Linguistics Career and Grad School Information Session

Transcription

1 Linguistics Career and Grad School Information Session for 3 rd and 4 th year students Sept. 28, 2011 SLaLS, Carleton University

2 Schedule Postgraduate options for linguistics majors get a job related to linguistics teach English abroad go to graduate school

3 Postgraduate options for Linguistics major

4 Find a linguistics job

5 Linguistics majors: skills Comprehensive understanding of language and linguistic theory Analytical skills in all aspects of language (sounds, words, sentences, meanings) Critical/analytical thinking and problem solving skills approaching topics and problems from various perspectives analyzing multiple dimensions of a problem identifying problems and developing solutions decision making skills

6 Linguistics majors: skills Capacity to think creatively, logically and quantitatively Project management and research skills: observe; interview; collect data; process, synthesize and interpret vast amounts of data

7 Areas of employment Educational institutions linguistics professor, lecturer language instructor project director, coordinator or administrator research assistant

8 Areas of employment Language institutions language instructor language learning and teaching program developer curriculum and materials developer test developer

9 Areas of employment Publishing firms editor or proofreader acquisitions editor

10 Areas of employment Market research institutions analyst: conduct surveys, analyze data advertising product names survey designer

11 Areas of employment Natural language processing companies: computational linguist develop machine translation systems speech recognition and speech analysis (PC, Internet) maintain electronic lexicons used for automatic speech recognition and text to speech

12 Areas of employment Computational linguist, Attensity Corp. Attensity seeks a Computational Linguist to assist in the design, implementation, and management of domain models and extraction technologies. This role focuses on the development of Attensity s English extraction portfolio. Requirements of the Position: Apply theoretical Syntax, Semantic and Pragmatics expertise to complex, real world problems Create and maintain industry vertical domains consisting of dictionaries and entities Design and prototype new features and extraction patterns Assist in development of Attensity s cutting edge parsing and extraction technologies Qualifications: 2 years experience working in computational linguistics or natural language processing Solid working knowledge of Morphology, Syntax and Semantics Experience with corpus analysis, esp. Social Media Track record of strong analytical and design skills [see linguistlist.org]

13 Areas of employment Software companies Dictionaries and lexicons pronunciation dictionaries; phonetic transcriptions encode foreign language terminology into machine translation software system Electronic system for improving vocabulary

14 Areas of employment Lexicographer, Systran Software, Inc. Encoding Korean terminology into Machine Translation system dictionaries. Essential duties and responsibilities: Encode foreign language terminology according to specific conventions Keep track of dictionary improvements ; analyze and correct dictionary errors Compile data from foreign language text for determining the correct function and/or meaning of terms Test and document the results of periodic MT dictionary upgrades Assist other Linguistics Department personnel in a variety of research tasks. Education and/or Experience: Minimum of two years in a college or university or at least one year of work in an academic environment (e.g., college library, science lab, etc.). Language Skills: Native speaker of Korean; fluent spoken and written English Ability to identify parts of speech in English and Korean sentences Ability to understand and translate into English 100% of the sentences found in a major Korean newspaper (e.g., The Dong a Ilbo) [see linguistlist.org]

15 Areas of employment Healthcare profession Speech language pathologist Speech therapist Audiologist

16 Areas of employment Government foreign language instructor (military, intelligence) translator, interpreter

17 Areas of employment Law and order forensic linguist consultant: composing and interpreting legal documents

18 Areas of employment Language documentation and revitalization projects endangered languages: document, protect, preserve language revitalization: compile grammar, teach language

19 Areas of employment Program Manager, Recovering Voices Program Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution program is working with communities to document and sustain endangered languages and knowledge responsible for the overall management and administration of the program through planning projects, workshops, symposia, conferences, outreach (including website development), budget and fundraising/ development activities will create long term partnerships with communities world wide and will foster collaborations built upon community engagement background (Ph.D. preferred) in anthropology, linguistics, human geography or related fields, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches to language endangerment or endangered knowledge systems [see linguistlist.org]

20 Jobs: where to look Career Centre (Carleton) www1.carleton.ca/career/ Linguist List linguistlist.org LSA (Linguistic Society of America)

21 Teach English abroad

22 Where to teach private companies private language schools colleges and universities community based programs government programs (e.g., JET)

23 Applying to graduate school

24 Graduate school Linguistics Speech Language Pathology Cognitive Science (Carleton) Applied Linguistics & Discourse Studies (ALDS) (SLaLS) Education

25 Grad school: Linguistics Core theoretical courses Phonology, syntax, semantics Subdisciplines Computational linguistics Fieldwork, descriptive linguistics Historical/comparative linguistics psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics

26 Grad school: SLP Master s program Locations Canada: BC, Alberta, Western Ontario, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, McGill, Laval, Dalhousie United States United Kingdom Australia Requirements vary: plan ahead!

