Careers: Computational Linguistics

Computational linguists develop computer systems that deal with human language. They need a good understanding of both programming and linguistics. This is a challenging and technical field, but skilled computational linguists are in demand and highly paid. Computational linguists build systems that can perform tasks such as speech recognition (e.g., ), speech synthesis, machine translation (e.g., ), grammar checking, and other applications, and many others.

For more details on what it’s like to work in this industry, presentations by and by are available.

There are also linguistics jobs in the software industry that do not necessarily require much programming background— for example, speech data evaluators, linguistic data managers, , and .

How to get into computational linguistics

ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉú does not have a program in computational linguistics, but you can choose courses that will prepare you for this field. Here are the areas you should concentrate on:

  • Programming. The department of offers a series of courses beginning with CECS 100 (Critical Thinking in the Digital Information Age) and CECS 174 (Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving). For self-study, try programming books specially aimed at linguists, such as Michael Hammonds’ books on and , or Bird et al.’s book on . There are also many free online courses such as EdX’s .
  • Math and statistics. Computational linguistics often uses statistical methods. LING 301 (Introduction to Research Methods) provides a basic introduction to statistics; there is also more advanced coursework available in other departments. In addition, programming requires some math background; CECS 174 has the prerequisites of CECS 100 and MATH 113, 122, or 123.
  • Linguistics. The most relevant courses for computational linguists are those that deal with structural aspects of language (syntax, semantics, phonology, phonetics), usage patterns and variation (sociolinguistics, discourse), psycholinguistics, and research methods (including corpus linguistics).
  • Natural language processing. Online courses are available – including those from , , and .

Further education

See for an overview of MA programs in computational linguistics. 

California universities offering programs in computational linguistics include:

  • SDSU ()
  • CSU Fresno ()

Finding jobs and internships

Sites with job and internship postings:

The following are a few companies that employ computational linguists:

  • The usual tech giants: (including the ), (including the in Redmond), , , etc.
  •