In which professions is knowledge of specialized languages useful?

Knowledge of languages opens up foreign markets. If you speak English, you can travel to practically most countries in the world. There are professions, however, in which knowledge is required not only of English but also of the language of the country, and a specialized language at that. What jobs would it take?

Professions where English is required

There are professions where the environment is international or where English is the language of work all over the world. Such professions include, for example, pilot of an aircraft or captain of a ship, but not only – English is used for jobs in the IT industry or as a waiter. Of course a waiter in an ordinary restaurant in a city center speaks mainly his native language, but waiters in the most expensive hotels work almost exclusively in English because guests come from all over the world and the management or the chef are usually seconded from other countries.

In such professions it happens even that we can continue to live in Poland, but at the very place of work we will Speak only English. They rarely require B2 level English – most often the requirement is C1, and complicated and multi-stage interviews are conducted in such a way that any language deficiencies will quickly come to light. However, if someone knows English well enough, he or she has a chance to work in Poland for a foreign salary and in a prestigious profession. Most of Poles know English language in some degree and thanks to such language schools as Ling Partner we have an opportunity to learn it on an appropriate, required by the profession level.

Professions where a specialised language is required

There are, however, professions in which not only the language of the country in which the profession is carried out, but also the specialized language of the profession is required. These are mainly branches and positions where employees make decisions on which a lot depends – such as doctors, lawyers, scientists or engineers working in laboratories, but also police officers or firemen. Especially in the latter professions one works mainly with the inhabitants of a given country, and the specificity of these professions does not allow for mistakes, learning or correct linguistic mistakes on an ongoing basis.

If you’re going to work in a laboratory, even though no one’s life may depend on your work, you won’t be without specialist language. We may not understand complicated analyses or conversations conducted by other co-workers. The same will be in the case of professions such as architects or accountants – although you can communicate in English in these professions, if you go to a design office in France or Spain you cannot expect that the local employees will speak English at work. In such situations we will need not only the local language, but also a language specific to the profession.