Is it possible to teach the specialty linguist? Where and by whom do linguists work? Let's look at the main advantages

Linguist(linguist) is a specialist in linguistics (linguistics, linguistics), the subject of research of which is the history of the formation and development of languages, their structure and characteristic features. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in foreign languages and Russian language and literature (see choosing a profession based on interest in school subjects).

Short description

The modern world is striving for globalization, and in the context of increasing international contacts, the profession of a linguist is acquiring fundamental importance. The work of a linguist includes a wide variety of functions and depends on the place of work:

at the research institute he is engaged in the compilation of dictionaries, reference books, the development of scientific, technical and special terminology, the improvement of the alphabet and spelling, scientific research in the field of phonetics, morphology, syntax, the study of dialects and spoken language, etc.
in teaching, a linguist teaches language to students;
linguists-translators deal directly with translations - oral, simultaneous, written.

There are several classifications of linguists:

by language being studied:

specialists in a specific language - for example, Russianists, Englishists, Tatar scholars, Japaneseists, Arabists, etc.;
specialists in a group of languages - Germanists, novelists, Turkologists, Mongolians, etc.;
specialists in the languages of the region - Americanists, Africanists, etc.

on the topic or section of linguistics:

phoneticians;
morphologists;
syntaxists;
semanticists, etc.

in theoretical direction:

formalists;
functionalists;
cognitive scientists;
structuralists, etc.

Specifics of the profession

The work of a linguist may consist of the following activities:

teaching activities;
consultations as an expert;
research activities;
preparation of specialized articles, textbooks, almanacs, etc.;
assistance in creating computer software.

Where to study to become a linguist

Education in the field of linguistics consists of three areas:

teaching training;
theory and practice of translation;
public communications.

Professional linguists are trained in philological (or specialized linguistic) faculties of universities.

Pros and cons of the profession

Pros:

High demand in the labor market: the opportunity for self-realization in any field - written translation, simultaneous interpreter, oral or consecutive translation, translation of films, books, magazines. A person who speaks a foreign language will be in demand in any field of activity: journalism, tourism, PR companies, management.
Knowledge of a foreign language is the key to a high salary and rapid career growth.
Possibility of freelance work.
The opportunity to freely communicate with people while traveling and exploring the culture of other countries.

Minuses:

Some people may find the work of a linguist boring, since scientific works on linguistics are simply systematization and rewriting of other people's ideas.
Not all linguists are inclined to teach, which requires maximum patience.
The work of a simultaneous interpreter is very responsible and stressful.
It is better to combine knowledge of foreign languages with another profession (lawyer, economist, political scientist, journalist).
Unstable loading: in different months the volume of transfers may differ several times.
Delay in fees, which are not received immediately after delivery of the material, but when payment arrives from the customer.
Sometimes additional requirements are imposed on translators: accompany delegations to shops and bars, carry out courier orders.

Place of work

institutes, faculties and universities of linguistic education, secondary and higher educational institutions, courses for linguists;
educational establishments;
research institutes;
translation agency;
editorial offices of magazines and newspapers;
reception desks in various companies (secretary assistant);
work from home on a flexible schedule (translations) or individual work with students;
literary unions;
companies developing linguistic software;
departments, external relations departments of firms, companies, higher educational institutions, regional, regional and city administrations;
information departments, information and analytical services of enterprises, companies, banks, institutes of the Academy of Sciences, research centers;
libraries and departments of foreign literature;
museums, museum associations;
direction and management in international congress centers (conference centers);
Directorate of permanent regional, federal and international exhibitions and fairs;
hotels and hotel complexes;
domestic and foreign travel companies, agencies, bureaus;
press centers, radio and television centers;
international associations and associations;
international funds;
publishing houses.

Personal qualities

good hearing and memory;
patience and perseverance;
attentiveness;
good erudition;
analytic skills;
organization, self-discipline;
pedantry;
striving for professional excellence;
attention to detail;
concentration;
the ability to figuratively represent objects, processes and phenomena;
associative thinking;
deductive reasoning;
the ability to remember large amounts of information for a long time;
good visual memory;
memory for the semantics (meaning) of the text;
memory for words and phrases;
the ability to competently express one’s thoughts;
perseverance;
perseverance;
propensity for research activities.

