Learning another language is worth doing on its own merits, but it can also be a way of opening doors to a variety of careers that would otherwise be closed to monolingual people.
So what are the kinds of jobs you can take up as a language learner, and what prospects are out there for a change of career if this is on the cards for you?
Translation & interpretation
The first and most conspicuous route forward for anyone who decides to participate in any type of language course is to get a job as a translator and interpreter.
Individuals who are fluent in more than one language are needed to provide these services almost everywhere, from government agencies to multinational corporations.
As well as acting as a conduit for conversations between two or more parties who don’t share the same native tongue in real time, you can also translate text, rewriting prose in everything from food menus to full blown novels.
This is a career with a whole host of different directions to take and avenues to pursue, so start with a basic translator role and go from there!
Teaching
Once you have learned a new language, you could be compelled to share your skills with others, and becoming a teacher will be a natural fit.
There are a few options in this regard. You could head overseas to an area where your first language isn’t spoken, and help the locals get to grips with it, while using your own second language skills to communicate with them.
Alternatively you could stay in your own country and impart your newfound knowledge to others who want to learn, just like you.
The great news is that in the age of virtual meetings and video conferencing, there are opportunities for teaching students remotely. So if you want a career with ample flexibility, this is it.
Content creation & travel blogging
There is a huge appetite for multilingual content around the globe, and if you’ve not only got a knack for learning languages via virtual French classes, but you’ve also got a way with words or a good presentational style in front of the camera, blogging or content creation could be a good fit for your skill set.
There is a huge appetite for multilingual content around the globe, and if you’ve not only got a knack for learning languages, but you’ve also got a way with words or a good presentational style in front of the camera, blogging or content creation could be a good fit for your skill set.
Whether you stay at home and make relevant, language-driven content to grow an audience and engage others who are interested in linguistics, or you take your career out on the road and write about your experiences while traveling, this could lead to big things if you strike a chord. While not everyone will make it as an influencer in this space, those that do make a good living from it.
HR professional
You might not realize how important language skills are in HR, but they play more of a role than ever today, given that workforces for small and large organizations alike may feature people from different parts of the globe, with different backgrounds, and different linguistic needs to be met.
Having an HR pro who is not only able to speak to team members in their own language, but also has an understanding of the cultural sensitivities that exist, will be a benefit for all sorts of businesses. Thus you can bolster your resume by learning a language, even if the job you apply for isn’t directly related to it.
Concluding considerations
A rewarding career can be achieved by language learners, and opportunities branch in all directions when you complete a course of this kind, and your entire brain will change as a result.
Even if you don’t end up putting your skills to use in your job, you will be a more rounded individual if you can speak more than one language.
WRITTEN BY
Sophie H.