What Can I do With a Degree in World Languages and Literatures?
Places of Employment
World Language and Literatures majors may find employment in business, government, education, media, travel and tourism, and social services depending on their skills and experience. Some world languages and literatures graduates choose to work in careers where their language skills are essential to completing the job's responsibilities. These jobs include interpreting, translating, and teaching a foreign language. Some world languages and literatures majors may choose to work in careers where their foreign language skills are an asset but not integral to the job — social services case worker, import-export assistant, travel agent. Career-related internships or part-time jobs may be a prerequisite to finding professional-level employment after graduation in these and other fields.
The following list of employers and job titles was derived from the Career Center's jobs database where the employer specifically requested world languages and literatures majors. This list does not reflect all potential places of employment or kinds of jobs for world languages and literatures majors. This list does not reflect current openings.
- American Red Cross — Territory Representative: "bilingual candidates (English/Spanish) encouraged to apply"
- Asian Pacific American Consortium on Substance Abuse (APACSA) — Community Coordinator: bilingual English/Asian Language
- Associated Services for International Adoption (ASIA) — International Adoption Coordinator: Mandarin Chinese
- Berlitz Language Center — French or Italian Language Instructor
- Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Metropolitan Portland — Match Support Specialist, Bilingual (Spanish/English)
- Cascadia Behavioral HealthCare — Child and Family Specialist (Spanish bilingual/ bicultural persons encouraged to apply.)
- City of Salem — Housing Assistance Representative: "bilingual candidates are strongly encouraged to apply"
- Crowe Foreign Services — Office Manager: English/Spanish
- Farmers Insurance — Claims Representatives, Underwriters, Customer Services Representatives. Pay incentive for multilingual speakers.
- FLIR Systems, Inc — Spanish Translator for 4-week training program.
- Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council Inc. — Membership Manager-Field Staff (Bilingual candidates a plus (English/Spanish).
- Human Solutions — Family Advocate: bilingual English/Spanish
- LaCie Limited — Buyer: Chinese (Mandarin dialect)
- Lutheran Community Services — Youth Specialist: English/Russian
- Market Decisions Corporation — French Speaking Interviewer, Market Research Interviewer: Italian/German
- Multnomah County Health Department — Medical Interpreter: Various Languages
- Northwest Interpreters, Inc. — Interpreter Project Coordinator
- Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) — Senior Associate for Bilingual Assessment: bilingual English/Spanish
- Oregon Catholic Press — Bilingual Publishing Assistant
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) — Shizen Camp Instructor/Counselor: Japanese
- Outside In — Career Counselor/Education Specialist: "bilingual Spanish/English valued"
- Pacific Dreams, Inc. — Proofreader
- Pacific Interpreters, Inc. — In-house scheduler/ Spanish Quality Assurance Specialist, Interpreters (any language)
- Passport to Languages — Medical Interpreter/Legal Interpreter: Albanian, Bosnian, Cantonese, Hmong, Mandarin, Mein and Vietnamese
- Portland Jewish Academy — ESL/Spanish Teacher
- SAIF — Claims Adjuster Trainee: "Bilingual English-Spanish skills are preferred"
- Shilo Inns Suites Hotels — Reservation Agent: English/Spanish
- Siemens Building Technologies — Global Sales Communications
- State Farm Insurance — Auto Claims Representative: "Knowledge and Skills Required: Bilingual - Spanish"
- Teach Abroad — On-Campus Recruiter
- Trexler Climate + Energy Services, Inc. — Research Assistant/Junior Policy Analyst: Japanese Fluent
- Upward Bound, Pacific University — Summer Spanish Teacher
- Universal Forest Products — Production Manager Trainee
- Vancouver Housing Authority — Mentor Program Coordinator: "Bilingual Russian or Spanish highly desired"
- Vesta Corporation — Revenue Assurance Specialist: "Spanish bilingual...a plus"
- YWCA of Portland — Energy Assistant Coordinator: "preference given to bilingual Russian or Spanish speaking candidates"
- Ziba Design — International Project Coordinator: Japanese
For additional ideas, review this list of employers who posted jobs for students majoring in Arts and Letters:
- Beaverton School District — Web Developer
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington — Development Coordinator
- Buckle, The — Management Development Program
- Cadmus Group, Inc., The — Marketing Coordinator — Entry Level
- Calypte Biomedical Corporation — Business Development Analyst
- Catholic Community Services — Community Support Specialist
- City of Hillsboro — Volunteer Services Coordinator
- Respond2 Communications — Media Account Coordinator
- Consolidated Graphics — Leadership Development Program Associate
- Con-way Enterprise Services — Lead Instructional Designer/Usability Analyst
- Database Marketing Agency, Inc. (DMA) — Data Processing Analyst
- E3: Employers for Education Excellence — Administrative Coordinator
- ECONorthwest — Research Assistant
- First Investors Corporation — Financial Services Representative
- Fisher Investments — Account Executive
- Friends of the Children — Professional Mentors
- Fund for Public Interest Research, The — Canvass Director, Citizen Outreach
- Federal Bureau of Prisons — Correctional Officer
- Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. — Field Manager, Citizen Outreach Directors
- Hands to Hearts International — Research & Outreach Coordinator
- Harland Financial Solutions — Office Services Coordinator
- Hertz Corporation — Manager Trainee
- Human Services Research Institute — Administrative Assistant
- Iberdrola Renewables — Trading Analyst
- InfiniSource, Inc. — High Tech Administrative Assistant
- Interaction Metrics — Research Lead: Research/Scoring and Presentations
- KATU Channnel 2 Portland — News Reporter
- Knowledge Learning Corporation — Grants Coordinator
- Kohl's Department Stores — Store Management Trainee
- Korean American League for Civic Action (KALCA) — Executive Director