Career

Salary as of 08/06/2019

Russia 20000—60000 ₽

Moscow 30000—80000 ₽

As a rule, linguists do not have problems finding employment. Currently, linguists are in demand in the field of information technology, mass communications, public relations and advertising. A linguist can also make a successful career in the scientific field, achieving success in research development or promotion in the administrative line. For example, becoming the head of a department or dean of a faculty. The salary of a linguist depends on his type of activity and qualifications.

Earnings in science are low. It is more profitable for linguists to use their skills in business by becoming representatives in international companies, referents and translators. To translate foreign articles, prepare PR presentations or conduct promotions for foreign investors. Such work is highly paid - up to 70 thousand rubles.

Famous Russian linguists

Language is one of the main means of understanding the world. With its help we learn, master culture, and communicate with others. Languages are studied by philologists who graduated from the university with a degree in linguistics. They can either teach at a school or university, or work as translators, study the history of the language, compile dictionaries, and much more.

Graduate philologist - who is he?

One of the most common misconceptions is that people who study at philological faculties are deliberately “assigned” to school. In fact, linguists are not necessarily teachers of Russian or English or translators.

A person who has graduated from the specialty “Linguistics” can and has the right to work:

A teacher at a university or secondary educational institution.
Translator.
Secretary-referent.
Do research work.
Work in the field of artificial intelligence, especially if his specialty is applied linguistics.
Engage in the development of educational software and electronic dictionaries, abstracting systems.
Work as an editor or proofreader.
Work in the field of journalism.

Where to study?

You already know what to do as a linguistics major, but which university is the best to study at?

It doesn't matter which educational institution you choose. Almost all of them work according to more or less similar programs. During the training, students study the history of language development, dialects, phonetics, spelling, grammar and syntax of the language, vocabulary, and stylistics. Depending on the chosen specialty, additional courses may be introduced. For pedagogical specialties, a course on language teaching methods is required, and for applied ones, the emphasis is on language statistics, and even mathematics.

In Russia, the following universities are considered the most prestigious:

Moscow State Linguistic University.
M. V. Lomonosov.
Moscow State Humanitarian University named after M. A. Sholokhov.
University of the Foreign languages
UNIK Institute.

It is believed that the specialty “Linguistics” in the universities listed above is taught in the most in-depth and complete manner, and graduates themselves can later count on working in research institutes and laboratories, and work as translators in embassies and government services. But it is important to remember that not only the university, but also the grades in your diploma, your knowledge, influence the possibility of getting a job in a prestigious firm or company.

Areas of training

Studying at the chosen university can take place in the following ways:

Philology.
Linguistics - both fundamental and applied.
Translation from any language. Moreover, not only people who know English and German, Chinese, but also even Slavic languages such as Polish and Czech are in demand.

Negative and positive aspects of the profession

The advantages of the specialty “Linguistics” include the following:

Demand in the labor market.
A high level of language proficiency, especially a foreign one, is a big plus, which further promotes career growth.
There is always the opportunity to earn extra money on the side.

Low level of payment in a number of regions.
Quite boring and monotonous work.
In the case of teaching, a graduate of the specialty “Linguistics” may encounter a problem: excellent knowledge of the language with minimal teaching skills.
Unstable work, especially for translators.

In general, the graduate, if he, of course, studied, has very bright prospects.

Quite often on forums you can find the topics “Specialty “Linguistics”: who to work with?” Reviews show that graduates are quite willing to answer questions and advise on areas of work.

Often, philologists work not only at their main place (for example, in a translation agency or magazine, at a school), but also earn extra money through private language lessons, develop and sell their own programs for learning languages, are freelance journalists for magazines and newspapers, and earn extra money as copywriters.

In general, the profession is suitable for people with a humanitarian mindset, who have patience, love to read and research, and analyze certain processes occurring in language.

Short description

at the research institute he is engaged in the compilation of dictionaries, reference books, the development of scientific, technical and special terminology, the improvement of the alphabet and spelling, scientific research in the field of phonetics, morphology, syntax, the study of dialects and spoken language, etc.
in teaching, a linguist teaches language to students;
linguists-translators deal directly with translations - oral, simultaneous, written.

