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What Can I Do With a Major in... Asian Languages and Literature

Asian Languages and Literature majors study the languages of many diverse countries in Asia which include Chinese, Tibetan, Japanase and Korean; Hindi and Urdu; Filipino and Vietnamese; and Micronesian and Polynesian languages. Studies in this major include not only learning the Asian Languages, but these skills are also applied to business, literature, and science/technology. Students interested in this major are generally very good at communicating both orally and in writing, while also being successful in the acquisition of new languages. Many students take the opportunity to travel and study abroad while completing their degree. Studying abroad is highly recommended because it allows the students to become fully immersed in the language and culture of the foreign country for an extended amount of time.

With this degree, many students go on to careers teaching Asian Languages or working as translators or interpreters. Although these jobs are seen as most "common" to this major, there are many other opportunities available in several different career areas. Other less known areas of employment include: jobs at airports, international business, travel agencies, social services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Job applicants with a strong knowledge of a second language are highly sought after by employers because of their usefulness and applicability to many situations.

General Career Information Career Planning Assessments Partnership for Public Service (Careers With the Federal Government)     Sample Job Titles Entry Level Customs Officer Interpreter  Language Teacher Peace Corps Volunteer Social Worker Education + Experience Border Patrol Officer Foreign Service Officer Professor Translator These job titles are not an exhaustive list, but rather, represent the types of positions most widely recruited for. Bilingual Administrative Assistant Border Patrol Officer Cultural Officer Customs Officer Defense Language Institute Officer FBI Agent Foreign Correspondent Foreign Language Instructor Foreign Service Officer International Consulting International Development Officer International Journalist Interpreter Language Librarian Language Teacher Law Enforcement Officer Missionary Peace Corps Volunteer Press Officer Professor Program Specialist Social Worker Teacher Tour Guide Translator United Nations Officer United States Information Service Officer U.S. Department of State Officer World Health Organization Officer   Employment Areas Academia Government Private Corporations Non-Profit Organizations Publicly Traded Corporations   Job and Internship Listings Abroad Languages Bilingual Jobs CIA Foreign Language Instructors Employment Links from the Latin American Network Information Center LanguageCorps U.S. Department of State The University of Iowa Pomerantz Career Center job and internship listing links

Professional Organizations American Association for Applied Linguistics American Dialect Society American Translators Association Association for Asian Studies International Association for Language Learning Technology International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language Modern Language Association National Association for Bilingual Education   Organizations That Have Hired UI Students and Alumni To view a complete list of organizations that recruit UI students and alumni, please visit: www.careers.uiowa.edu/students/uirecruit.html   Additional Resources Graduate School Information Peterson's Guide to Graduate Schools UI Resources Pomerantz Career Center Homepage HireaHawk.com Pearson Library Internships Career Fairs UI Websites Department of Asian Languages & Literature Main Library UI Student Organizations List of Nationality Organizations