though. But, for anyone wanting to go down that route, make sure that your expectations are realistic.

Reply 8

luke88

OP

11

There are courses now that incorparate Frech and Law, where you study the law of the language you're studying.

Reply 9

Manatee

14

luke88

There are courses now that incorparate Frech and Law, where you study the law of the language you're studying.

In practical career terms, that's still not very useful unless you actually have a professional qualification in it. For example, in England, you must study law at university (or do the conversion course), do the LPC and then spend two years working at a law firm before you can call yourself a solicitor. I imagine many other jurisdictions have similar requirements. Academic study may, of course, give you certain knowledge, but you won't be hired to practise French law if all you've done is studied it at university.

Sorry! :smile:

Reply 10

kellywood_5

17

luke88

Portsmouth - No previous knowledge of Spanish is needed to do Spanish Studies, amongst a few others. :biggrin:

I know you don't need any previous knowledge of Spanish, but for quite a few single honours courses you need an A-level in another foreign language (French, German, Italian) to prove your ability in languages.

Reply 11

fuglyduckling

2

I'll be studying German & Italian with Economics at Bristol, and I intend to work in finance

Reply 12

Diachrom

10

I'm doing Japanese, having not done an A level in a language, but I did as many as I could at GCSE - German, French and Latin. Ultimately, a nice, lucrative job in investment banking or law would be good, but any form of income would be nice. It shoudln't be hard though, as linguists are currently in short supply...

Reply 13

luke88

OP

11

kellywood_5

I know you don't need any previous knowledge of Spanish, but for quite a few single honours courses you need an A-level in another foreign language (French, German, Italian) to prove your ability in languages.

Thats true, but at Portsmouth, no previous knowledge of Spanish is required to study Spanish Studies.

Reply 14

luke88

OP

11

Diachrom

I'm doing Japanese, having not done an A level in a language, but I did as many as I could at GCSE - German, French and Latin. Ultimately, a nice, lucrative job in investment banking or law would be good, but any form of income would be nice. It shoudln't be hard though, as linguists are currently in short supply...

Did the GCSE's in those three langauges help you to be allowed to study Japaneese?

Reply 15

leannemarie

11

I'm planning to go into law. At the moment perhaps criminal or corporate law as those are the ones i've been interested in the most when doing work experience.

Reply 16

princessa

1

i dont have a clue, i dont want to teach, dont want to be a lawyer, banking and business and stuff like that just doesnt float my boat. i want to actually do something with my language knowledge, not just occasionally speak it. id like to be a "linguistic correspondant" but this is just something i dreamt up, not sure if it actually exists! or i'd like to work in the media somehow, like production or something, not journalism or anything like that. or i'd like to work for UEFA or some other international sports organisation (maybe the IOC!), but maybe this first came into my head cause i like the idea of getting to watch sport for free. or be a football agent, bridging the gap between players and clubs across europe and the world. and id also like to open a premium cosmetic boutique chain, starting in barcelona.

im doing french and spanish with a couple of other languages, not too sure what i am going to do afterwards. i read all this stuff saying "language graduates are employable bla bla bla" but all the things they list dont really sound like my kind of thing.

Reply 17

garethDT

13

princessa

or i'd like to work for UEFA or some other international sports organisation (maybe the IOC!), but maybe this first came into my head cause i like the idea of getting to watch sport for free. or be a football agent, bridging the gap between players and clubs across europe and the world.

I would love to do something like that too. One job I dreamt up is translating Barcelona FC's website into English, live and work in Spanish football :biggrin:

Unfortunately translating jobs will soon become extinct for our generation, computer translation is getting better and better so that only leaves interpreting.

Regarding law I still don't see a link with languages. In this country, when a foreign person is taken to court the only difference is an interpreter is used.

Reply 18

princessa

1

garethDT

I would love to do something like that too. One job I dreamt up is translating Barcelona FC's website into English, live and work in Spanish football :biggrin:

aye something like this has entered my mind as well. actually i was browsing barca's website a while back and they have a partnership with liverpool doing some sort of education scheme, i wouldnt mind to do something like that. sport in the international community. i also thought about was being one of the interpreters for the press conferences at champions league matches, or for a foreign coach. didnt jose mourinho* start out as an interpreter for bobby robson at barcelona? oh dizzy heights beckon for linguists. maybe picturing myself as a multi-trophy winning football coach is a bit ambitious though.

* these are the kind of people they should be using to show that languages are cool! cool people are bilingual.

Reply 19

luke88

OP

11

I think I would like to work in the Spanish/British tourist industry, using Spanish.
Or maybe banking, financial or Political career.

I've even considered teaching... but I havn't a clue really.

Langauge graduates

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