Connecting language majors with exciting job opportunities!
Hola, bonjour, guten tag, salve, and こんにちわ. That’s hello in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Japanese. These were just a few of the languages represented when BYU held its first-ever Language Professional’s Networking Event virtually on March 17, 2022. Though the event was virtual, it connected foreign language majors and minors with language-based job opportunities.
Fourteen distinguished companies participated, including CommGap International Language Services, InWhatLanguage, Transcend Translation, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. They offered students tips about the industry as well as internship opportunities and jobs in the following fields: translation (including communication for business with operations in other countries), interpretation, localization, transcription, subtitling, voice-over, language training, and language testing. The companies are still seeking dedicated and qualified workers who are willing to move somewhere unexpected to pursue a job or internship. That means students have to be well prepared and ambitious to land a position.
In conjunction with the Language Professional’s Networking Event, BYU hopes to create the Language Industry Alumni Network to facilitate student-alumni relationships. Sara White, former academic advisor for the College of Humanities at BYU, said, “An alumni network can give one a sense of belonging during and after graduation. The relationships built in this unique setting can be an incredibly useful tool for professional development, job searching, and expanding one’s horizons.”
Initial overwhelming success has led to the fair becoming an annual event at BYU. Arnie Allred, the career director for the Kennedy Center, has said he hopes that the “Language Professional’s Networking Fair could become the go-to source of BYU language students for employers. The first place to look for skilled, dedicated, and engaged employees.”
Keep an eye out for next year’s networking event to see what new language opportunities will arrive at BYU.