Careers

Speaking another language like Chinese, French, German, and Spanish gives you a competitive edge. With the globalization of the workplace, employers are increasingly looking for professionals who know how to communicate with diverse groups of people at home and abroad. By studying languages, you prepare yourself to be a bridge for interaction and collaboration among people, while also embarking on a lifelong journey of cultural exploration and understanding. Career fields in which you can put your language and cultural skills to use include:

• Airlines
• Business
• Education
• Engineering
• Foreign and public service
• International banking
• International news, media, and journalism
• Science and technology
• Teaching in the U.S. and abroad
• Translating and interpreting

Coursework in the Department of Global Languages and cultures develops your proficiency in all four communicative skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) and understanding of the dramatic effect cultural differences can have on communication. Grammar courses hone your ability to use the language with the kind of precision and polish that impresses. Literature and culture courses expand your understanding of the practices, products and perspectives that are unique to other cultures. Courses in translation and interpreting develop your ability to facilitate communication between speakers of different languages. And professionally-oriented courses provide you with industry-specific language and cultural training. We offer majors, minors, and certificates in the languages we teach, but all students are welcome to take courses that benefit their individual educational goals. Students are encouraged to share their career interests with faculty in order to determine the optimal course of study for their major or minor.