Linguistics Career and Grad School Information Session for 3 rd and 4 th year students Sept. 28, 2011 SLaLS, Carleton University
Schedule Postgraduate options for linguistics majors • get a job related to linguistics • teach English abroad • go to graduate school
Postgraduate options for Linguistics major
Find a linguistics job
Linguistics majors: skills • Comprehensive understanding of language and linguistic theory • Analytical skills in all aspects of language (sounds, words, sentences, meanings) • Critical/analytical thinking and problem solving skills – approaching topics and problems from various perspectives – analyzing multiple dimensions of a problem – identifying problems and developing solutions – decision making skills
Linguistics majors: skills • Capacity to think creatively, logically and quantitatively • Project management and research skills: observe; interview; collect data; process, synthesize and interpret vast amounts of data
Areas of employment Educational institutions • linguistics professor, lecturer • language instructor • project director, coordinator or administrator • research assistant
Areas of employment Language institutions • language instructor • language learning and teaching program developer • curriculum and materials developer • test developer
Areas of employment Publishing firms • editor or proofreader • acquisitions editor
Areas of employment Market research institutions • analyst: conduct surveys, analyze data – advertising – product names • survey designer
Areas of employment Natural language processing companies : computational linguist • develop machine translation systems • speech recognition and speech analysis (PC, Internet) • maintain electronic lexicons used for automatic speech recognition and text to speech
Areas of employment Computational linguist, Attensity Corp. Attensity seeks a Computational Linguist to assist in the design, implemen ‐ tation, and management of domain models and extraction technologies. This role focuses on the development of Attensity’s English extraction portfolio. Requirements of the Position : ‐ Apply theoretical Syntax, Semantic and Pragmatics expertise to complex, real ‐ world problems ‐ Create and maintain industry ‐ vertical domains consisting of dictionaries and entities ‐ Design and prototype new features and extraction patterns ‐ Assist in development of Attensity’s cutting edge parsing and extraction technologies Qualifications : ‐ 2 years experience working in computational linguistics or natural language processing ‐ Solid working knowledge of Morphology, Syntax and Semantics ‐ Experience with corpus analysis, esp. Social Media ‐ Track record of strong analytical and design skills [see linguistlist.org]
Areas of employment Software companies • Dictionaries and lexicons – pronunciation dictionaries; phonetic transcriptions – encode foreign language terminology into machine translation software system • Electronic system for improving vocabulary
Areas of employment Lexicographer , Systran Software, Inc. Encoding Korean terminology into Machine Translation system dictionaries. Essential duties and responsibilities : ‐ Encode foreign language terminology according to specific conventions ‐ Keep track of dictionary improvements ; analyze and correct dictionary errors ‐ Compile data from foreign language text for determining the correct function and/or meaning of terms ‐ Test and document the results of periodic MT dictionary upgrades ‐ Assist other Linguistics Department personnel in a variety of research tasks. Education and/or Experience : Minimum of two years in a college or university or at least one year of work in an academic environment (e.g., college library, science lab, etc.). Language Skills : ‐ Native speaker of Korean; fluent spoken and written English ‐ Ability to identify parts of speech in English and Korean sentences ‐ Ability to understand and translate into English 100% of the sentences found in a major Korean newspaper (e.g., The Dong ‐ a Ilbo) [see linguistlist.org]
Areas of employment Healthcare profession • Speech ‐ language pathologist • Speech therapist • Audiologist
Areas of employment Government • foreign language instructor (military, intelligence) • translator, interpreter
Areas of employment Law and order • forensic linguist • consultant: composing and interpreting legal documents
Areas of employment Language documentation and revitalization projects • endangered languages: document, protect, preserve • language revitalization: compile grammar, teach language
Areas of employment Program Manager , Recovering Voices Program Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution � program is working with communities to document and sustain endangered languages and knowledge � responsible for the overall management and administration of the program through planning projects, workshops, symposia, conferences, outreach (including website development), budget and fundraising/ development activities � will create long ‐ term partnerships with communities world ‐ wide and will foster collaborations built upon community engagement � background (Ph.D. preferred) in anthropology, linguistics, human geography or related fields, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches to language endangerment or endangered knowledge systems [see linguistlist.org]
Jobs: where to look Career Centre (Carleton) www1.carleton.ca/career/ Linguist List linguistlist.org LSA (Linguistic Society of America) www.lsadc.org
Teach English abroad
Where to teach • private companies • private language schools • colleges and universities • community ‐ based programs • government programs (e.g., JET)
Applying to graduate school
Graduate school • Linguistics • Speech ‐ Language Pathology • Cognitive Science (Carleton) • Applied Linguistics & Discourse Studies (ALDS) (SLaLS) • Education
Grad school: Linguistics • Core theoretical courses – Phonology, syntax, semantics • Subdisciplines – Computational linguistics – Fieldwork, descriptive linguistics – Historical/comparative linguistics – psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics
Grad school: SLP • Master’s program • Locations – Canada: BC, Alberta, Western Ontario, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, McGill, Laval, Dalhousie – United States – United Kingdom – Australia • Requirements vary: plan ahead!
Grad school: Cognitive science • Carleton: MCogSc & PhD • Five disciplines: linguistics, psychology, philosophy, computer science, neuroscience
Grad school: ALDS • MA, new PhD program in Fall 2012 • TESL/TEFL, second language acquisition, language education & assessment, academic writing… • MA: coursework, research essay or thesis paths
Graduate school option • Is graduate school for me? • Choosing a program: do your research • Application requirements: plan ahead • Timeline
Is graduate school for me? • Undergraduate vs. graduate studies – Degree of specialization – Importance of research (ideas, initiative) – Interaction with faculty • M.A. vs. Ph.D. – Program length – Requirements (coursework, generals papers or comprehensive exams, thesis)
Choosing a program • Depth vs. breadth – Some programs are narrower, more focused, and more coherent than others – Many programs focus on particular theories or frameworks – Structured sequence of courses vs. independent program
Choosing a program • Questions to ask – Who teaches there? What are their areas of specialization? – Is the faculty committed to student education (or only interested in their own research?) – Does the program have a good reputation? – What are the requirements besides coursework? – What are the requirements for admission? – Is financial aid available?
Choosing a program • Information sources – Internet • Directory of linguistics programs in Canada & US www.lsadc.org/info/pubs ‐ dirs ‐ programs.cfm • Ranking of linguistics programs in the US graduate ‐ school.phds.org/rankings/linguistics • Linguistics programs worldwide www.gradschools.com – Your professors – Former students
Applying to a program • Plan ahead • Inform your professors • Build a CV (Curriculum Vitae)
Building a CV Your CV is a record of all your accomplishments and should include: • titles of term papers, independent study research papers, theses • topics of Special Topic courses • scholarships and awards • TA and RAships • volunteer work
Application requirements 1. Application form 2. Statement of interest/research 3. Writing sample 4. Reference letters 5. Transcripts 6. GRE
Application requirements 2. Statement of interest • a.k.a. statement of purpose/research, letter of intent • Include concrete professional and research goals • Can expand on previous work • Match with university is important • One page
Application requirements 3. Writing sample Demonstrates ability to do research • • Can be work in progress (e.g. honours thesis)or a paper from a previous course ( but it may need revision!! ) Ask your professors for advice •
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