Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
People who study foreign languages in college often go on to become translators, interpreters, or diplomats. We're not going to lie. Jobs for those who major in a foreign language are a little hard to come by. However, there are many translating and interpreting jobs in politics and education. Without these bilingual guardian angels, friendly and effective communication couldn't happen between countries. There are also opportunities in the courthouse, where translators are needed.
People often underestimate the usefulness of learning a second language. If you weren't raised bilingual, chances are you spent many years acquiring your level of competence. You may have even immersed yourself in your language of study by living in that language's country of origin for a few years. If a politician suddenly needs to communicate to, say, a community of Filipino immigrants, they don't pick up Rosetta Stone—they pick up the phone.
Alas, not many politicians need a speaker of both English and Tagalog on speed dial. It might be tough landing one of these jobs, because they are few and far between. But if you do, you'll likely be indispensable.
Common Career Fields
Arbitrator. When the two quarreling parties speak different languages, someone competently bilingual in said languages is an invaluable resource. Let's say it's Christmas and you find yourself brawling with a fellow grocery store patron over the last Christmas ham. Plot twist: You only speak English, she only speaks German. Oh, no. In a sticky situation like this, an arbitrator who knew both English and German would intervene to come to a settlement, such as providing compensation, splitting it down the middle, or maybe joint custody…of a Christmas ham?
Archivist or Librarian. An archivist takes care of old records for a company, university, or library. They are in charge of cataloguing new materials and making sure visitors (like pesky students) don't ruin the materials. These record keepers can use the foreign language training, depending on where they work. A lot of old records are written in Latin, so it's helpful to have a command of the (dead) language. It's always good to know what the documents you're filing away are about.
Court Reporter. Knowing a foreign language is very useful to transcribers like court reporters because often, witnesses will codeswitch between their first and second languages. This is very easy to miss if you're not competent in one of the languages. Especially in areas where another language is prevalent, like Spanish in Texas, California, and Florida, foreign language knowledge and training comes in handy.
Cultural Tutor. We're betting you've never heard of a cultural tutor, but we know you can guess what they do. Basically, they're responsible for educating people about another country. Usually, they target business people. Just say a company wants to wine and dine a new, foreign client. It might be helpful to know the customs in that country before heading over there, because you risk accidentally insulting them. A cultural tutor helps people learn how to market overseas, what is appropriate to do with business partners, and how to work within that country's specific labor laws.
Diplomat. No one can be two places at once, even if you're the POTUS. Instead of constantly traveling to other countries, the president and other important politicians and businessmen sends diplomats and ambassadors to foreign countries to build up relationships with key politicians. Sure, the president is perfectly capable of taking the trip and doing a bunch of hand-shaking and photo-ops, but his eyes and ears on the ground are diplomats, who live in the country they are assigned.
Interpreter. Embassies, courts, consulates, international businesses, and even the media all need interpreters to—you guessed it—interpret. We all know that speaking slower and louder doesn't really get us anywhere with people who don't speak our language. Neither do hand motions (unless it's ASL). Luckily, there's a whole career for people who want to interpret what others are saying. Unlike translators, interpreters work on the fly, meaning they communicate a person's sentiment from one language to another. Translators work with texts, so they can take their sweet time. Interpreters need to be a lot more competent in their second language to be effective.
Translator. Usually when we need something translated, we simply consult Google. Need to translate "to depend on" into Afrikaans? Easy. Google tells you in a matter of seconds. What Google doesn't tell you is whether their verb for "depend on" is transitive or intransitive, whether Afrikaans even uses the preposition "on" with "depend" (they don't), or even if native speakers of Afrikaans use a less literal, more idiomatic way of conveying the same message. As much as we love Google, it's not quite as accurate as a real, flesh-and-blood translator with years of training. Not yet, at least. Some translators focus on ancient manuscripts and texts older than your grandma that scholars want translated into English.
Current unemployment of the major
5%Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
48%Stats obtained from this source.