There are several classifications of linguists:

by language being studied:

specialists in a specific language - for example, Russianists, Englishists, Tatar scholars, Japaneseists, Arabists, etc.;
specialists in a group of languages - Germanists, novelists, Turkologists, Mongolians, etc.;
specialists in the languages of the region - Americanists, Africanists, etc.

on the topic or section of linguistics:

phoneticians;
morphologists;
syntaxists;
semanticists, etc.

in theoretical direction:

formalists;
functionalists;
cognitive scientists;
structuralists, etc.

Specifics of the profession

The work of a linguist may consist of the following activities:

teaching activities;
consultations as an expert;
research activities;
preparation of specialized articles, textbooks, almanacs, etc.;
assistance in creating computer software.

Where to study to become a linguist

Education in the field of linguistics consists of three areas:

teaching training;
theory and practice of translation;
public communications.

Professional linguists are trained in philological (or specialized linguistic) faculties of universities.

Pros and cons of the profession

Pros:

High demand in the labor market: the opportunity for self-realization in any field - written translation, simultaneous interpreter, oral or consecutive translation, translation of films, books, magazines. A person who speaks a foreign language will be in demand in any field of activity: journalism, tourism, PR companies, management.
Knowledge of a foreign language is the key to a high salary and rapid career growth.
Possibility of freelance work.
The opportunity to freely communicate with people while traveling and exploring the culture of other countries.

Minuses:

Some people may find the work of a linguist boring, since scientific works on linguistics are simply systematization and rewriting of other people's ideas.
Not all linguists are inclined to teach, which requires maximum patience.
The work of a simultaneous interpreter is very responsible and stressful.
It is better to combine knowledge of foreign languages with another profession (lawyer, economist, political scientist, journalist).
Unstable loading: in different months the volume of transfers may differ several times.
Delay in fees, which are not received immediately after delivery of the material, but when payment arrives from the customer.
Sometimes additional requirements are imposed on translators: accompany delegations to shops and bars, carry out courier orders.

Place of work

institutes, faculties and universities of linguistic education, secondary and higher educational institutions, courses for linguists;
educational establishments;
research institutes;
translation agency;
editorial offices of magazines and newspapers;
reception desks in various companies (secretary assistant);
work from home on a flexible schedule (translations) or individual work with students;
literary unions;
companies developing linguistic software;
departments, external relations departments of firms, companies, higher educational institutions, regional, regional and city administrations;
information departments, information and analytical services of enterprises, companies, banks, institutes of the Academy of Sciences, research centers;
libraries and departments of foreign literature;
museums, museum associations;
direction and management in international congress centers (conference centers);
Directorate of permanent regional, federal and international exhibitions and fairs;
hotels and hotel complexes;
domestic and foreign travel companies, agencies, bureaus;
press centers, radio and television centers;
international associations and associations;
international funds;
publishing houses.

Personal qualities

good hearing and memory;
patience and perseverance;
attentiveness;
good erudition;
analytic skills;
organization, self-discipline;
pedantry;
striving for professional excellence;
attention to detail;
concentration;
the ability to figuratively represent objects, processes and phenomena;
associative thinking;
deductive reasoning;
the ability to remember large amounts of information for a long time;
good visual memory;
memory for the semantics (meaning) of the text;
memory for words and phrases;
the ability to competently express one’s thoughts;
perseverance;
perseverance;
propensity for research activities.

Career

Salary as of 08/06/2019

Russia 20000—60000 ₽

Moscow 30000—80000 ₽

Famous Russian linguists

Who is the profession of linguist or philologist suitable for? How and where do philologists work, in which universities can one obtain a profession suitable for a humanist? This is really a question. After all, at first glance, it seems that graduates whose sympathies and abilities are far from mathematics, who prefer literature and Russian, have offensively few options for choosing a profession. Pedagogical university or library science, journalism or literary institute.

