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Linguistic knowledge and skills are an asset in many jobs. Some jobs require additional training or skills, so discuss your career plans with our graduate or undergraduate advisors. All Things Linguistic has on linguistics-related careers, and Superlinguo has a series of with linguists in a variety of fields.

• Teaching English as a second language (TESOL, TESL, TEFL, ESL), either in the U.S. or abroad.
• Computational linguistics: create computer systems that deal with human language, such as voice recognition systems, search engines, or translation software.
• Translation / interpreting: Linguists study structural and stylistic differences between languages, which is helpful in developing translation skills.
• Creating language resources: language textbooks, videos, dictionaries, and tests.
• Foreign language teaching: For bilinguals, studying linguistics builds the understanding of language structure needed for language teaching, including bilingual education.
• Corporate language consulting: Language consultant groups offer businesses services such as translation, transcription, editing, language training, and cultural awareness training. A few examples: , , .
• Military: The U.S. , , and train linguists at the .
• Government and national security work: The , , , and  hire speakers of strategically important languages, as well as computational linguists. So do such as , , , L-3, etc.
• Peace Corps: Volunteers for the  often build language skills, which can lead to a career as a language specialist. Two of our faculty, (Dr. Fender and professor emeritus Dr. Lord) are returned Peace Corps volunteers.
• Law: Linguistics is an excellent preparation for law school. Legal cases often turn on the exact interpretation of language in statutes or contracts. analyze language in crime cases (for example, anonymous communications).
• Localization (L10N): developing and testing country-specific versions of software for companies like . work requires strong foreign language skills, cultural knowledge, and computer skills. Browse specialized job boards such as , , and for details.
• Marketing: Companies such as , , and use linguistics to create brand or product names, and test how these work across different languages. You can read a description of the process from . Linguists can also work on , , and other aspects of .
• Religious organizations: Faith-based groups such as , , and employ linguists to work on translation, orthography development, and language surveys. The role of linguists in missionary organizations is controversial; the  has essays on this topic.
• Research: Linguistic research occurs in universities, corporations (especially in the tech sector) as well as nonprofits such as the and .
• Technical writing or copy editing: Linguists often have strong writing and editing skills, which are used by companies such as . 
• Language revitalization: Linguists work with indigenous communities to document endangered languages, create pedagogical materials, and the languages to a new generation.
• Linguistic voice coaching: Linguists with a theater background may do voice coaching in the entertainment industry, helping actors with the phonetics of particular languages, dialects, and foreign accents. Others may offer accent reduction lessons for professionals. For more information, see the site, or the interview by dialect coach . (A few linguists even for entertainment.)
• Nonprofits: Some nonprofits specialize wholly or partly in linguistic issues, such as the , the , the , , , the , the , and the .
• Speech therapy: Generally, aspiring speech therapists should major in Communicative Disorders. But if this is not possible, Linguistics is a good background for ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉú’s .
• Enter the general educated workforce: Liberal arts majors can take entry-level jobs in a variety of businesses and organizations, and work their way up. As a sales rep or lobbyist or fundraiser or social worker (for example), you probably won’t use your knowledge of allophones and isoglosses, but hopefully your academic work will have made you a better writer, reader, speaker, and thinker, with an ability to adapt and learn new things. If you are not sure what direction your career may go, it never hurts to supplement your major with courses on specific practical skills, such as web design, business, video production, writing, graphic design, or a foreign language.

Where can I find linguistics jobs?

Regularly check the job pages at , as well as specialized job boards such as or (for translators). Browse through multiple sites such as the following to see what types of jobs are available and where they are offered:

Throughout this website (and sites like ) are links to companies that employ linguists. Browse even those you don’t think you’re interested in. Often a single company hires linguists in multiple roles. For example, a company listed under Computational Linguistics might also be looking for translators, or a translation company may also offer language courses or accent reduction services.

Finally, network. The job market is very relational, and often jobs are found through word of mouth rather than formal job postings. You can network through attending conferences, socializing at departmental events, being active in the Linguistics Student Association and other campus groups, volunteering, interning, and anything else where you meet people and have a chance to discuss what they do for a living.