Globalisation has brought a tectonic shift in communication flow and the way the world transacts. The contemporary world is highly interconnected and interdependent; therefore, bilingualism has become vital. Knowing a local language has consistently helped businesses connect with people in a more personalised and meaningful manner.
Job industry experts constantly debate about the best foreign languages to learn. However, it is hard to reach any consensus as some languages are valuable because they are challenging to master; hence the scarcity of fluent non-native speakers makes them worthwhile. Certain languages carry weight because of a vast speakership and others because of a solid connection to a booming industry.
The scope of foreign languages is often misunderstood by all of us. There are a lot of misconceptions about career options in foreign languages. It is perceived that translation and interpretation jobs are the only available career options after acquiring language skills. However, the emergence of the internet and the ease of doing business offshore have changed the job industry significantly. These days, language skills are an incredible asset; soon, they may be deemed necessary in certain jobs. Thanks to the internet-based global economy, many career options have sprung, and all these jobs need basic computer skills.
The benefits of learning foreign languages are augmenting, and bilingualism is now perhaps the most useful real-world skill to ever exist. Now the time has come, you should learn a foreign language rather than expect the world to accommodate your monolingualism. After meticulous research and due deliberations with human resources experts, we have curated a list of jobs you should envisage for yourself after learning a foreign language.
Product Localisation Manager
An additional language can bring exceptional rewards in your career as the global expansion of businesses has created an enormous demand for bilingual human resource.
International brands need to strategise their products on various fronts before entering a new market. This is where the product localisation manager’s job starts. The localisation manager modifies a product or service according to the language, culture or region. Many confuse localisation with translation; however, translation is just a part of localisation.
To better understand the localisation, let’s take the example of Netflix, Facebook, Google, Amazon, or other internet giants with a global presence. Their products are in sync with the geographic area they target as they have brought the local look and feel to products to build confidence among the target audience. According to a report, up to 60% of non-native English speakers rarely or never buy from English-only websites.
Liaison Officer
Every year more and more countries sign liberalised trade agreements with each other, and it is expected these activities will accelerate within the next couple of years. Only specialised human resources can facilitate communication as these joint activities from large corporations may differ culturally and linguistically.
The liaison officers need to be well versed with linguistic skills, as they are the face and the force of their respective organisations. A liaison officer’s role extends beyond that of an interpreter or translator because liaising necessitates more active participation in the entire process.
The job includes information sharing, scheduling and managing expectations. They are the bridging force that holds two different parties together. The liaison officer’s position can be filled by folks who can effectively facilitate communication between two separate entities.
This job position is quite crucial as it is the most active role in any organisation. Give this job a shot if coordination and communication are your strong points. Because of your foreign language skills, you will be exposed to various organisations, which will undoubtedly broaden your perspective.
Foreign Civil Service Officer
A large section of language learners often neglects that the government is one of the largest employers of people with foreign language skills. Being a part of a diplomatic mission is always fascinating as it comes with a lot of travelling, and the most important aspect is you get to represent your country. Such jobs revolve around foreign affairs and international relations. As a public servant in civil service, you’ll work overseas for a governmental department or agency, aside from the military.
Individuals with proficiency in foreign language skills are prime candidates, as you will be placed abroad and more likely in a country where the primary language is not English.
The duties of people in diplomatic mission vary; officials are assigned tasks to aid international adoptions, negotiating or communicating with foreign government officials. The majority of foreign missions have a division that solely supervises the cultural wing of the mission. Being a part of a mission would be perfect for those who have a passion for immersing themselves in new countries and cultures and are highly motivated and dedicated to supporting their government to gain and maintain positive foreign relations.
Subtitle or Voice-over Artist
If you can speak properly and write well in another language, you might be the best fit for the TV and film industries. You can write subtitles or give voice over to movies, documentaries and series with a language degree. While major films are produced worldwide in many countries, however, Hollywood and Bollywood are at the heart of this industry. When movies are released in other countries, subtitles or voice-over are required for the international film to be understood.
Writing subtitles for films is a unique career opportunity for those who believe their strengths lie in written language, as you must not only translate the words but also their emotions. On the other hand, voice-overs are ideal for fluent in spoken language and have perfect pronunciation, enunciation, and grammar.