Not everyone knows that at the Russian University for the Humanities there is also an Institute of Linguistics, whose director, Maxim Krongauz, asserts with all responsibility that the range of professions for philologists is expanding every year.

There are elements of linguistics in many areas of social life, but few people know which professions require linguistic knowledge.

A linguist studies Language (with a capital letter), explores it as a universal tool for communication. One of the most incredible and amazing mechanisms ever mastered by humanity.

Today, research on the functioning of language is playing an increasingly important role. The subject of the study is how we use language, how we use it to interact with each other. The role of language in social life is studied by sociolinguistics, and in the human mind - by psycholinguistics.

Language is often used as a tool for manipulation; This is why it is so important to be able to understand how to manipulate correctly and how to determine the moment of manipulation, and how to defend against it. In this area, linguistics is practically combined with communication theory.

A separate applied area is computer linguistics, which deals with modeling language functions, creating programs capable of performing linguistic tasks, for example, automatic translation from foreign languages, identifying keywords in texts, and recognizing spoken speech.

Linguistics is a popular profession

This is a sought-after specialty. And here there is a certain paradox: linguistics is an ancient science (rhetoric and classical grammar have existed for many centuries) and at the same time it is a modern and relevant field of knowledge.

The importance of language cannot be overestimated in any professional activity of a person. Proficiency in the language is necessary for businessmen, politicians, and managers - all specialists for whom it is important to be able to negotiate with partners. We meet people not only based on their clothes, by looking at them, but also by listening. By the characteristics of speech we get even more information about a person than by his appearance.

Nowadays, linguistics is developing rapidly, which is associated with a new attitude to communications, computer technology, and globalization. Therefore, the demand for linguists is growing, this can be judged at least by the Institute of Linguistics, where the competition is constantly growing. For example, 15 people applied for one budget place in the direction of “Applied and Theoretical Linguistics”. Just 10 years ago the competition was 7 people per place. The most popular specialty at the institute is “Translation and Translation Studies”; here there is no competition for less than 20 people.

Is the popularity of the translator profession justified?

Today, attitudes towards translators have changed markedly. Knowledge of a foreign language no longer distinguishes a specialist from the crowd so much and does not make him a unique professional. It is really important for translators to speak several languages and different types of translations.

In general, translations are a specific activity. Someone can speak a non-native language perfectly, but at the same time experience difficulties in translation.

In order to thoroughly study the mechanism of translation, professional translators must try different types of translation on themselves - written (business translation or literary translation), oral translation, including simultaneous.

For translators, a combination of “two or three” foreign languages that the specialist speaks is also important. There are certainly successful combinations that guarantee a translator a job, and there are also unsuccessful ones. Success largely depends on intercultural, economic and political ties between states.

For example, English and Chinese are a successful language pair. If a state experiences economic growth, its language becomes relevant for all countries, especially when paired with the most popular language - currently English.

Where do linguists work?

Linguistics is an interdisciplinary science. Graduates of the Institute of Linguistics are not pure humanists, like, for example, graduates of philological faculties. Linguistics specialists are proficient in mathematics, computer science, and programming. Many linguists work in companies specializing in the development of linguistic software (in search engines, organizations providing automatic translation services).

Today, many areas require communications specialists - marketers, PR specialists, negotiators, speech writers, etc.

Some graduates become teachers - they work in schools, stay at the institute, at the department. Some graduates leave their profession in the same way as in other specialties. Many continue to work with texts, but, for example, in journalism.

Profession linguist description

A linguist, in short, is a specialist in the field of foreign languages; he usually speaks English and one other foreign language.

But it is impossible to acquire the profession of simply a linguist, because this is a broad concept, its general name; usually, when entering a university, you need to make a choice in favor of a linguist-translator, linguist-teacher, English teacher or, in some universities, a guide-regional specialist. It is clear, yes, that a linguist differs from a translator in the same way as, for example, a fish differs from a carp - both fish, but the name carp is more specific)

Let's understand the pros and cons of these professions.

Since I am a certified linguist-teacher and I have practical experience in this profession, let’s start with it.

It is implied that linguist-teacher is a specialist who will teach a foreign language at a university.