27 Grad school: Cognitive science Carleton: MCogSc & PhD Five disciplines: linguistics, psychology, philosophy, computer science, neuroscience

28 Grad school: ALDS MA, new PhD program in Fall 2012 TESL/TEFL, second language acquisition, language education & assessment, academic writing MA: coursework, research essay or thesis paths

29 Graduate school option Is graduate school for me? Choosing a program: do your research Application requirements: plan ahead Timeline

30 Is graduate school for me? Undergraduate vs. graduate studies Degree of specialization Importance of research (ideas, initiative) Interaction with faculty M.A. vs. Ph.D. Program length Requirements (coursework, generals papers or comprehensive exams, thesis)

31 Choosing a program Depth vs. breadth Some programs are narrower, more focused, and more coherent than others Many programs focus on particular theories or frameworks Structured sequence of courses vs. independent program

32 Choosing a program Questions to ask Who teaches there? What are their areas of specialization? Is the faculty committed to student education (or only interested in their own research?) Does the program have a good reputation? What are the requirements besides coursework? What are the requirements for admission? Is financial aid available?

33 Choosing a program Information sources Internet Directory of linguistics programs in Canada & US dirs programs.cfm Ranking of linguistics programs in the US graduate school.phds.org/rankings/linguistics Linguistics programs worldwide Your professors Former students

34 Applying to a program Plan ahead Inform your professors Build a CV (Curriculum Vitae)

35 Building a CV Your CV is a record of all your accomplishments and should include: titles of term papers, independent study research papers, theses topics of Special Topic courses scholarships and awards TA and RAships volunteer work

36 Application requirements 1. Application form 2. Statement of interest/research 3. Writing sample 4. Reference letters 5. Transcripts 6. GRE

37 Application requirements 2. Statement of interest a.k.a. statement of purpose/research, letter of intent Include concrete professional and research goals Can expand on previous work Match with university is important One page

38 Application requirements 3. Writing sample Demonstrates ability to do research Can be work in progress (e.g. honours thesis)or a paper from a previous course (but it may need revision!!) Ask your professors for advice

39 Application requirements 3. Writing sample (cont d) Not necessarily ground breaking But should be your own independent work Not necessarily extremely technical But should show your ability to make a theoretical argument Not necessarily long But should be well written and packed with good ideas

40 Application requirements 4. Reference letters 2 3 letters: ask early! Academic performance, future potential Ask professors who know you, whose courses you did well in Provide them with all required information: what, when, where, and dossier FIPPA (release of information)

41 Application requirements: letter

42 Application requirements: letter

43 Application requirements: letter Additional comments on the applicant s: 1. ability to carry on advanced study and research 2. teaching ability 3. promise for a successful career in this field 4. weaknesses, if any 5. communication skills (oral and written)

44 Application requirements 5. Transcripts Strive for excellent grades!

45 Application requirements 6. GRE Graduate Record Examinations (General) Standardized test Verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, analytical writing skills Offered year round at computer based test centres Not usually required in Canadian univ.

46 Scholarships internal teaching assistantships research assistantships merit scholarships tuition scholarships

47 Scholarships external provincial Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Fonds québécois de recherche sur la société et la culture (FQRSC) national (can be used outside of Canada) Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

48 Scholarships internal part of program application external apply in your fourth year deadlines vary from August to December more information: www5/carleton.ca/fgpa

49 Timeline Deadlines: Nov Feb Apply early: competitive, funding limited

50 Timeline 3 rd year (incl. summer) Take courses that could result in a writing sample Inform professors about your intent to pursue graduate studies Research graduate programs Work on writing sample Take GREs (if required)

51 Timeline Fall of 4 th year Complete the application package (form, statement, writing sample, transcripts) Request reference letters (Re)take GREs Apply for scholarships Winter of 4 th year Wait for responses!