Show Page 10 Student Life Wednesday May 19 1976 L-- u uD 3 bbJ WUIUlIP 1IJ or HOW TO PREPARE FOR A BETTER JOB AFTER GRABUAHON for next Fall s courses Very soon most of you will be We think you should read carefully these two pages before finalizing your class schedule pre-registeri- ng ONCE UPON A TIME ference between getting that job you really want most people who studied a foreign language did so simply for the joy of being able to read write understand and speak a language other than their own Knowing a foreign language was part of what was called "a education" And believe it or not some people still study a foreign language for this reason I well-rounde- language teachers or not getting it! The importance of a second language can be categorized Most of you are certainly not planning a career that falls in category A below d Also there are some dauntless people who learn a foreign language because they want to use it to earn their livelihood someday: foreign translators interpreters Today however the unpleasant truth is that the market for these individuals is not as good as it If your career plan fall in the categories listed below TKSNX AKEADI! TKINX BIS!! Think of the advantages a second language will offer you when you start looking for a job in these fields: - architect or engineer with a firm dealing with foreign countries international sales representative or executive sales manager in on import 'export trade business marketing specialist administrator personnel manager or accountant for an international firm executive in a bank with international operations international researcher in your specific field international lawyer travel industry personnel (airlines l chains etc) communications personnel (radio television journalism advertising etc) bilingual executive secretary social worker librarian your career plans fall in category B perhaps you should consider NOW the advantages a second language will offer you the day you leave school and begin looking for employment BUT if has been at times in the past ' A hotel-mote- Perhaps neither of the above categories describes your feelings toward a foreign language "So” you ask "WHY CATEGORY A Foreign language as a PRIMARY skill: foreign language teacher bilingual educator interpreter translator SHOULD I STUDY A FOREIGN LANGUAGE???" etc etc It may surprise you to realize that knowing a second language is - today in 1976 - at times a means of obtaining a better position in a world where these "better positions" seem to be fewer and fewer every year AND THE US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT! Most federal departments of the United States Government have branches where foreign languages are strongly useful if not required: Department of State -- When that day in your life comes around - next year or in a few years from now your years of formal training in school are behind you HOW WILL YOU BE PREARED TO COM-- PETE IN THE JOB MARKET? The plain truth is in many cases the knowledge of a second language can be a formidable asset and can sometimes make the dif CATEGORY (1100 foreign service officers for example need a second of Commerce Agriculture Interior etc language) Departments and of course the Peace Corps and Vista B Foreign language as an ADJUNCT skill say an auxiliary skill that can greatly that is to enhance business your primary skill (engineering agriculture looking for employment this adjunct skill can be highly useful at times even required In any case it will often be a definite PLUS in YOUR favor when competing against others for those few good jobs available And a second language could be an excellent advantage in your favor in later years when promotion time comes around I etc)-Whe- n HAVE WE MISSED THE FIELD YOU'VE CHOSEN AS A CAREER? OR THAT YOU MIGHT EVENTUALLY CHOOSE? Couldn't it be listed here? Many other careers could We've named but a few in which the knowledge of a second language can be a strong asset if not a requirment IF YOU DOUDT YJI1AT 17E TELLING YOU CHECK THE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENT SECTION OF ANY MAJOR CITY NEWSPAPER WE DID! LANGUAGES FOR THE WORLD OF WORK Recently Olympus Research Corporation (ORC) of Salt Lake City undertook a study titled "Languages for the World of Work (LWOW)" The project sponsored by the State of Wyoming was performed by ORC under a subcontract funded by the Division of Manpower Development and Training of the United States Office of Education We are grateful to ORC to Ernest Wilkins project director end to his associates M Rex Arnett Mario Aranda and Linda Gene Walser for their kind permission to reproduce below parts of the Executive Summary formulated at the conclusion of their preliminary research for the LWOW project This Executive Summary has been published in a recent issue of the ADFI Bulletin and we thank the journal's editor Richard I Brod for his generous authorization to quote from the work where languages are obviously a necessity but also various other agencies Approximately 25000 federal employees need foreign language skills A finding that astonishes everyone was that far more jobs exists in the government in departments than was supposed at the beginning of the study For example in addition to the foreign service officers employed by the Department of State (where language skills are obviously a necessity) if'was found that many bureaus and offices of (he Department of Agriculture of Commerce and of the Interior also had substantial language needs among their various personnel" paper summarizes a survey study un- dertaken primarily to determine the need for personnel in foreign languages and The survey in- technicalprofessional skills eluded an analysis of government to determine the number of positionsagencies in which foreign language skills are needed It was concluded that language requirments at the federal level include not only the diplomatic agencies dual-traine- d 4' f r" f J - "In addition our own study evoked commentaries case studies and data from a number of what we might consider to be highly enlightened company officials who reported unusual success in profits in public relations and in total operations which they attributed to their attention to language and cultural training A few positive comments appear below and are taken from the survey of business and industry representing geocentric-orientecompanies The comments are typical of the type of attitude seen by us and by international business experts as n being that which is needed From a major firm's personnel manager: 'I will offer a American managers inpurely personal view volved in overseas activities should no longer blithely assume that we can force our language on other nationals that language learning is a one-wastreet - toward English We awsl learn the other fellow's language to show true appre- ciation to him to his culture and to the extra effort he applied to learn English' From an Ohio firm a response by the vice president for" international operations: ’There is a rapidly increasing need for foreign language skills in our organization and every organization '" ' d well-know- over 6000 business firms was conducted Respondents (23) identified 60000 language related jobs Considering that among and firms not surveyed there are many other language related positions it can be surmissed that there are an additional large number of such jobs When responses from the business and industry community were analyzed we found a wide range of answers Those who were knowledgeable about the concept (the subject of languages for the world of work) unquestionably supported it perceiving that foreign language skills held by their employees "A survey of ts "This immensely benefit their firms" y -- I |