What are the responsibilities? Firstly, it is clear that teaching a foreign language class, in addition, the teacher has a part of the work that is not yet very noticeable to students, this is the so-called “second half of the working day”. During this time, free from classroom teaching, the teacher must organize educational activities for students, write scientific articles, draw up various methodological documents, and, of course, prepare for his classes, as well as check various tests and other written works completed by students.

You need to keep in mind that if you choose this profession, your supervisor (head of the department) will constantly “push” you to go to graduate school and get a PhD, so you need to be ready for further scientific activity. Postgraduate study is inevitable because: only it can lead to a more or less normal salary, and, practically, it will “reserve” you a job at a university, which, due to the current policy of the Russian state to reduce the number of universities, will turn out to be even more precarious for those who are not candidates of sciences.

If you don’t want to go to graduate school at all, then you should think about teacher profession and subsequently go to work at school. They won't demand this from you.

What are the responsibilities of a teacher? Yes, you yourself studied at school and you know that the teacher conducts lessons, checks notebooks, fills out a register, and if he is a class teacher, then conducts extracurricular activities and parent-teacher meetings. What is hidden from your eyes is that the teacher must write a lesson plan for each lesson and show it to the leader; he must also attend teacher councils (where all teachers gather under the leadership of the head teacher), which in some organizations are held once or even twice a day. a week, and they last not half an hour, but two hours (it’s still so boring, but you can’t skip a walk!). Teachers, just like teachers, draw up various methodological documents and write articles. In order for the salary to be higher, you need to be certified for the category, I don’t really know the intricacies, but it’s quite difficult, you need to conduct an open lesson, pass a test in a foreign language, certificates of advanced training, and work experience are also important. There are several categories and you need to pass certification every time to get the next one.

Advantages of teaching professions

Part-time work (classroom classes/lessons are conducted in the first or second shift, the remaining time, if there is no meeting of the department or teacher council, the teacher/teacher can distribute himself: he decides for himself - where, when, what extracurricular work he should do)

The creative nature of the work (the teacher can approach the teaching process creatively, use various methods and techniques so that both he and his students/students find it interesting)

Work with your favorite foreign language (now a foreign language will always be in your life, six to seven (don’t forget about checking students’ written work) days a week, and even if you didn’t learn something while studying at a university, while teaching you will definitely learn it )

Work with young people: children or youth (maybe you don’t quite understand what the advantage is here, then imagine that at work you are forced to communicate with the elderly, they come to you and constantly complain about their health, their lack of demand, disrespect from young people, you, for example , a local doctor or a social worker. And if you are a teacher, then you deal with young people for whom everything is fun, everything is interesting and they have the attitude that their whole life is ahead and everything will work out. Did you feel the difference?)

Disadvantages of teaching professions

A lot of paperwork, uninteresting work (methodological documents, reports, journaling, etc.)

There will always be a feeling that you have homework (it’s like you’ve already graduated from university, but you still need to prepare for classes and check written work, and so on all your life, and people of other professions, having graduated from university and got a job, are free at the end of the working day from official duties)

Discipline (it is very difficult for a young specialist to establish discipline, especially at school, do you remember how your class “stood on ears” if the teacher was not a vixen? At a university, discipline is better, but still, students will not take a young teacher seriously for a long time, and there is no way to solve this, you can only wait, because, as they say, youth is the most quickly passing flaw)

The next disadvantage, which is a disadvantage at school and an advantage at a university: the need to communicate with the students’ parents (parents, as it turns out, can be inadequate and may simply not understand why the teacher gave their child a bad grade and calmly “attack” the teacher about this! The children got into a fight , again, the teacher is to blame! Fortunately, at a university, the teacher practically does not have such a component as “communication with parents”)

For a teacher, entering graduate school and defending a dissertation can be a disadvantage of the profession, because it is a really complex and difficult matter.

It is also necessary to note that all the achievements of a teacher at a university will not be taken into account if he gets a job at a school (position, degree, candidate, for example, work experience), so a candidate of sciences, upon coming to school, will be considered a “young specialist” and occupy the lowest position and receive the smallest salary.

Linguist-translator is a specialist who speaks one or more foreign languages and is engaged in translation from native to foreign or from foreign to native languages. In this case, it can be divided into: translation of oral speech and written texts.

