A degree in Linguistic sets you up for well-paying careers in publishing, public relations, marketing, communication, government administration, and speech and language therapy.
And, although some areas such as proofreading, editing, and dictionary compilation will require direct knowledge of linguistics, others do not.
That said, we will have a look at some high-paying linguist jobs that you can explore.
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Table of Contents Show Table
What are the high-paying linguist jobs?
If you are looking for Linguist jobs that pay well, it would be best to build your experience based on your career interest.
Start by looking for work placement in organizations and businesses that will help you hone your skills and give yourself a better chance of landing a well-paying job.
Below we highlight 13 jobs that will earn you a 5-figure salary if you have a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics.
1. Forensic linguist
If you are searching for a career that sets you up for the highest salary scale in linguistics, then being a forensic linguist should be on your list.
Forensic linguists help solve crimes by analyzing language on recorded or written documents such as suicide notes, contracts, and trademarks. You will need to have an excellent grasp of linguistic analysis techniques to ensure the correct interpretation of documents.
Forensic linguists mainly work with law enforcement agencies and as consultants to help in the investigation process. Apart from a master’s degree in forensic linguistics, you will need to be curious, determined, competitive, patient, observant, and attentive to detail to excel in your career.
The mean annual salary for forensic linguists is $76,028 per year, with the top earners getting up to $116,000.
2. Foreign language teacher
If you are passionate about a certain culture and their language, pursue a foreign language teaching career.
Look for opportunities in institutions of higher learning, commercial language schools, and schools of further studies. You can also consider self-employment as you can use online platforms to teach students who are overseas.
Foreign language teachers teach students listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills for a specific dialect. And, to qualify for the job, you need a degree in linguistics or foreign language
You should also have completed an internship teaching program in foreign language skills and undertaken the state’s test for educators.
Upon completion, you will be issued with teacher certification, which allows you to apply for positions of foreign language tutor.
The mean annual salary for foreign language teachers in the U.S. is $80, 410 making it one of the highest-paying jobs for linguistics degree holders.
3. Copy editor
Another well-paying job for Linguists is being a copy editor. Copy editors go through written materials to ensure they are clear, complete, credible, and consistent. They also check to ensure the text is grammatically correct, accessible, and well written.
As a copy editor, you will rewrite or reword documents to ensure the copy or material is ready for publication. This may include press releases, online articles, media content, or marketing materials.
You can get opportunities in marketing companies or corporations, copywriting firms, or as a freelancer with freelancing websites.
Apart from the degree in linguistics, having experience in a publishing environment gives you an upper hand.The mean annual salary for copy editors in the US is $73,910. The top earners take home more than $126,800 a year and this job is also one of the high-paying jobs for English majors.
4. Lexicographer
This is one of the highest paying linguistic jobs in the U.S. Lexicographers are language professionals who write, compile and edit dictionaries for online and print publications. They also seek to understand and document how meanings of words develop and change over time.
You will need a degree in linguistics with an internship or work experience in a publishing company to have a better chance for lexicographer opportunities.
The mean annual salary for lexicographers in the United States lexicographers is $72,619, with more experienced workers pocketing up to $112,220.
5. Technical writer
Technical writers are excellent communicators who simplify complex and technical written content for the target audience.
You need to have excellent communication, writing, and language skills to excel as a technical writer. This is where a degree in linguistics comes in.
Exploration and research skills are also required as you must undertake extensive research to prepare useful documents for the reader.
You can work as a technical writer in medicine, science, engineering, and technological industries. As such, even those with a degree in computer science, journalism, communication, English language, or Information technology with good writing skills can work as technical writers.
The mean annual salary for technical writers in the US is $61,324. The highest earn more than $88,000 a year, which makes it one of the high-paying jobs for writers, especially native English speakers.
6. Speech and language therapist
Linguists are part of the multidisciplinary team that supports people with speech difficulties such as voice disorders, language delay, stammering, and cleft palate.
Speech and language therapists identify communication difficulty, access the cause, and develop programs to improve speech development. They also prepare confidential reports and case notes for the entire team.
The hourly median salary for a speech and language therapist is $39.37, which translates to about $78,000 per year.
Here’s Phoebe Kent giving a snippet view of what speech and language therapy entails. Video courtesy: Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.
7. Teaching assistant
If you are a linguist by nature and looking for high-paying linguist jobs without necessarily having a degree, then a teaching assistant is the best opportunity.
Teaching assistants help class tutors in facilitating learning activities in educational institutions. They also assist in preparing lessons, displays, and other resources to free more time for teachers to attend to the students.
With a linguist degree, you can also specialize in helping students learn English as their second language.
