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UMass Amherst has a good languages program! My daughter looked at it and liked it. U Albany also has a good languages program and it was a few thousand a year cheaper, so that's where she is.
Mandarin and Linguistics major. She'll probably end up working for the government, but if not, she might go back to China and work there.
I know! That's funny. Rutgers is good, too, but it's too big and spread across all these colleges.
I think UMass would have been great - not uptight like a Berkeley or UVa, not a joke like Arizona State, but somewhere in between and good enough - kind of like Univ. of Florida.
It largely depends on the language.
Some languages happen to have a rich history of literature and culture, such as major European languages, Arabic, and Chinese. If you master one of those, there are many things you can do. If a white/black guy can speak Chinese fluently, a decent job is guaranteed.
With other "small" languages, however, the topics of research may be limited but there could be some unique opportunities, because no one competes with you.
I'm a French major too; I will be graduating with my BA hopefully next Spring. I am studying abroad this coming Fall semester in Montpellier France. I am not fluent yet but hopefully this will really help push that. For those of you who were language majors how long did it take you to get fluent? and what was the most helpful in accomplishing that?
As for the career, I will probably go into teaching (which of course will require more schooling). My friend got a job through the US Embassy and taught English in Nice France, that would be a pretty awesome job opportunity I think. Many people say for foreign language majors it's easier for them to find jobs/careers in that particular foreign country. She only taught there for 6 months, she's getting married now so I don't know if she's going back. I didn't double major like many others, though it's definitely a smart idea with more opportunities/choices.
get a masters and then PhD. thats your only path to not becoming a waitress .
Unless you teach at a university (you will need at least a Master's), become a translator, or teach English overseas (can be lucrative), there is not much you can do with all this linguistics knowledge in the US.
Non-native speakers of French can teach French in Asia (in Japan, etc), provided you teach English, too.
There are many more linguistic opportunities overseas for Americans in Asia, the Middle East, Russia, etc. But do remember that in Western Europe (Germany, Spain, France = the countries that speak the "popular" languages), getting a visa can be a real hassle for an American (without being married, that is). That said, a lot of Americans have been making a living working illegally in Spain as English teachers these past 10 years. Some don't do that bad really.
I am not fluent yet but hopefully this will really help push that. For those of you who were language majors how long did it take you to get fluent? and what was the most helpful in accomplishing that?
1) Listening to French internet radio stations like crazy
2) Reading news reports like crazy
3) Going to "Doctissimmo.com" forum (reading "everyday" French on various everyday topics; guaranteed to make you speak/write like a native if you read these forums all the time)
4) speaking French in a French-speaking country as much as you can; if not, speak on Skype to natives
5) And, yes, studying grammar and vocabulary like no tomorrow (get a good grammar books with clear explanations; plus get "slang" [argot] one, too)
Thank you, I still have all my french books from my college classes so I can continue to use them, I also bought a couple slang books. I will definitely check out that french forum and read news articles, never really thought about doing that but it makes sense when you're trying to learn the language.
Base on your user name I am assuming you speak or are learning to speak German as well, I took one German class in college I plan to learn it after I've mastered French of course. Did you find it easier learning a third language after having gone through the process of learning your second language (whether it was French or German you learned first)? When I took German II it seemed less complex than French.
Thank you, I still have all my french books from my college classes so I can continue to use them, I also bought a couple slang books. I will definitely check out that french forum and read news articles, never really thought about doing that but it makes sense when you're trying to learn the language.
Base on your user name I am assuming you speak or are learning to speak German as well, I took one German class in college I plan to learn it after I've mastered French of course. Did you find it easier learning a third language after having gone through the process of learning your second language (whether it was French or German you learned first)? When I took German II it seemed less complex than French.
I really cannot emphasize the important of learning French grammar. Why? Not just to speak it like an educated native, but because there are little nuances in French that you will not understand if you don't delve deep into the grammar. Remember that French is a very abstract language, and the grammar will help you "decode".
Yes, I know German grammar very well, but I don't speak it fluently (just lack vocabulary + speaking every day). It is a much more straightforward language than French; and if English is your mother tongue (English is a Germanic language), you have an advantage. The biggest issues in German are mastering word order in subordinate clauses and getting the cases under control (Germans are not forgiving at all with the latter).
Interesting. I'm becoming German in the fall, simply because I couldn't get into a Spanish class. German will be my fifth language and I'm hoping to learn a good bit of it and then put it to use a year later when I study in Alsace, France which is conveniently on the boarder of Germany.
Teaching is definitely something I'm considering. The main question is if I do end up teaching, where I teach. My current university has a 2 year MAT program in French with 100% placement, so I may go that route, but I'm not sure that I want to live in South Carolina my whole life (aside from the year in France I plan to spend next year!)
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get a masters and then PhD. thats your only path to not becoming a waitress .
That's kind of offensive to both waitresses and those studying what others deem to be "useless". At the very least, someone with a BA in French can become certified to teach it. And there's nothing wrong with being a waitress. As long as people enjoy going to restaurants and eating out, there will be a need for waitresses. It's an honest living and some do pretty well. Not all of us really care or feel the need to have a six figure salary.
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3) Going to "Doctissimmo.com" forum (reading "everyday" French on various everyday topics; guaranteed to make you speak/write like a native if you read these forums all the time)
Urmmm question: These are showing up in English for me. Is there like a French version and an English version?
Last edited by Oogax3Girl; 07-30-2012 at 03:30 PM..
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