The field of linguistics has been with us since humans started communicating with others. It evolved from simple sounds to hieroglyphs to complex languages that we have today.Sadly, when most people think of a career in languages, an image of a professor in tweeds sitting in a small dusty office overflowing with books and papers immediately comes to their mind. Contrarily, careers in languages are not as typical.
Some Careers in Languages
Forensic Linguists
Forensic linguists interpret the role of language in crime. This is a very interesting career as forensic linguists study different linguistic styles of criminals and can glean individual traits from their use of language (verbal or written). They can look for dialects, origins, anomalies, use of grammar to extract important information about a criminal.

Historians
Historians are more interested in the study of old, usually extinct languages. Their research usually has two prospects: either to understand how an older language influenced our modern languages or to understand ancient text that has not been deciphered yet to learn more about the history of an ancient civilization.

Translators and Interpreters
Translators and interpreters are very highly paid for their services. Translators usually translate text from one language to another. Many books have been translated from language to language to increase readership. Interpreters, on the other hand, help a person in situations where another language than the one that person understands is being used for most purposes. Many diplomats also have accompanying interpreters who aid them during visits to foreign countries.

Linguists in Media
Linguists are high in demand in all media. Since media caters to various segments of the society, linguists help in reaching out to the intended audience by use of the appropriate language. Linguists are involved from script writing to copy writing for advertisements to the final screen play setting.

Researchers
As in any field, languages also need ongoing research. This is how they evolve and develop. Researchers in languages may help in developing a language to suit a certain time period or study previous languages and how their influence has changed transactions and interactions between people.

Teachers
The most commonly perceived profession in languages is teaching. Depending on the level of degree a person has obtained and his/her interest, language teachers may opt for primary school, secondary school, high school and even colleges and universities.

Editors and Proofreaders
Our newspapers and magazines, as well as books, cannot be published without a linguist’s scan. Editors and proofreaders help take out grammatical mistakes and make material more reader-friendly and suitable for the intended readers.

Average Salaries for Careers in Languages
Like in all fields, salaries vary greatly according to the following variables: qualification, choice of work sector and relevant work experience. Some of the average salaries for careers in languages are as follows:

Forensic Linguists: $ 56, 120

Translators: $ 68, 000

Interpreters: $ 42,000

Editors: $ 40,000

Historians: $ 84,000

Teachers: School: $ 55,000

College: $ 51,000

From the statistics above, it can be seen that apart from historians, careers in languages are not very high paying. However, most language professionals freelance their services and thus, earn more than the above mentioned salaries.
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