Careers in World Languages

Interested in teaching, translation, or healthcare studies?  

Our major programs allow students to gain experience and explore career paths in language teaching, translation, healthcare studies, and cultural studies. Our BA students may opt to take courses in foreign language teaching and either add a minor in Education Studies to qualify for licensure after college, or, if in the Spanish concentration, may apply to enter our 5-year combined BA/MEd to become a fully licensed Spanish teacher in Massachusetts. A good number of our students also complete our Certificate in Translation along with the major, giving them a strong foundation in translation for future use in the growing translation industry or in a field where such language skills are valued (in addition to Education and Healthcare, language skills are prized in Business, Hospitality and Tourism, Social Work, Criminal Justice, and many other fields). Our new combined BS in Healthcare Studies and Spanish is a unique opportunity for students to develop advanced Spanish skills while also learning about the Healthcare industry, giving our graduates a competitive edge in this emerging field. Finally, many World Languages and Cultures majors choose to minor in another additional language to further enhance their knowledge of world cultures and their future employability in any number of job sectors in the US or abroad.

Learning languages makes you more marketable as a job candidate in almost every field.

Language is key to increasing one's understanding of today's world. The internationalization of travel, the arts, media, politics, science and technology, the economic interdependence of the world's nations, and the increasingly multicultural character of American society  have created a very real demand for multilingual professionals in nearly every profession.

Knowing a second (or third) language is a real asset in today's markeplace, not only because you might need to use that language to communicate with native speakers in the U.S. or abroad, but also because of the personal, cultural and intellectual skills you develop when you learn a foreign language. In the words of the Wall Street Journal, "successful managers of the future are those who have ... the ability to understand different cultures and different ways of doing business."

The following are just some of the professions that require or prefer employees with foreign language skills: 

 

• Foreign Language Teacher
• Hotel Industry
• Translator
• Travel Agent
• Peace Corps/International Aid Worker
• Study Abroad Programs
• Tourism Industry
• US Customs/Border Patrol
• Military/Foreign Service
• International Law
• Legal Interpretation Services
• Immigration Services
• Airline Industry
• Politics and Government
• Restaurant Industry