Import/Export Specialist
While international product shipping is a process that is all around us, it is one that we are largely unaware of. Import/export experts, on the other hand, are the people in charge of ensuring that goods comply with customs laws and regulations, assisting customers with insurance and lowering their taxes and duties, and preparing and monitoring shipments. Import/export companies are located worldwide, allowing you to communicate with customers and customs agents in both your native and second languages daily.
Flight Attendant with International Airlines
Woking with international airlines is a dream of everyone who aspires to make a career in the aviation sector, and international airline means that you will have passengers from all over the world. This is not to say that you will be obliged to speak in the native language of every passenger, but you will most likely be flying back and forth from your native place to the same foreign country, and you will need to know both English and the language of that country. For example, if you worked for the German airline Lufthansa, you would need to communicate in German and English to accommodate most passengers on flights between India and Germany.
As a pilot or flight attendant, you would get to use both your native and second language daily at work, as well as travel abroad regularly – the ideal job for someone with a language degree and a wanderlust.
Foreign Language Ad Copy Writer
You may be able to take your products and services to a global level of recognition. You may be working in an agency’s language or culture division, where you create ads in your second language. With your second language skills, you could do all of these things and more in advertising. A career in advertising would be perfect for creative types who enjoy creativity and elicit people’s reactions and emotions through their work.
Editor/Writer in Publishing Sector
The publishing sector covers journals, magazines and publishing houses but does not limit itself to them. Indeed, most companies need someone with editorial capabilities, such as newsletters, press releases, and essential material, to re-read and clean up written work. Furthermore, there are probably more companies than you could ever imagine who need bilingual or multilingual staff in their everyday work. This may include writing and editing letters in both English and other languages to clients or business partners. It could be the editing of a product instruction manual in many languages. It may even mean different languages for the editing and publication of software. Editing and publication is a field in which you can bring your final touches to the written texts and display your language skills.
Manager in Hospitality and Tourism Industry
Hotel management is the ideal career opportunity to live, work and benefit from your language skills in another country or your own country. If you use your second language overseas with hotel staff and local people, it will have a lasting effect, and your job will be at ease always. However, the native language of your country can also be helpful to visitors. When you live in your home country, try to find a place at a hotel that receives a wide variety of international guests, especially from countries that speak the language you studied. Working in a hotel will allow you to put your language skills to good use, as you will be explaining many essential things to guests, such as the layout of the hotel and nearby attractions.
Field Researcher
Since the inception of human existence, a lot of knowledge is not recorded in English, particularly from the past. The Chinese, Arab, and Hindu civilisations, for example, have made findings and insights that the rest of the world awaits. There are not enough people to work on some old texts, and it is painfully slow to rediscover them. This colossal task cannot be left on the shoulders of a few national geographical scientists! So, if you’re excited to learn the past, then use your foreign language skills and make good use of them. You are going to make an indispensable contribution to the advancement of human knowledge.
Content Moderator
The universe of online media is vast, and every day, billions of people globally search, share and post content online. You will be fascinated to know that close to 500 million tweets are sent, 4 petabytes of data are created on Facebook, 65 billion messages are sent on WhatsApp, and roughly 294 billion emails are sent in a single day. This data is mammoth, and it’s created in multiple languages. On certain occasions, content creators don’t follow community guidelines. It becomes necessary for these organisations to put in place a system and make their platforms free from any discriminatory and inappropriate content.
Content moderators play a crucial role in making online spaces safe for everyone. You could take up this job in various MNCs in India if you have good proficiency in a second language like French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Dutch, Italian etc.
If you want to earn anything more from your peers, there are some typical part-time or freelance jobs for language experts such as teachers, podcasters, interpreters, bloggers, tour guides etc.
Conclusion
The future of foreign language learning is bright, with new opportunities opening up every day. Businesses and companies like IBM, L&T, Genpact, Accenture, etc., are now assessing their prospective employees’ foreign language skills.
Reiterating our earlier observation that the world has come closer due to technological advancements, learning a second language has become necessary. It can improve your self-esteem, help you succeed in your career, and so on.