Career Opportunities where a Foreign Language is Helpful

A high level of proficiency in a foreign language can be useful in the following areas:

I. Local, State and Federal Government

Agencies: Agency for International Development, U.S. Information Agency, Department of State, Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Department of Treasury, Peace Corps, Office of Economic Opportunity, National Security Agency.

Positions: Doctor, lawyer, counselor, administrator, scientist, research, analyst, engineer, teacher, technician, foreign service personnel, border patrol officer, bilingual secretary, career information officer, educational specialist, postal worker, law enforcement officer

II. Community Service Occupations

Agencies: Health Service, Social Work, Religious Occupations, American Friends Service Committee, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Lutheran Council in the U.S.A., Young Women's Christian Association, Young Men's Christian Association, Salvation Army, Red Cross.

III. Mass Media

Areas: Radio, Television, Newspaper, Magazine, Film Publishing. Computer Companies

Positions: Executive, administrator, technician, announcer, performer, editor, journalist, secretary, typist, public relations, archive support, computer technical support, reporter, operations assistant, technical writing

IV. Travel and Tourism

Areas: Hotel, Motel, Travel Agency, Transportation Industry.

Positions: Information and reservation clerk, ground host and hostess, flight attendant, flight announcer, ticket personnel, tour guide.

V. Foreign Language Education

Positions: Elementary, Secondary, Junior College, Community College, Technical College, Four-year College, University, Commercial and Government Language School.

VI. International and Domestic Business and Commerce

Positions: Executive manager, technician, engineer, specialist, clerk, secretary, typist, receptionist, computer technical support, computer systems operations and management, overseas engineering specialist.

VII. Social and Physical Sciences

Areas: Anthropology, Archaeology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Physics, Nuclear Medicine, Biomechanics.

VIII. Interpreting and Translating

Agencies: Local, State and Federal Government, United Nations, International Business Corporations and Commerce.

IX. Education: Research, Administration

Positions: College Chair, Dean, or Vice-President, Provost, Ombudsman, Research Assistant, Linguistical Analysis, Literary and Cultural Specialist.

X. Corporate and International Law

Positions: Lawyer, Paralegal, Research Assistant, Historical Legal Analyst, International Lawyer, Ombudsman for International Corportaion, Diplomat,

XI. Library Science

Positions: Archivist, Cataloger, Researcher, Historical Analyst, Curator, Director of Libraries, Director of Area within a Library, Educational Technologist, Multimedia Specialist, Multilingual Specialist, Linguistic Specialist.

Do you have additional positions, areas and agencies in which a foreign language would be beneficial? If so, and you would like to see it included in this listing, please contact Dan Meyers at meyersde@muohio.edu.