Career Paths for Linguists

A degree in linguistics can be the first step for a number of career paths. Your education in linguistics will build your strengths in critical thinking, communication, multi-cultural awareness, creative problem solving, use of technology, and many other career skills that are valued locally and nationally. A good starting place is information on the profession maintained by the Linguistic Society of America, the primary professional organization for linguists in the United States. 

For a quick overview, the LSA has a flyer: Why Major in Linguistics (and what does a linguist do)?

On the LSA’s Linguistics as a Profession page, you can find descriptions of career paths such as:

• Higher Ed and K-12 Education (professor; language teacher; academic editor; lexicographer)
• Translation and Interpretation (including Sign Language translation and interpretation)
• Science and technology (AI development; speech pathologist; text-to-speech development)
• Law and government (communications intelligence and cryptanalysis; diplomat; forensic linguistics; lawyer and jurilinguist)
• Marketing and advertising
• Language documentation, language revitalization and linguistic advocacy
  
  

Non-academic paths

The LSA’s Linguists in Industry, Nonprofits, and Government Special Interest Group (LEXING SIG) provides resources for professionals, students, faculty about a range of industry, nonprofit, and government career paths. Check out their podcast, the Linguistics Career Launch YouTube channel, or their activities at the LSA’s Annual Meeting (early January of each year, in rotating locations across the country). 

• UH offers free resources to help students launch successful careers:
  • The Mānoa Career Center offers career counseling, information about internships, and much more.
  • PACE offers career-oriented opportunities for all UH students, including mentorship, networking, and internship possibilities.

• If your goal is to stay in the state, one option is the large number of jobs at UH. You can also consider jobs in government, business, or the non-profit sector.
• In addition to exploring these resources, start by getting involved in the scholarly activities listed below.

Academic paths

If your goal is to become a professor of linguistics, start by getting involved in some of scholarly activities available on campus. You can:

• Attend Tuesday Seminar, our weekly noontime talk series.
• Join the Linguistic Society of Mānoa (LSM), the organization of linguistics students and faculty at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa.
• Come to one of our many informal discussion groups. (You don’t actually have to talk; you can just come and listen!)
• Get involved with the Language Documentation Training Center.
• Volunteer as a participant in a research study through Linguistics Beyond the Classroom.
• If you're an undergraduate, take advantage of one of the options in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Their options include:
  • Funding for early-career undergraduate students to be introduced to mentored research led by faculty
  • Project funding to conduct a mentored research project
  • Presentation funding to present completed research at a conference
  • Summer research funding
• Attend and volunteer for conferences hosted on campus, such as the ICLDC.
• Join our email list to learn about talks and events: contact <linguist@hawaii.edu>.
• And of course, talk to the faculty about what this path is like and its fit with your particular skills and interests.

Paths followed by UHM Linguistics alumni

Please look at our list of alumni and alumni spotlight profiles to find some examples of what graduates of our programs have gone on to do.