how useful is a language degree?

You can get any job you'd be able to get doing any other non-STEM/economics degree; that is, most of them.

The vast majority of graduate roles don't require any specific degree, ranging from those in business, to media, to banking, to the civil service, to law, to accountancy, to even a few software development grad schemes. It doesn't matter whether you do a single honours or a joint honours, etc, etc. The only thing they're really going to look at is your final degree classification (i.e., do you have a 2:1 or a 1st) and then assess how well you are able to leverage the transferable skills you've developed in your degree (which are by and large the same between all degrees) to market yourself to them.

I love learning languages and would like to apply for a chinese / japanese degree, or both (at Leeds). However, some people have told me I won't get a good job (just a translator or teacher etc.) or that I won't be fluent by the end of it and it's a waste of money. I know a degree isn't just for fun but that is what I really love. The other option would be taking a joint degree with a non language but I'd rather learn two languages. I wouldn't mind working for the foreign office or improving human rights abroad - would I be better off doing international relations and chinese rather than japanese and chinese?

The only issue I see with languages is that it is legitimately something that having a degree in won't help with when it comes to careers involving languages. You can either speak another language or you can't, how does a degree help somebody prove they can speak it? I go to uni but I'm learning a language on the side with a tutor via skype, it's just as valid as a degree in the language.

Right, I'm going to copy/paste my response to other similar threads like this:

Languages are highly employable and eternally rewarding. At university, I did French, Spanish and Japanese. After graduating, I worked at a private firm in Tokyo assisting medical and business clients with English translation all the while going on several business trips around the country (including one to Sapporo for 3 months). I also did some freelance interpreting during my year abroad studying in Japan. Now I'm back in the UK hoping to start a Master's degree in International Relations from this September. I also intend on applying to the diplomatic service, the CIR JET position (http://jetprogramme.org/en/positions/) as well as some PhDs.

My friends who did a Japanese degree have gone onto the following jobs: working in immigration offices in Japan, working in local Japanese governments such as Fukushima, Beppu and Kyoto as the Coordinator for International Relations (one such example: https://rediscoverfukushima.com/), working at the consulate general (embassy) in Edinburgh, working for the NHK (Japan's version of BBC) in both Tokyo and London, investment banking, working in Japanese translation (environmental and video games), practicing Law in Japan, working at a local sake brewery in Okayama (https://www.originsake.com/?fbclid=I...0neClapyuUuqyY), lecturing at universities in Japan and the UK, teaching business English to professionals and so on and so forth.

My university friends who studied French and Spanish have gone onto working at the European Parliament, investment banking, tourism and so on.

When you study a languages degree, you don't just study the language - the language will just be 50% of your studies whereas the other 50% will be focused on whatever your university department specialises in. For example, within the context of the University of Edinburgh's Japanese, Hispanic and Francophone departments, during my undergraduate degree I took various modules on Japan-China foreign policy, East Asian (Japan, China and Korean) economies and politics, Japanese communist politics in the 1960s, French immigration laws, French medieval literature, French post-modern philosophy and politics, Spanish journalism and contemporary Hispanic film and literature etc. What's more, regarding the language component of our degrees, there were modules consisting of writing newspaper articles as well as translations to and fro of dense political documents, medical documents, historical religious documents, both classical and contemporary literary texts and journalistic articles among many others.

I would say to go for a degree in Chinese and Japanese at Leeds or any other language combination if that's what you really want to do. It sounds like a fantastic degree that will be employable. As I mentioned before, a languages degree helps you become extremely advanced in all aspects of the language/s in question (speaking, writing, reading and listening) as well as providing you with an advanced knowledge of the country's social, political and economic issues (contemporary or otherwise). You'll basically be studying various aspects of history, sociology, politics, literature, philosophy and IR of another nation or two. My final year undergraduate dissertation was on modern Japanese diplomatic issues and I also wrote a mini-dissertation in my 2nd year on the paradoxical nature of the Japanese mafia (yakuza) within the context of an evolving Japanese society that, since the 1970s, has adopted a stance that simultaneously promotes and rejects the crime syndicate.

Thank you so much! Okay, it's reassuring when people who have done a language degree tell me about their experience

In an increasingly global marketplace languages are an asset in just about every line of business. People need to communicate with each other and while translation apps can be a help they have a long way to go before they can match the human brain's capacity to understand context and the finer nuances of language. And however much STEM folks consider themselves to be the bees knees, they can't exactly communicate with each other in "Equationese", can they?

I am a language graduate myself (albeit from many moons ago) and I had no hesitation in encouraging my daughter to follow in my footsteps.

If languages are what you love, then go for it. Put your heart and soul into it and make a success of it! Good luck!

You're most welcome.

The sad thing is that most people don't understand or appreciate language studies. At university, you will study the language/s + most other arts/humanities courses all rolled into one which most other people wouldn't be able to do. Think about it like this: you could probably do a degree in History, IR or Law etc comfortably, but your friends wouldn't be able to do your degree in languages.

