Choosing The Right Language To Learn

Knowing the right language makes all the difference

Knowing a second language can really help you get a job, but checking the “bilingual” box doesn’t do you much good if you’re not speaking the right language for the job. Speaking fluent Latin is great if you’re a scientist; it’s less handy on a construction job site. Before you start your job search, make sure your language lines up with your line of work-- Local bilingual job opportunities typically depend on the most popular second languages in your area. The Modern Language Association has a great interactive map tool that shows you which languages are being spoken across the United States.

Spanish

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States; as a result there are many bilingual job opportunities for people who speak Spanish. Most bilingual Spanish jobs are in service positions that interact with customers who speak Spanish, or in jobs that have high percentages of Spanish-speaking workers. If you speak Spanish and English, you have a lot of bilingual job opportunities to consider!

Healthcare: Account management, medical assistant, social worker, pharmacist and nursing jobs.

Construction: Spanish fluency is helpful across the industry, but frequently required for project supervisors and foremen.

Catering and food service: Spanish comprehension is especially useful for staff supervisors, restaurant managers and kitchen staff.

Mandarin

This Chinese dialect is a growing language among American citizens, particularly on the west coast. Most jobs available to bilingual Mandarin / English speakers are in customer service positions that serve people who speak Mandarin as their first or only language.

Financial jobs: bank tellers, lending agents and collections specialists.

Consumer service and sales: marketing, customer service representatives and call center agents.

French

Okay, so maybe it’s not the most popular spoken language in the country, but there are jobs out there for just about any language. French jobs tend to be a little more difficult to find, but if you get creative, you can still put your French language skills to work.

Fine dining: Wait staff, restaurant managers and hosts (being able to effortlessly pronounce both the restaurant’s name and the menu items is a real plus, leave butchering the name of tonight’s special to the guests).

Tutor: After Spanish, more students are enrolled in French classes than any other.

Government employee: Location, location, location-- due to a high concentration of Creole culture in Louisiana, French is legally recognized there (they even have bilingual English/French state welcome signs)!

Speaking more than one language can really give you a leg up in today’s job market, but it has to be the right language for the job. So examine your language and job skills and find the right bilingual job for you!