The mean annual pay for teaching assistants in the US is $39,460 with the highest earners getting more than $62,540 a year.
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8. High school teacher
Your linguistics degree also opens a doorway for you to work as a high school teacher. After earning your degree, you will have to undertake a teaching internship and take teaching and subject-based tests to get a license in your state of interest.
Once you have the license, you can apply to work in either public or private educational institutions.
Salaries for high school teachers vary from state to state and school to school, though the mean annual salary in the United States is about $67,340. The highest-paid teachers earn more than $102,000 a year.
9. Translator
If you have expertise in two or more languages, consider looking for an opportunity to work as a translator. You can get employment in different sectors, including Secret Intelligence service, security service, and government communication headquarters, among others.
As a translator, you will be in charge of converting written content from one source language to the desired language without altering the original meaning of the materials.
No other special certification is needed, but internship and work placement with translation agencies give you the upper hand in landing a better-paying job.
The average annual salary for translators in the US is $58,140 with the highest-paid professionals earning more than $96,480 a year.
10. Lawyer-linguist
Lawyer linguists are in charge of interpreting and translating legal documents from the source language to the target language. They advise the court on the accuracy of draft documents before them.
You will need a degree in linguistics and law to get to work as a lawyer-linguist as it is a multidisciplinary career.The mean annual salary for lawyer-linguists in the United States is $44,816 with the top earners getting more than $76,000 a year.
11. Linguistic professor
If you wish to be an academician, consider pursuing a master’s and a Ph.D. degree in linguistics to work as a university professor.
Linguistic professors teach at universities in linguistics, anthropology, speech & communication sciences, and psychology departments.
Apart from education qualification, you will need a state professional teaching license or certification from National Board Certification.
The mean annual salary for professors in the US is $54,400, with a chance to earn as high as $295,000 a year with more experience
12. Public relations (PR) officer
Nearly all companies and organizations require a public relations officer to manage their reputation and image. A degree in linguistics will land you the job as it requires strong interpersonal and communication skills.
As a public relations officer, you will utilize all forms of media and communication platforms to build, manage, maintain and improve the organization’s reputation. You will also be in charge of researching to understand and communicate the concerns and expectations of all business stakeholders.
Since the career is competitive, you can start with pre-entry jobs in communication, media, marketing, and PR.
The mean annual salary of public relations specialists in the US is $71,940 with the highest-paid earning more than $118,200 a year.
13. Accent coach
Accent coaches teach actors particular accents they may need to perform various roles in the acting industry. They can also work with producers, filmmakers, and actors to design new accents from made-up dialects for more interesting productions.
A linguistic degree comes in handy in this career as linguists can break down and replicate speech patterns. They can therefore teach people how to speak in a certain way more easily.
Some employers may also require you to have acting skills and teaching experience.The mean annual salary for accent coaches in the U.S. is $45,467 with the top-paid earning more than $76,000 a year.
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Final word
Although we have highlighted a few high-paying linguist jobs, there are dozens of opportunities open for anyone with a Linguistics degree. It’s imperative to note that entry-level jobs might not pay that well. However, you can land one of the above linguist jobs that pay well once you build your experience.
FAQs
What is the highest paying job in linguistics? ›
- #5. Lexicographer.
- #4. Forensic Linguist.
- #3. Lawyer-Linguist.
- #2. Computational Linguist.
- #1. Linguistics Professor.
- Conclusion.
- Similar articles.
- References.
After a federal tax rate of 32% has been taken out, Linguists could expect to have a take-home pay of $153,881/year, with each paycheck equaling approximately $6,412 *.
Where do most linguists work? ›Linguistics graduates also go into jobs where they can use their knowledge of linguistics directly, such as working for dictionary compilers or as proofreaders and editors. Others train as speech and language therapists or as teachers, or find work teaching English as a foreign or second language.
Which language pays most? ›Of all the foreign lingos making headway in the industry, Chinese (Mandarin) is the highest-paid language. A person who speaks Chinese receives as much as an Rs. Million-plus yearly.
Which language has more job opportunities? ›The five leading foreign language in India for studies are Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. These languages are regarded as the most sought-after for career prospects, employment opportunities, and immigration.
Where can I work if I study linguistics? ›- Linguist.
- Copy editor.
- Translator.
- Foreign language teacher.
- Technical writer.
- Copywriter.
- Language specialist.
- Professor.
While some linguists can speak five languages fluently, many others can't, and some highly-respected linguists speak only a single language with any fluency.
Is linguistics in high demand? ›Although many people are still unfamiliar with what linguistics intrinsically is, it is a continuously growing field. It has an increasing impact on various fields, including education, philosophy, psychology, sociology, artificial intelligence, and other areas of computer science.
