
During career week at my alma mater, Holy Name Convent, I often speak to students about the opportunities available to those who speak foreign languages.
I explain that language skills can be combined with almost any career and will often complement your job regardless of the field you choose – setting you apart in a competitive job market.
Graduates whom I have never met and who studied languages at university also come across our website and call for advice and guidance about the options available to them.
This article outlines some of the opportunities available to you if you are a language aficionado or a language graduate looking to make a career out of languages.
The path to each career is different, but here are some job options for polyglots:
1) Interpreter – verbally translating speeches from the interlocutor to recipient
2) Translator – converting a document from one language to another
3) Foreign Language Teacher – teaching languages at all levels at educational institutions or privately
4) Diplomat and Embassy Staff – heads of diplomatic missions, i.e. ambassadors, chargés d’affaires and most embassy staff need to function in one or more foreign languages
5) Foreign Service Officer – staff in ministries of foreign affairs interact verbally and in writing with government representatives from foreign countries
6) Hotel Manager – working with a large team and meeting new customers and business partners, a second language is a must
7) Flight Attendant – providing service on flights to different countries or to travellers on board speaking other languages
8) Travel Agent – helping foreign clients book flights and resolve travel issues
9) Tour Guide – must speak more than one language to accommodate tourists and make their experience memorable
10) Human Resource Specialist – interacting with a diverse staff, responsible for reviewing applications and recruiting and resolving floor issues, must be equipped to interact professionally with everyone
11) Social Worker – helping families in crises, especially those that may be refugees who speak another language
12) Customer Service Representative – assisting clients from different countries or those with a different native tongue
Let us know if this was helpful by commenting below. Email us at admin@rmclanguages.com if you or staff from your organisation need to function in a foreign language.