next »

[NMahmoud]

I understand the importance of the Spanish language as the "official" second language of the United States. I would even like to learn Spanish if I ever land a job as a French professor and have some free time at hand.

Perhaps my specialty in literary-translation sciences is more in demand in Quebec/Montreal, but we are not about to pack up our things and move again, since we just relocated back to the U.S. 18 months ago.

My dissertation is written entirely in French. I would even be happy with a job teaching beginning-level French. But whenever I look at the foreign-language ads from The Chronicle, 90 percent of them are for Spanish professor, and the ones for French professors are few and far between. This means more competition.

I am trying to break into the U.S. job market, but I am frustrated! Had I known of the predominance of the language of Cervantes, I would have given up the language of Moliere long ago.

[C'est vrai]

You are right about French positions in academe, but you may have a better chance at landing a non-academic job with a nonprofit organization.  I have a Ph.D. in the social sciences, and there are two research consultant/community-development jobs in international organizations right now that I can't apply for because my French isn't good enough. Congratulations on your proficiency in the most beautiful language in the world and good luck with your job hunt. I hope you find something that will be just right for you.

[Monica Sainz]

And what are those organizations seeking French speaking people?! Thank you for the e-mail.

[C'est vrai]

Kirton and McConkie have a listing now in The Chronicle. The job sounds interesting enough that I would apply for it if my French were a little better.

The other position was with an African relief organization, but I don't see the job listed now. I presently work for the state of Utah, and they list French as one of the 10 most in-demand languages in governmental agencies, because of African and Caribbean refugees. The census revealed that 25 percent of Salt Lake City residents speak a language other than English at home (mostly Spanish, of course).

I think in the future the United States will discover that all business in the 21st century is international and that the U.S. operates at a disadvantage when its representatives don't speak other languages. If so, you will suddenly be in demand. A friend of mine from China agrees, and is also brushing up on her French (her third language).

[KM]

Indeed, things look difficult for French in the United States. I am currently teaching French language and linguistics at a large university in Canada, but my
husband finds that there are many more positions in his field (theatre performance) in the U.S. Très difficile.  I, too, wish that I had studied some Spanish because in the U.S. it seems that most positions for French are
multilingual (i.e,. professor of French and Italian / French and German / Spanish and French, etc.)

[Anon]

I'm not in modern foreign languages, but my colleague who is, tells me this:

Once upon a time, those who went to college were mostly white and wealthy and who studied languages because they were beautiful or because they were "classy." Now, the demographic has shifted so drastically towards many, many lower- and  middle-class students, that there is a bit of a backlash against languages that were once considered the "classic" college student's first choice. Most students now want practical languages, and many administrators agree and hire for them. They envision students who need to talk to people over an insurance-office or loan-office desk rather than students with families intending to send them to Paris for a year after college.

This is what my colleague says; maybe she is jaded by the trends!