The best jobs for multilinguals

Learning a second language can be the perfect path into a new career in today’s global economy. It’s an in-demand skill that can open doors across borders you perhaps never knew were there.

With more and more employers looking for bilinguals and multilinguals to strengthen their workforces, now could be the time to invest in yourself, improve your mental health and carve out a new career while you’re at it.

Here are some of the most common multilingual careers that might pique your interest in learning a new language and push your professional life in a different 

This will probably be the first one that springs to mind when you think of jobs with languages. Translators and interpreters play crucial roles in a range of scenarios and disciplines, from courtrooms to hospitals and journalism to marketing.

While the likes of Google Translate and ChatGPT can tick a box, they often fall short on the raw, human element of language – the quirks and quips that make local dialects so unique and interesting. That’s why talented translators are in demand. Depending on your chosen route, you could be looking at an estimated salary of £28, 637, according to Glassdoor.

If your way with words is better than the bard of the AI variety, you’ll be in luck with a second language on the tip of your tongue. One thing that’s never going to go out of fashion is the news, so there’s an abundance of roles available in the media world, including reporting, researching, interviewing, and translating.

London-based writers and journalists might expect pay of around £35,000 per year, but salaries obviously differ between regions and countries. The beauty of such a role is that it can be remote by necessity, so you might even get to practice your new language abroad. 

In this ever more connected world of ours, the need for multilingual capabilities in human resources is growing. As a bilingual HR specialist, you’ll be able to make international expansion a possibility for aspirational companies, helping them to recruit employees from a wider pool of global talent than ever before.

In a similar vein to HR, you can get directly involved in headhunting international talent as a multilingual recruitment consultant. You’ll be able to communicate with an array of potential candidates for each role, offering your specialist services up to businesses with a desire to outsource overseas or recruit permanent offshore teams.

You might be eyeing an opportunity in a multicultural school, or you might be looking further afield at a job teaching English as a second language. Whatever your path, you can give yourself the best chance of success by becoming bilingual or multilingual.

You’ll play a vital role in the development of the communication skills of young students while exercising your own passion for language, all the while getting paid for the privilege.

Language specialists can play a vital role in the healthcare sector, especially in emergency situations. They can reduce the stress of communication difficulties between patients and doctors, nurses and paramedics, whether it’s in person or over the phone on demand.

As a medical interpreter or translator, you could be looking at a salary of £35,605, according to Glassdoor, but that, of course, depends on your circumstances – pay can vary greatly between those who are privately employed and those who are freelance, for example.

Speaking other languages as a social worker is a great way to help people communicate their true thoughts, feelings and concerns when they want to – something they may not be able to do if a language barrier lies in the way.

It can be an extremely rewarding career when you know you’re always there for people when they need help, but the added comfort that communicating in their own language can bring for them is priceless.

Along with growing businesses comes a growing customer base, which often introduces an ever-increasing number of languages into the customer support mix. Being equipped with a range of languages means you can help more people from more backgrounds and help businesses lose fewer customers as a result of communication breakdowns. The average salary for multilingual customer support reps comes in at £22,339 on Glassdoor.

The digital marketing industry grows along with the businesses that invest in it, so there’s often a need for international support with campaigns. Agencies often recruit multilinguists to help with everything from writing ads in other languages to compiling go-to-market strategies for new territories. Salaries can vary depending on your chosen discipline and working arrangements, so be sure to do your research. 

There’s no shortage of job boards for the multilinguists amongst us. You can start with the common go-tos like Indeed, Reed and Monster and make sure you scout around on LinkedIn for opportunities in the sector you’re interested in – there’s bound to be the perfect multilingual role out there for you.