Britain is seriously lacking in an extremely valuable skill and most of its people have become ignorant as well. Don't listen to the average person or even some of your teachers because I highly doubt they know what they're talking about when it comes to languages. As a degree, languages are incredibly versatile, rewarding and demanding. It's one of the most pragmatic non-STEM degrees out there.

Right, I'm going to copy/paste my response to other similar threads like this:

Languages are highly employable and eternally rewarding. At university, I did French, Spanish and Japanese. After graduating, I worked at a private firm in Tokyo assisting medical and business clients with English translation all the while going on several business trips around the country (including one to Sapporo for 3 months). I also did some freelance interpreting during my year abroad studying in Japan. Now I'm back in the UK hoping to start a Master's degree in International Relations from this September. I also intend on applying to the diplomatic service, the CIR JET position (http://jetprogramme.org/en/positions/) as well as some PhDs.

My friends who did a Japanese degree have gone onto the following jobs: working in immigration offices in Japan, working in local Japanese governments such as Fukushima, Beppu and Kyoto as the Coordinator for International Relations (one such example: https://rediscoverfukushima.com/), working at the consulate general (embassy) in Edinburgh, working for the NHK (Japan's version of BBC) in both Tokyo and London, investment banking, working in Japanese translation (environmental and video games), practicing Law in Japan, working at a local sake brewery in Okayama (https://www.originsake.com/?fbclid=I...0neClapyuUuqyY), lecturing at universities in Japan and the UK, teaching business English to professionals and so on and so forth.

My university friends who studied French and Spanish have gone onto working at the European Parliament, investment banking, tourism and so on.

When you study a languages degree, you don't just study the language - the language will just be 50% of your studies whereas the other 50% will be focused on whatever your university department specialises in. For example, within the context of the University of Edinburgh's Japanese, Hispanic and Francophone departments, during my undergraduate degree I took various modules on Japan-China foreign policy, East Asian (Japan, China and Korean) economies and politics, Japanese communist politics in the 1960s, French immigration laws, French medieval literature, French post-modern philosophy and politics, Spanish journalism and contemporary Hispanic film and literature etc. What's more, regarding the language component of our degrees, there were modules consisting of writing newspaper articles as well as translations to and fro of dense political documents, medical documents, historical religious documents, both classical and contemporary literary texts and journalistic articles among many others.

I would say to go for a degree in Chinese and Japanese at Leeds or any other language combination if that's what you really want to do. It sounds like a fantastic degree that will be employable. As I mentioned before, a languages degree helps you become extremely advanced in all aspects of the language/s in question (speaking, writing, reading and listening) as well as providing you with an advanced knowledge of the country's social, political and economic issues (contemporary or otherwise). You'll basically be studying various aspects of history, sociology, politics, literature, philosophy and IR of another nation or two. My final year undergraduate dissertation was on modern Japanese diplomatic issues and I also wrote a mini-dissertation in my 2nd year on the paradoxical nature of the Japanese mafia (yakuza) within the context of an evolving Japanese society that, since the 1970s, has adopted a stance that simultaneously promotes and rejects the crime syndicate.

Hi there just wondering what you think of Edinburgh as a uni to study languages?

Edinburgh Uni is great. Every languages department is different but the French, Hispanic, Japanese and Chinese departments are all fantastic. In Scottish universities, you do 3 subjects in your first 2 years. So, if your degree is French+Spanish you can also do something like Economics or IR as your outside course. Then, in 3rd and 4th year you'll just continue with French+Spanish or you could change your degree to French+IR or Spanish+IR etc etc.

At St Andrews, you can do a triple honours degree by doing three languages as your degree or 2 languages + Comparative Lit OR 2 languages + IR OR 2 languages + Management etc. https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/spanish/spanish-ma-2020/#38597

Yeah I was thinking of applying for Spanish with International Business and then hopefully being able to do French as part of my degree. Do you know how long I would be able to study French modules before I'd have to solely study Spanish and Business as part of their honours years? (I think that's what it's called)

You can do Spanish, International Business and French in your first 2 years at Edinburgh. That'll get you to a really good level. During your year abroad, you could try to take some French classes too.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

I think that was just the main thing I was worried about but If I'm able to study it for two years that sounds good! Would you say the teaching is good and the facilities at Edinburgh? I'm a bit torn between it and St Andrews and maybe Glasgow but I've got ages to make my decision.

Yeah, I thought Edinburgh was great. You might want to look at the departments' focus regarding languages. At Edinburgh, the Hispanic department does a lot of 20th century - contemporary literature and film. We looked at some absolutely phenomenal South American literature which I don't think I would have ever come across had I not done the course at Edinburgh. The French department looks at 20th century politics/philosophy/literature as well as literature in the 1600s. Everything was, again, fantastic.

It's totally up to you, but you could also consider picking up different languages. I picked up Japanese at Edinburgh.

Sorry for the late reply but would you say there is a bigger emphasis on literature? I don't mind it if I can get involved in the book and it's something that I enjoy but I do enjoy learning a lot about the different cultures and wouldn't mind doing some translation and interpreting as well.