The
following and more can be found at the Career
Services site
What can
you do with a
Foreign
Languages Major?
The
possibilities are ENDLESS!
-
Do
business overseas.
-
Translate
or interpret for a living.
-
Enjoy
a broader world view / Educate others.
-
Be
a staff member of a foreign embassy.
-
Make
lifetime friends from abroad.
-
Understand
cultural diversity.
-
Be
a court interpreter.
-
Get
a higher paying job in the U.S.
-
Become
an International TV Correspondent.
-
Work
with Immigrants and Migrant Workers.
-
Be
a foreign travel advisor/agent or a flight attendant.
-
Become
an FBI or CIA Agent highly needed for bilingual
skills.
-
Adapt
well to other cultures and new environments.
-
Compete
easily against those who are not bilingual for high-paying
jobs.
-
Teach
English abroad.
-
Teach
a foreign language in Elementary School, High School,
or College.
-
Become
an immigrations/customs official.
-
Help
foreign tourists find their way in the U.S.
-
Join
the Peace Corps.
-
Be
a doctor or nurse working with minority populations.
-
Become
a hotel manager.
-
Work
with film-makers in translation/interpretation.
-
Vacation
in exotic places and enjoy the experience at a deeper
level.
-
Become
an international researcher.
Helpful
Links
What are
some of our Alumni doing with their foreign language
skills?
-
Several
graduates are continuing their studies at the graduate
level.
-
One
graduate is working in Atlanta for a computer company,
where he handles their French-Canadien clients.
-
Many
graduates are teaching foreign languages in Georgia
public schools.
-
Another
graduate went into an internship in Europe.
-
Lots
of them enjoy holidays abroad.
You could be in their shoes!
Are you a former graduate of GSU with a degree in
foreign languages? If so, please contact the webmaster
for the department, Dr.
Leticia McGrath, and provide details about what
you are doing with your foreign language skills.
Need
More Information? Read on.
Proficiency
in a foreign language (active use of the language) has
become an increasingly important asset in an interdependent
world, a world in which the economy is now international
and different cultures are interconnected by telephone,
satellite, and computer terminal. Students who have
added a foreign language skill to their resumes have
prepared themselves to participate in a world economy
in which "the language of business is the customer's
language".
Already
in the United States, approximately one out of every
six manufacturing jobs is related to international commerce,
and about 20 percent of U.S. industrial output is geared
to foreign trade. It is clear that in order for the
United States to remain competitive in world markets,
we will need persons trained in both foreign languages
and other professional areas related to business and
commerce, such as agriculture, manufacturing, sales,
management, transportation, marketing, finance, and
law. Journalists, diplomats, public relations officers,
military personnel, medical, social, and agricultural
workers will play an increasing role in international
understanding.
To
provide for the demands of internationally-related businesses
and agencies, the foreign language profession will require
additional and more highly trained teachers of language,
especially at the secondary level. Language requirements
for admission to colleges and universities have strengthened
the curriculum, but they have also produced a shortage
of qualified foreign language teachers. In short, the
future is bright for anyone with a foreign language
proficiency in business, professional, service, and
educational fields.
Specifically
With Regard to Jobs...
While
special knowledge of specific subject matter is necessary
for certain occupational settings, not all employment
settings require specialization. Some employers prefer
liberal arts graduates who possess broad liberal skills
such as: problem-solving, critical thinking, management
and administration, and communication. These functional
transferable skills combined with specific content knowledge
are most useable and marketable in a broad span of occupational
settings.
Listed
below is a brief sampling of occupational titles and
employment settings which relate to a major in Foreign
Languages.
Language, Reading, Speaking, Communications Skills:
reading - explaining concepts - writing vividly love
of printed things - expressing self - reporting accurately
- promotional writing - thinking on one's feelings -
keeping minutes - publicity writing - editing - summarizing
- speech writing - composing - translating - writing
with humor - proofreading - linguistics
warm letter composition
Research, Investigating, Analyzing, Systematizing,
Evaluating Skills:
trouble-shooting - interviewing - analyzing community
needs - analyzing communications situations - critiquing
- diagnosing - analyzing manpower requirements - organizing/classifying
- reviewing/evaluating - systematizing/organizing material
- problem solving - decision making - screening - skilled
at clarifying problems/situations - recognizing elements,
relationships, structures, and organizing principles
- ability to trace problems to their sources - able
to separate "wheat from chaff" - reviewing large amounts
of material and extracting essence - receiving/defining
cause and effect relationships - anticipate problems
before they become problems
Typical Work Activities:
teaching, explaining, - enlightening, guiding - helping
- selecting and training - informing, organizing - solving
problems, leading discussions
Occupational Opportunities:
Announcer (radio, TV) - Foreign export marketer - Writer
(technical publications) - Translator - Foreign exchange
program director - Tour guide - Foreign language translator
- Foreign travel escort officer - Foreign information
officer - Foreign tax accountant - Teacher (second language,
international) - Interpreter - Anthropologist - Art
historian - Case worker - Child care attendant - Community
relations and services; advisor, public housing - Booking
agent - Road manager - Flight attendant - Immigration
inspector - Intelligence specialist - News writer (foreign
languages items) - Special agent (FBI) - Training instructor
- Teacher (college, high school) - Employment interviewer
- Community organization worker - Biographer - Customs
inspector - Editor (Foreign news, broadcast) - Foreign
correspondent - Foreign student advisor - Importer -
Explorer - International broadcaster (radio) - International
Relations specialist - International Trade economist
- Interviewer and claims adjuster - Language researcher
- Linguistic scientist - Manager, Industrial development
- Manager (world trade)
Possible Employment Settings:
Airports
- News bureaus - Public relations firms - Visitors and
convention bureaus - Hotel chains - Public service organizations
- Chambers of commerce - Import/export companies - Investment
firms - Travel agencies - United Nations - Advertising
departments and agencies - Air, bus and rail lines -
Banks (savings and commercial) - Government agencies
(Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Affairs Office,
Vista, Foreign Service Department, Federal Communications
Commission, Peace Corps, Commerce Department, National
Archives, Agency of International Development, Education
Department, Civil Service Commission, Immigration and
Naturalization Services, Library of Congress)
For
more questions, contact the Department of Foreign Languages.
Also, do not forget to
visit the Career Services Center (Williams Center) and
use their wide ranging service.
