Career as Linguist

LINGUISTIC

Broadly, linguistics is the study of human language, its sound, structure, meaning and function. It studies language as a universal and recognizable part of human behavior. It attempts to describe and analyze language.

 A linguist is a person who engages in such studies. Linguists are interested in all aspects of language, and in all languages of the world, but he/she is not a polyglot necessarily. They are concerned with language variation according to social setting (socio-linguistics), geographical regions (dialectology), time periods (historical linguistics), relationship between language and mind (psycholinguistics) and many such issues.

 

A linguist is a person who studies and records the sounds, words, and structures of languages. They work in many fields such as language education, translation, linguistic theory, computer language processing, cognitive science and more.

Linguists are typically classified into two groups:

A linguist can get a job in any field related to language or linguistics. Linguists usually have a bachelor's degree in linguistics or related discipline.

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Linguists are a highly sought-after profession in India. They have the responsibility of translating documents and other materials between different languages.

Linguists typically work in government, education, and translation agencies. The job scope also includes research, preparation of materials for conferences, seminars, and workshops.

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Linguist is a profession that is in demand as it has a wide scope of work. It is a multi-faceted job which includes translation, interpretation, training, and assessment.

Linguists are typically required to have knowledge of languages and linguistics. They are also needed to be able to use language tools like dictionaries, grammars, lexicons, etc.

The job responsibilities of the linguist vary depending on their skillset and the company they work for. For example, an academic linguist might be required to carry out research or analyze data while a translator might need to translate documents from one language into another or create translations for specific purposes like marketing or advertising.

WHAT QUALITIES ARE REQUIRED?

While looking for a job, we search about the responsibilities, scope, qualification etc required for a particular. But we often forget the most important factors i.e career interest, aptitude, and personality, needed to be considered, while applying for a job. 

Some of the basic aptitude, personality and interest required to succeed in this career are-

EDUCATION

Linguistics Programs in India:-
Aligarh Muslim University

• B.A. and M.A. Linguistics 
• Ph.D. in linguistics 
• Ph.D. in linguistics 

Calcutta University

•  Department of Linguistics 
• M.A. in Linguistics 
• Ph.D. Program

Central Institute of Indian Languages

•      Program in Indian Languages 

Centre of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Allahabad

•      MA Cognitive Science 

Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute

• M.A. in Linguistics 
• M.Phil. in Linguistics 
• Ph.D. in Linguistics 

Doctor Harisingh Gour Central University, Sagar, M.P.

•      B.A. Linguistics 

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, Agra

•   M.A. Linguistics 
•  M.Phil. in Linguistics 
•  Ph.D. in Linguistics 

Dr. Harisingh Gour Central University, Sagar, M.P.

•      B.A. Linguistics, M.A. Linguistics & Ph.D. Linguistics 

English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad

•  Center for Linguistics and Contemporary English 
• Centre for English Studies 
•  English Language Education 
• English Language Teaching 

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

•      Ph.D in English 

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

•      Ph.D. 

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

•      Ph.D. in Linguistics 

Indian School of Mines
Jadavpur University

• Ph.D. in Linguistics 
• Postgraduate in Linguistics 

Jawaharlal Nehru University
     Centre for Linguistics 
     Centre for Russian, Central Asian and East European Studies 
     Centre of Linguistics and English 
     Ph.D. in Linguistics 
     Ph.D. in Linguistics 
     Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies (SCSS) 
Jawaharlal Nehru University
     Linguistics 
Lucknow University

• MA Linguistics 
• M.A TESOL
• M.A TESOL 

Osmania University

•      MA 
• Ph.D. in Linguistics 

Pattabhi Sriramalu University, Hyderabad

•      Ph.D. 

Punjabi University

•      Anthropological Linguistics 

Tezpur University

•  MA in Linguistics and Endangered Languages 
• MA in Linguistics and Language Technology 
• Ph.D. in Linguistics 

University of Baroda

• MA in Linguistics 

University of Delhi

•      Department of Linguistics 
•      Ph.D. program in Linguistics 
   

University of Hyderabad

• MA, M. Phil & Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and M. Phil & Ph.D. in Translation Studies 
• M.A TESOL 
• M Phil in Applied Linguistics 

JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR LINGUIST-

Job opportunities for linguists are available in-

Teaching- Teaching is one of the best options for linguists. They can opt for a career as a lecturer in various institutions that impart education in Indian languages. Several government agencies hire linguists to supervise language training programmes.

Hospitals- People having done post-graduation in linguistics are recruited in hospitals as speech therapists or Neuro linguists, who treat speech problems in children and adults.

Banking- A new upcoming field for linguists is the banking and financial services sector, where more and more multinational companies are hiring linguists for providing effective phonetics, language input, culture and customer service training to delegates, etc.

Investigation- Linguists play a major role in solving certain criminal cases. Even the CBI has to take the help of a linguist in cases that involve speaker identification. Acoustic phonetics is one of the significant courses of linguistics.

Publishing- Publishers are frequently looking for graduates with knowledge of principles of textual organisation, discourse structure, grammar, and semantics. In publishing, linguists are involved with producing foreign language textbooks, editing, consulting and planning elementary and secondary programmes of curriculum design. 

Media- Areas of the media such as television, magazine or newspapers could have similar translating, editing or lexicographic needs.

Public Relations- Public relations require a good knowledge of the language for communication.

Travel & Tourism- There is a wide scope for the students of languages in the travel and tourism industry where proficiency in at least one language means surety of job. Employers in this field include airline offices, hotels, foreign embassies etc.

Software Careers- The software industry also offers opportunities for linguistic majors, asking linguists to develop search software, voice recognition software, dictionaries and translation software.

Translator/Interpreter- Accurate translation and interpretation require linguistic knowledge. Translators provide written translations of texts, such as business documents, manuals, educational material and literary works. Translators are generally employed by industries, publishing houses, government and research organisations. 

JOB TITLES-

Job titles and areas of specialization:

• Bilingual Education
• Broadcaster/News Reader
• Communication Disorders Specialist
• Copywriter
• Editor
• Grant / Proposal writer
• Interpreter
• Language Planner
• Lexicographer
• Professor/Instructor/Teacher
• Psycholinguist
• Public Relations
• Publishing
• Researcher
• Technical Writer
• Translator

REMUNERATION

The course fee in India ranges from 10,000 to 100,000 rupees, depending on the location and institution you prefer.

The total fee, abroad ranges from 2 to 6 lakhs, varying according to the place and institution.

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