French
Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures
The world is tied together by many bonds--economic, diplomatic and human--and because of technological advances in transportation and communication, an increasing number of Americans rely on the knowledge of a foreign language. Concentrated study of the languages and cultures of other nations contributes significantly to the improvement of international relations. Employment possibilities for foreign language majors include the many positions available to humanities students in any field. For bilinguals there are openings in foreign countries as well as in the United States. Graduates have found jobs in teaching, translating, foreign diplomacy, foreign correspondence, travel agencies, international airlines, import-export work, international corporations, and in agencies of the federal government. Foreign language competence is an asset to urban workers in social work, public health, and law enforcement. While graduates with skills and backgrounds only in foreign languages may encounter keen competition for jobs, as a supplement to other skills the knowledge of a foreign language is a valuable professional commodity. The following list contains a representative sample of current job titles of former Foreign Language majors. Use this as an idea list, and remember that it represents some, but certainly not all, of the careers you might consider. Some of these jobs also require education beyond a bachelor’s degree.
Related Career Titles
| Archivist Art Dealer Auditor Banking Correspondent Bilingual Educator Bilingual Officers/Clerks/Tellers Civil Service Employee Commercial Loan Officer Consultant Court Interpreter Cultural Officer Customs /Immigration Officer Escort/Interpreter/Guide FBI Agent Foreign Correspondent Foreign Diplomat Foreign Exchange Trader Foreign Salesperson Foreign Service Officer Foreign Service Peacekeeping Foreign Service Specialist Foreign Social Worker Fund-Raiser Importer/Exporter Intelligence Researcher Intelligence Specialist International Account Manager International Banking Officer International Conference Planner International Consultant | International Hotel Administrator International Trade Economist International Trade Specialist Interpreter Investment Analyst Journalist Lawyer Linguist Missionary Multi-Lingual Port Receptionist Museum Curator National Security Agent Negotiator Nonprofit Manager Overseas Personnel Manager Overseas Plant Manager Peace Corps Volunteer Pharmaceutical Representative Proofreader Reporter Scientific Translator/Interpreter Teacher TESO/ESL Teacher Translator Transport Equipment Manager Travel Agent Tour Organizer Travel Writer UN Employee UNESCO Official Writer |
Related Major Skills
| Acknowledging value systems Adapting to other cultures Assessing needs Clarifying ideas Collaborating as part of a team Communicating between cultures Comparing translations/interpretations Compiling/recording data Designing instruments Determining the needs of others Establishing hypotheses Evaluating evidence Evaluating information Evaluating results Explaining complex concepts Gathering information | Interpreting data Interviewing non-judgmentally Listening carefully Organizing materials/information Reading critically Reading for content and structure Reading/writing another language Reporting and editing Speaking to groups Summarizing ideas Understanding cultural diversity Understanding historical language change Weighing values Working with original sources in many fields Working with research subjects Writing clearly |
Professional Organizations
American Association for Applied Linguistics
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
American Translators Association
Foreign Language Associations - links to associations
Modern Language Association
