Languages

What to expect

Getting a degree in languages

What to expect

It might sound like a cliché but it really is true that when you study another language, a door opens on a whole new world. If you have already learnt a second or third language you will know what this experience is like.

Learning a language will help you if you want to travel, of course, but it will also help you to succeed in all kinds of occupations and industries — travel, business, service professions.

On the other hand, if you are interested in languages but don’t have the desire to learn another one, a foreign language is not the only way to go. Many courses are available in English, linguistics or applied linguistics that all look at human language in very different ways.

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Getting a degree in languages

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Courses and specialisations

Languages degrees don't always have obvious names, such as Bachelor of Languages. If you want to study languages, you will enrol in a general degree like the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of International Studies and then take an appropriate major.

If you are interested in studying English or linguistics, these specialisations will generally be found in arts degrees, although there are degrees in linguistics and applied linguistics around.

Which course is for you?

Think about where you may like to take your language, both in terms of personal fulfilment and career. If you just want to absorb yourself in the study of languages then that is what you should do; stick with a general degree and enjoy it.

However, if you want languages to be a part of your career, it is worth investigating some of the double degrees around. For example, you can combine language studies with many vocational areas of study, including engineering, business, law, education or almost anything else through a double degree. Some universities even combine degrees with a Diploma in Languages.

Getting in

Many of those who line up to study a language at university have already made a start on Japanese or French or Spanish (or another language) at school. But increasing numbers of universities will accept the beginner. You might do a special intensive course in first year or over the long break, and then join the mainstream at the start of semester.

Where to study

Since language studies are often found in the most common of all degrees — the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business — they are readily available and are scattered widely across campuses throughout the country.

However, most languages have only a small number of students and are offered at only a very few campuses so you might need to keep an open mind about where you will go to study. In fact, a number of languages, including several Asian languages, have been of concern to language experts in recent times, with the range of programs and their student numbers sadly depleted.

What to look for

The best language courses study the history, culture, even the economics of the societies in which the languages are used, as well as the languages themselves. There are other things to look for in a language course:

• Do they use the latest teaching/learning technologies (computer-based and multimedia)?
• Are native speakers freely available?
• Do they run study tours, or summer schools, in other countries and/or have other ways of teaching language in context?
• Do they subsidise trips to study in countries speaking the language (which may be essential for advanced learning)?

Careers for language degree graduates

Although many people will study languages for the love of it, a degree in languages will also have an impact on your career direction and prospects.

It is difficult to think of many careers that are directly related to language study. The main one is interpreting and translating. Most of the time, you will not be looking for a ‘career in languages’ but rather your study of languages will facilitate a career in other areas, including tourism and hospitality or business, especially international business.

According to the 2009 national Course Experience Questionnaire survey, language graduates were very happy with their teaching and their overall experience. A big proportion (33 per cent in 2009) of language graduates go on to further study. For those who want to enter the workforce competition is tough, with over a quarter of graduates still looking for work several months after completing their studies. Starting salaries in 2009 were average at $47,090.

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