Translate spoken language very difficult, you need to have not only a high level of foreign language proficiency, but even more important - experience in performing this type of work. Yesterday's graduate, a translator with honors, is unlikely to successfully cope with the responsibilities that befall her the first time. In addition, I would classify this profession as temporary; it is more like a part-time job, because not every city has organizations that need such a unit, and there is a full workload.

WITH translator the situation is simpler, on the one hand. Any production facility has a translator department for translating documents from foreign languages and conducting business correspondence with foreign partners. But imagine that you got a job, for example, at a machine-building plant, and in the texts you will always find some bearings and gears, do you understand them in Russian? And in order to translate correctly you will have to figure it out.

Pros and cons of the profession of linguist-translator:

Working with foreigners, in the case of interpreting (it’s always interesting to communicate with representatives of other cultures)

No problems with discipline (which the teacher and teacher have)

No need to engage in scientific activities, unlike a teacher

Full time in the case of a translator, temporary work in the case of an interpreter

Monotonous, monotonous, painstaking work (imagine that all day you need to translate texts, documentation, constantly referring to the dictionary, choosing the right word, having difficulty understanding the content of what is written, and which translation word out of a dozen presented in the dictionary will be correct in this particular context ?)

Extensive experience is required to perform interpreting.

What are the opportunities for part-time work as a linguist?

tutoring

Well paid

You can choose a time convenient for you to study

Students do not always want to study English (it is common to think that if money is paid for classes, then they are very important for the student, and he will listen carefully and complete all the teacher’s tasks; in fact, this is not always the case. Often, studying English is a desire parents, not the child, they want him to know English, but no one asked the child, so he does everything without enthusiasm, it’s very psychologically difficult with this).

part-time job at a private language school

You can choose the most convenient time for classes and load volume

Compared to working at school, there are a lot of advantages: there is no paperwork, no scientific activity, better discipline, no checking of notebooks, etc.

Control of the administration (not everyone will be able to get a job at a language school; before admission, they are often required to successfully write a test in a foreign language and attend an interview. After being hired, the administrator will be present at the lesson and monitor the quality of the lesson by the teacher - this is difficult psychologically, especially for young professionals)

Payment is less than for private individual lessons (tutoring found on your own)

There is no social package (this is important if working at a language school will be your main job. If you get sick, sick leave will not be paid, if you go on maternity leave, you will not receive any maternity money, etc.).

part-time job as a guide

In cities where tourists come, there is an opportunity to work as a guide. This type of training is available in some universities, and you can also take guide courses if you already have a higher education. Like a translator, work for a guide is not available in every city, so I would classify it more as a part-time job. To be in demand, you need to have a good level of knowledge of a foreign language, be sociable, polite, and friendly. It is very important to establish yourself well and get into the contact database of travel companies; if everyone is happy with you, they will invite you, and this work is well paid.

Working with foreigners

Good earnings

Temporary, seasonal nature of work

It takes time to get into the contact database of travel companies and get a large number of orders, which will allow you to have good earnings and a constant workload during the tourist season.

What should you take into account when choosing a profession as a linguist-teacher, teacher, translator or guide?

I described the pros and cons of these professions, and if you have a passion for foreign languages, and you want to focus on the profession of a linguist, think about what exactly you would like to do more. If you like working with children, then a teacher, if you are close to scientific work, then a teacher, if you don’t mind working full time and don’t want to work with people, then a translator, if you feel that you have a talent for foreign languages, and If it is in your power to learn how to interpret simultaneously, then you are an oral translator. In addition to what is close to your spirit, it is very important to take into account what city you live in or in which you plan to work: is there a job there for a translator, a guide, or is it a university town? It is very important to choose a profession immediately, before entering a university, so that later you do not have to get a second higher education, because in many cases the organization avoids, for a number of reasons, hiring a specialist with a non-core education.
Where to study to become a linguist?

Higher linguistic education can be obtained at philological faculties or at institutes of linguistics. There you usually have the opportunity to take courses or complete a second higher education if you want to get a diploma as a translator or guide.