If you’re bilingual and you want to turn your talent into a career, there are lots of options. People who are fluent in more than one language are an in-demand commodity across many industries. But unless you know where to look and what opportunities are available, you might miss out on making the most of your valuable skills.
To get you on the right track, here are a few roles that bilingual people can pursue if they want a rewarding, engaging career.
Gaming
The gaming industry is huge and growing all the time, generating over $100 billion in 2017 and creating an entire global culture around it. If you love video games or interactive entertainment of any kind, your bilingual abilities can be put to good use in a number of ways.
You could work on the localisation team for a developer, helping to adapt their next big hit so that it makes sense to an audience that speaks an entirely different language. This is an exciting and creatively challenging process which will involve a lot more imagination than mere translation of dialogue.
You could create content and come up with ideas for iGaming companies, working on everything from the first seeds of a concept for a game right through to its marketing in different regions of the world. You can see here for job opportunities at Casumo, one of the leading companies that will help you get your foot in the door of the industry. There are potentially hundreds of developers, publishers and specialist businesses waiting for your application.
Social Work
For some people, the only way to feel satisfied with their job is if it involves helping others. And with a huge range of positions in social services which require multilingual skills, this can be a great path to take.
Social work can involve important interactions with all sorts of groups. From families with children who have moved to a new country and need help settling in, to people with substance addiction issues that they require support to overcome, you can find positions to suit your own preferences and prior experience.
If you’d rather not work directly with people but still see social work as an interesting option, there are lots of administrative roles that match your bilingual capabilities. So if breaking down the obstacles that are posed by language and giving people a helping hand at the same time sounds like your cup of tea, look for jobs in this arena.
Travel
If you’ve got an itch to travel the world, the best way to scratch it is with a career that involves globe-trotting. All the better if you are bilingual and can harness these capabilities to your advantage and bag your dream job overseas in a growing industry.
Accurate, uncomplicated communication skills are essential in the travel sector, whether you want to work as a holiday rep in a sunny resort, manage a hotel in a distant land or become a steward for an airline.
Such roles are usually within the realm of customer service, so you’ll also need to be a ‘people person’ and be able to keep a smile on your face even when things get frustrating. With the right outlook you can travel far and wide and get paid for the privilege!
Teaching
Teachers are vital to the development of young minds, and if you love working with kids and want to shape the next generation, why not pass on your language skills with a career in education?
There are generous bursaries and funding opportunities to help you train, so you don’t need to worry about going into debt if you are thinking about a career change. Also there are lots of opportunities to teach foreign languages abroad, so if you do want to work in a different country then becoming a teacher is one of the best ways to do this.
Recruitment
You might not realise it, but language skills are very important in the world of recruitment. Big businesses often seek skilled workers from other countries, but hunting for the best candidates in this scenario can be difficult if there is a barrier to communication in the way.
As a bilingual recruitment consultant, you will be a real asset to any organisation. From screening applicants in the early stages to getting involved with the interviews process, there are many interesting areas that are covered by this type of work.
Recruitment is also compelling from an intellectual point of view, because narrowing down the field in a competitive market is tricky when so many candidates look the same on paper. This is where your bilingual abilities will come into their own, as you’ll be able to get insights that others can’t just by talking to people. This is a career that can really take off for the right person.