What do linguists do for a living? ›Linguists work to document, analyze, and preserve endangered languages by conducting fieldwork and establishing literacy programs. This type of work can be highly rewarding for linguists collaborating with language communities around the world to help revitalize their languages.
What language can make you rich? ›Mandarin Chinese
The difficulty in learning the language has led to very few foreign speakers mastering the language. Should you chose to study Mandarin Chinese, you will stand out from the crowd and increase your value as an asset to your company. This will definitely lead to bigger paychecks.
Which foreign language is in demand in 2022? ›
Apart from Hindi and English the top four foreign languages with the most speakers in India are Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, and French. Since Germany and Japan's economy has highly developed and is giving a lot of career opportunities to Indians the demand for German and Japanese languages is also high in India.
Which foreign language will be in demand in future? ›The top languages in high demand are Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, and Russian. With the increase of international trade worldwide, many people will need to learn other languages to communicate with others who speak different dialects or have a foreign first language.
What is an FBI linguist? ›Contract linguists provide interpretation and translation services, as well as cultural expertise. Contract linguists are considered self-employed and are not eligible to receive government benefits.
Is a degree in linguistics worth it? ›While teaching and writing are both excellent careers that a Linguistics degree can lead to, the list of potential professions is far longer and more varied than that. Among the possible future careers that you may not have thought of are forensic linguist, speech therapist and social worker.
Is linguistics a hard course? ›Is linguistics tough to study? In a word, yes. It takes linguistics undergraduates 1–2 years to reframe their thinking about language to become functional descriptive linguists. The good news is that the various sub-disciplines - phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, sociolinguistics, cognitive science, etc.
Which language is best for future? ›Python and JavaScript, two of the most popular languages, are hot in the startup world. Many startups use Django (Python), Flask (Python), and NodeJS (JavaScript) as their backend frameworks. These are both easy-to-learn and therefore considered the best programming languages to learn for beginners.
What is the easiest language to learn? ›- Frisian. Frisian is thought to be one of the languages most closely related to English, and therefore also the easiest for English-speakers to pick up. ...
- Dutch. ...
- Norwegian. ...
- Spanish. ...
- Portuguese. ...
- Italian. ...
- French. ...
- Swedish.
Linguistics degrees usually take three or four years to complete depending on the country, or if you choose to study linguistics alongside a modern language, you may get the opportunity to undertake a longer course with one year spent studying abroad.
How do I become a government linguist? ›The minimum requirement to work for a government agency in this field is often at least a bachelor's degree; however, some departments will hire contractors with just a high school diploma and language experience.
What are the 7000 languages? ›7000 Languages is a non-profit that creates free language-learning software in partnership with Indigenous communities around the world. Research has shown that kids who learn their heritage language have higher self-esteem, do better in school, and are more likely to graduate.
Who speaks the most languages fluently? ›
Powell Janulus (speaks 42 languages)
Powell Janulus, a Canadian who now lives in British Columbia still holds the Guinness World Records that he earned in 1985 for being fluent in 42 languages.
Dating back to at least 3500 BC, the oldest proof of written Sumerian was found in today's Iraq, on an artifact known as the Kish Tablet. Thus, given this evidence, Sumerian can also be considered the first language in the world.
What is the best country to study linguistics? ›- Linguistics in New Zealand.
- Linguistics in USA.
- Linguistics in Ireland.
- Linguistics in UK.
- Linguistics in Canada.
- Linguistics in Fiji.
- Linguistics in Belgium.
The field of linguistics is set to undergo a change of tremendous proportions in the next few years. One of the reasons for this is the development of AI. Some of the most common applications for AI are natural language processing and machine translation.
Can linguists work from home? ›The job duties of a remote linguist include working to study, analyze, or translate a language or languages, usually focusing on the spoken word. As a remote worker, you may work from home on a freelance basis with different clients on multiple projects or for one employer.
How do I become a good linguist? ›- Bachelor's degree in linguistics or one to three years of related experience translating texts.
- Native or near-native communication skills in English and another language (highly preferred)
Linguistics helps us understand our world
Apart from simply understanding the intricacies of world languages, this knowledge can be applied to improving communication between people, contributing to translation activities, assisting in literacy efforts, and treating speech disorders.
A forensic linguist performs language analysis on written or recorded documents to help solve crimes. A forensic linguist studies dialect, grammar, sentence construction, phonetics and other linguistic areas to determine authenticity and ensure correct interpretation.
How can I earn money by speaking? ›- Keynote speaking. This is what most people think of when they hear about making money through public speaking. ...
- Public Seminars. ...
- Training.
- German.
- Hindi.
- Japanese.
- Korean.
- Mandarin Chinese.
- Portuguese.
- Russian.