- Kraft Foods, Inc. — Operations Supervisor
- League of Oregon Cities — Intergovernmental Relations Assistant
- Legal Aid Services of Oregon — Administrator
- Massini Group — Database Marketing Specialist
- McKenzie River Trust — Director of Resources
- MENTOR Oregon — Direct Service Employee
- Miller & Zimmerly Real Estate Investment Group — Executive Assistant/Office Coordinator
- Multnomah County Sheriff's Office — Deputy Sheriff
- Multnomah County Sustainability Program — Waste Reduction & Recycling Plan Coordinator
- Nature Conservancy of Oregon, The — Administrative Assistant
- Newell Rubbermaid — National Account Specialist
- Northwestern Mutual Financial Network — Associate Pension Specialist
- Office of Mayor Sam Adams — Art and Culture Policy Coordinator
- Oregon Afterschool for Kids — Youth Development Network Coordinator
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) — Land Application and Licensing Manager
- Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) — Program Coordinator, Local Agency Construction Administration Liaison, Construction Contracts Specialist, Research Analyst, Inspector
- Oregon State Police — Oregon State Troopers
- Pacific Interpreters, Inc. — In-house scheduler/ Spanish Quality Assurance Specialist
- Physicians for Social Responsibility — Executive Director
- Pinemeadow Golf, Inc. — Marketing and Sales Representative
- Safeway, Inc. — Assistant Store Manager
- SAIF — Claims Adjuster Trainees, Claims Adjuster, Claims Adjuster Supervisor, Bilingual Claims Adjuster
- Standard, The — Communications Specialist I
- State Farm Insurance — Claim Representative, Underwriter
- State of Oregon — Research Analyst 4, Procurement & Contract Specialist 3
- Teach Abroad — Teacher in China
- TruGreen — LandCare Site Measurer
- Universal Forest Products — Production Manager Trainee, Sales Trainee
- University of Oregon (UO) — Assistant Director for Alumni Relations
- US Customs & Border Protection — Border Patrol Agent
- US Census Bureau — Vietnamese Interpreter
- US Department of Veterans Affairs — Management Analyst
- US Postal Service — Associate Account Manager
- Volunteers of America — Child Care Supervisor, Toddler Interventionist
- Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services — Home Ownership Program Assistant
- Yahoo! — Client Advocate
- Zones, Inc. — Account Executive
Listed below are links to governmental and nonprofit organization home pages where some of the jobs may prefer/require proficiency or fluency in a world language.
- Employment Opportunities with the International Refugee Center of Oregon (IRCO)
- Peace Corps: The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love! — Peace Corps at PSU
- Employment Opportunities with the United Nations
- U.S. Department of State Career Site
- U.S. Census Bureau Regional Office Employment Opportunities
- U.S. Census Bureau Main Office Employment Opportunities
- Innovation and Intrigue: Employment at the CIA
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Employment Opportunities
- Library of Congress Employment Opportunities
- Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
Career Center Library Resources
The Career Center Library has a variety of resources to help students explore potential career fields. These resources include information about typical responsibilities, qualifications, career paths, job outlook, salary, and related careers.
Books Specifically Related to World Languages and Literatures Majors
- Jobs for People who Love to Travel
- Transitions Abroad
- Teaching English Abroad
- Careers for Foreign Language Majors & Other Multilingual Types
- International Jobs: Where They Are & How to Get Them
- Inside a U.S. Embassy: How the Foreign Service Works for America
Vocational Biographies
Vocational Biographies describes the career success stories of 1001 real people. Search by career, title, keyword, topic, and career cluster. Username: portland su and pass code: 3w9n.
- Foreign Service Jobs
- Bilingual Substance Abuse Counselor
- Interpreter/Translator
- American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) — ACTFL Certified Proficiency Testing Programs
- International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC)
- American Translators Association
- Washington State Court Interpreters and Translators Society — Includes online Directory of Members.
- The American Association of Language Specialists (TAALS) — Includes online Directory of Members.
- The National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) — Includes Online Directory.
Internet Sites with Career-Related Information for World Languages and Literatures Majors
- Foreign Languages — Lists potential job titles and related skills. From the University Career and Employment Services at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
- Information about becoming a conference interpreter — From the International Association of Conference Interpreters.
- Foreign Language: What Can I Do With This Major? — Outlines common career areas, identifies typical employers, and suggests general strategies to enhance employability. From Career Services at the University of Tennessee.
Internet Sites with Job Search Information for World Languages and Literatures Majors
- International Job Opportunities: The Riley Guide
- The JET Programme — "The JET Programme aims to promote internationalisation at the local level by inviting young overseas graduates to assist in international exchange and foreign language education in local governments, boards of education and junior and senior high schools throughout Japan. It seeks to foster ties between Japanese citizens (mainly youth) and JET participants at the person to person level."
- U.S. State Department, Employment — General information about careers with the State Department. Includes information on foreign service officers, foreign service specialists, and civil service careers.
- Vocational Opportunities for Linguists — Fact sheet from the Office of Personnel Management.
- Transitions Abroad Online
- USIA Fulbright Program Menu — Information about applying for Fulbright Student and Scholar Programs.
- The Electronic Embassy — "The Electronic Embassy provides information on each of the embassies in Washington D.C., with links to Web-based resources where available."
Department of World Languages and Literatures - Portland State University
