Linguistics Careercast

“Sometimes having a PhD will not be to your advantage – it can put you in a box”

Alfonso Sánchez-Moya is a discourse analyst currently employed at Amazon. He earned a PhD in English linguistics in Spain and did post doctoral work at Harvard and at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He is particularly interested in online discourse and multimodal communication, mostly looking at the connections between language, ideology, power and identity. He is also interested in digital discourse and communication as key components of online education, fields he has been involved with in professional terms for the last ten years.

Alfonso Sánchez-Moya on LinkedIn

Alfonso’s website

Topics include

– success in grad school

The post Episode #28: Alfonso Sánchez-Moya first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

“There’s nothing more important than staying in touch with people”

This episode is an audio version of a live recording of the Linguistics Careercast podcast. The panel was held on June 24, 2023, as part of the 2023 LSA Summer Institute at University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Today our three panelists will discuss non-academic career options combining cognitive science and linguistics, focusing on their journeys from academia to industry. Each of the panelists speaks about their experiences for about ten minutes, and then we go to questions both in the Zoom chat and live at the Institute, where the lovely and talented Hadas Kotek (Apple) moderates.

The video is available on the Linguistics Career Launch YouTube channel.

Best practices for informational interviews (LCL video)

Panelists:

Ann Thyme-Gobbel, Vice President, UX & Design, Milo

The panel was moderated by Christopher Stewart (Google) and Laurel Sutton (Catchword Branding).

Producer:

Topics include

The post Episode #27: LCC Live at Amherst: Careers for Cognitive Science Linguists first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

“You may be looking for a job, but people are looking for YOU.”

Careers for linguists in government roles are more that just working for a three-letter agency. The government is a big space which presents lots of room to work on different problems of public interest. In this panel, three linguists talk about their path from academia to government roles at the federal and state level.

Panelists:

Moderator: Emily Pace

Topics include:

The post Episode #26: Careers in Government (LCL Audio) first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

“If you think you can do a job, apply for it – even if you don’t meet all of the qualifications!”

Kristina Wagers is a Principal Solutions Architect at Gainwell Technologies; she is part of the Conversation Design Team for Gainwell’s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology. After starting out as a biology major, she switched to English Language and Literature and then earned her Master’s in Applied Linguistics through the University of Birmingham, specializing in discourse analysis and sociolinguistics. She’s also been an English language instructor in Europe and the US.

Kristina Wagers on LinkedIn

The Professor is Out (Facebook group)

Conversation Design Institute

Topics include

– teaching English

The post Episode #25: Kristina Wagers first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

Dana Chisnell joined the US Digital Service as a Policy Design Researcher and General Problem Solver. Her current challenge is designing for language access.  The US government makes all kinds of information available in multiple languages, depending on the program, mostly in print. This is a logistics problem, but also a power/equity issue. How do we design for it? And how do you get started in this kind of government work?

Presenter: Dana Chisnell (US DHS)

Dana Chisnell’s website

Dana Chisnell on LinkedIn

Topics include

– technical writing

The post Episode #24: Language Access to Government (LCL Audio) first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

“Do linguistics, but pick up other valuable skills in while you’re in school – it will always help!”

Joseline Segovia is an experienced Language Access Specialist with expertise in facilitating multilingual and multicultural communication through community-centered practices and innovation; she is passionate about the advancement of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. She has provided language services in fields including education, public service, government, tech companies, and the entertainment industry.

Joseline Segovia on LinkedIn

Topics include

– interpreting

The post Episode #23: Joseline Segovia first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

“Take first step – pick a direction, try something out. Let your career build as it happens.”

This episode is an audio version of a virtual panel held at the Linguistics Career Launch in the summer of 2021. The title of the panel is Linguist in the C-Suite, and the moderator is Nancy Frishberg. The panelist is Andrea Leszek, who is a technology leader with broad experience building products that customers love. She is currently the Chief Operating Officer for Technology at Salesforce, responsible for engineering and business operations, agile, and employee enablement. Andrea is also responsible for customer enablement via technology communications, documentation, and in-app user assistance. She is a founding member of the Salesforce Women’s Network, and is passionate about diversity in tech. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Linguistics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Andrea Leszek at LinkedIn

Topics include:

– technical writing

The post Episode #22: Linguist in the C-Suite (LCL Audio) first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

“Don’t put yourself in a little box – what matters is what you DO with your degree”

Nora Díaz holds a B.A. in English Language Teaching and Translation. She is a full-time published EN-ES translator and translation team leader, working on a wide variety of topics. Her interest in productivity has led to a constant exploration of technology to boost productivity, such as CAT tools, speech recognition and custom macros. In her blog, Nora Díaz on Translation, Teaching and Other Stuff, she shares what she has learned with translators from around the globe.

Nora Díaz on LinkedIn

The Translator’s Toolbox

American Translator’s Association

ProZ.com (Online Community and Workplace for Language Professionals)

Translator’s Cafe

Topics covered:

– translation

The post Episode #21: Nora Diaz first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

“It didn’t feel like trailblazing—it felt like floundering.”

This episode is an audio version of a virtual panel held at the Linguistics Career Launch in the summer of 2021. The title of the panel is Stages & Changes over the Course of your Career, and the moderator is Susan Steele.

Academic linguist, career linguist, whatever linguist. This part of your life has to negotiate with the other roles you fill – parent, partner/spouse, child. The negotiation is ongoing, but the terms may vary with time and circumstances. The members of this panel will discuss examples of such negotiation from their own lives and consider the major changes that ensued.

Presenters:

Judith Klavans

Topics include

The post Episode #20: Stages & Changes Over the Course of Your Career (LCL Audio) first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

“What work does linguistics prepare you for? Technically nothing, but also – everything!”

Nicole Rybak recently completed an internship in naming at Leaderboard Branding. She received both a BA and an MA in linguistics from Georgetown University, and is bilingual in both English and Polish. She is a sociolinguist who has also served as a high school speech coach.

Nicole Rybak on LinkedIn

Topics covered:

– naming

The post Episode #19: Nicole Rybak first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.