- Spanish.
How can I earn money by speaking English? ›
- Palfish.
- Cambly.
- NiceTalk.
- Rent a Local Friend.
- Fiverr.
The clear winner from the 7 easiest languages to learn is Spanish. Everything from writing, grammar, and speaking will come more naturally to the English speaker. Similar rules, structure, and Latin roots.
What is the most useful language to learn after English? ›- Spanish. Spanish is the third most spoken language in the world after Chinese and English. ...
- French. ...
- A Chinese language, such as Mandarin. ...
- German. ...
- 5. Japanese. ...
- Arabic. ...
- Portuguese.
- Mandarin (1,117 million speakers)
- Hindi (615 million speakers)
- Spanish (534 million speakers)
- French (280 million speakers)
- Arabic (274 million speakers)
- Russian (258 million speakers)
- Portuguese (234 million speakers)
- Indonesian (198 million speakers)
German and Japanese are also popular in India since Germany, and Japan's economy is highly developed and offer lots of career possibilities in India and abroad. Over the last few years, the demand for Portuguese, Italian, Korean, and Russian has also grown in India for multiple reasons.
Is linguistics in high demand? ›Although many people are still unfamiliar with what linguistics intrinsically is, it is a continuously growing field. It has an increasing impact on various fields, including education, philosophy, psychology, sociology, artificial intelligence, and other areas of computer science.
What can you do with a PHD in linguistics? ›Work in industry: Linguistics study can equip individuals to work on speech recognition, text-to-speech synthesis, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, user research and computer-mediated language learning, among many other areas.
How much do lawyer linguists earn? ›The starting salary is €5,500 a month, with a range of other benefits. Candidates are required to have a bachelor's degree in law or a qualification as a barrister or solicitor, a perfect command of Irish and a thorough command of at least two other official EU languages.
Is a linguistics degree useful? ›While teaching and writing are both excellent careers that a Linguistics degree can lead to, the list of potential professions is far longer and more varied than that. Among the possible future careers that you may not have thought of are forensic linguist, speech therapist and social worker.
What is the best country to study linguistics? ›- Linguistics in New Zealand.
- Linguistics in USA.
- Linguistics in Ireland.
- Linguistics in UK.
- Linguistics in Canada.
- Linguistics in Fiji.
- Linguistics in Belgium.
What is the future of linguistics? ›
The field of linguistics is set to undergo a change of tremendous proportions in the next few years. One of the reasons for this is the development of AI. Some of the most common applications for AI are natural language processing and machine translation.
What do linguists do for a living? ›Linguists work to document, analyze, and preserve endangered languages by conducting fieldwork and establishing literacy programs. This type of work can be highly rewarding for linguists collaborating with language communities around the world to help revitalize their languages.
What does a linguist do in the FBI? ›Independent contract linguists play significant roles at the FBI where they will be called on to: Translate written or audio materials, normally from a foreign language into English. Interpret during interviews or visits from foreign dignitaries. Provide cultural expertise in support of various investigations.
How many years is a PhD in linguistics? ›The PhD program in Linguistics consists of three stages, which correspond to the three Graduate College doctoral degree stages (see chapter 6 in the Graduate College Handbook ). The entire PhD program in Linguistics is intended to take 5 or 6 years: 2 years for Stage 1, and 3 or 4 years for Stages 2 and 3.
Does linguistics have math? ›Introduction. Mathematical linguistics is a field of scientific linguistic inquiry applying mathematical methods and concepts to linguistic systems, to phenomena observed in natural languages, or to the metatheory of models of grammars.
Is Forensic linguistics a real thing? ›A forensic linguist performs language analysis on written or recorded documents to help solve crimes. A forensic linguist studies dialect, grammar, sentence construction, phonetics and other linguistic areas to determine authenticity and ensure correct interpretation. A forensic linguists may analyze: Contracts.
What is a lawyer linguist? ›Lawyer–linguists, who have law degrees and/or professional legal qualifications, ensure the standard of the various language versions of European legislation. Lawyer–linguists also translate pleadings and judgments in the Court of Justice.
Why is linguistics so hard? ›Difficulty of a subject is a highly subjective matter. Linguistics is an extensive, multifaceted field of study with many internal disciplines and directions of study and focus, like any science. There's lots to do, lots to learn and try to understand and/or uncover.
How many languages do linguists speak? ›While some linguists can speak five languages fluently, many others can't, and some highly-respected linguists speak only a single language with any fluency.
Why is linguistics worth studying? ›Linguistics helps us understand our world
Apart from simply understanding the intricacies of world languages, this knowledge can be applied to improving communication between people, contributing to translation activities, assisting in literacy efforts, and treating speech disorders.