Careers: What Can I Do With a Language Degree?
Career options for language students.
A language degree will help you unlock diverse career opportunities. Employers value language proficiency and an understanding of different cultures. These transferable skills are essential assets for conducting business in today's globalised world.
There is a lot of support available to help develop your employability skills.
Transferable language degree skills
Our language degrees will help you develop the skills in the Newcastle University Graduate Framework. You will also gain a wide range of transferable skills.
Through your studies, you will develop and strengthen the following key skills:
- communication – in both native and additional languages
- adaptability and flexibility – essential in today's fast-changing global workplace
- cultural awareness – developed through deep engagement with diverse cultures and perspectives
- resilience and self-confidence – built through academic challenges and international experiences
- independence – fostered by studying abroad and managing your own learning
- problem-solving – gained through linguistic analysis and intercultural situations
- critical thinking – honed by evaluating texts, arguments and cultural phenomena
- presentation – in both written and spoken formats, for diverse audiences
- teamwork – developed through collaborative projects and language practice
- planning and research – essential for essays, dissertations and real-world tasks
- leadership – developed through peer collaboration and showing initiative in new environments
- time management – especially important when balancing multiple academic and personal commitments
- commercial awareness – understanding how language and culture impact business and global trends
- creativity – developed via culturally specific linguistic tasks, such as localisation
- IT competency – enhanced by an understanding of computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools and more
- public speaking – gained via intensive learning experiences, such as mock conferences
- specialised skills - developed via highly-specialised modules, such as medical and legal interpreting
My language course provided me with valuable transferable skills that I use in my marketing career. It enhanced my communication abilities, critical thinking, and cultural awareness – all of which are essential in marketing.
Career path opportunities
Discover the range of diverse career paths our language graduates have gone on to pursue:
- United Nations Translator
- Assistant Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary
- Video game localisation linguist, Keywords Studios
- Publishing Director, HarperCollins Children's Books
- Red Bull Global Social Media Manager
- Corporate Services Officer, British Embassy Vienna
- Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) for The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme
- BBC Production Coordinator
- Live Subtitler, Sky
- Commercial Officer, Ministry of Defence
- Content Translator and Writer, Gaming1
- Marketing Executive, LookFantastic Europe
- Global Language Consultant, ByteDance
- Medical Translator and Interpreter, BeiGene
- Lecturer in T&I, Newcastle University/Liverpool University/Leeds University/Essex University
- Cultural Liaison, The Irregular Corporation
Knowing multiple languages in general is very useful nowadays, as many multinational companies now handle their accounting from a single shared service centre, so it's a great skill to have.
Skill development and career readiness
We offer a wide range of employability support for students. This includes, but is not limited to:
- careers workshops
- online alumni career talks
- job and internship opportunities (both on and off campus)
- speed interview workshops with real employers