Careers for Japanese Majors / Diploma of Languages in Japanese
There are a wide range of careers related to Japanese studies. In choosing your career path, it is important to consider what you have learnt through your major and which careers are most closely related to it.
Skills, knowledge and abilities acquired in the Japanese major
- Ability to communicate effectively in Japanese in various social and professional contexts
- Asia literacy – a sound understanding of cultural and social practices in Japan, one of the major trading partners of Australia
- Ability to communicate appropriately with people from different cultural backgrounds, enabling a balanced interpretation of various social and professional practices in the global scene
Ability to think critically and flexibly to find solutions from new perspectives in deadlocked situation
Career fields which build on the skills and knowledge acquired through a Japanese major
The table below lists a range of careers which make use of studies in Japanese. The list is not definitive; language skills can complement almost any occupational field and create specific opportunities.
More information on many of these career fields is available on the Exploring your options web page. (Career Research – Career Links – Arts)
The table also provides some information about ‘next steps’ ie what you might need to do to start a career in the particular field, specifically whether the career field can be entered directly following Bachelor studies, or whether graduate study is required.
A word about post-Bachelor employment
There are two employment types for post-Bachelor graduates:
* General employment positions suitable for new graduates
* Graduate Employment Programs
Graduate Employment Programs are offered by some employers – generally large commercial organisations and government. Graduate Employment Program positions are jobs that include a substantial component of training and development. Recruitment for these programs takes place early in the year (around March-May). Final year tertiary students and recent grads can apply. For some of the career areas discussed, Graduate Employment programs are available. Where this is the case, graduate study may not be required.
For more information on Graduate Employment Programs, please see the Student Careers website.
Career options generally fall into two categories – those where language is the core activity, and those where language skill is paired with another skill.
‘A knowledge of one or more foreign languages can be useful in a wide range of careers. For some jobs, such as translating, interpreting and language teaching, language skills are the main requirement. For other jobs a combination of languages and other qualifications, knowledge or skills may be needed. For example, people with languages plus IT, law, finance or sales skills are much sought-after.’
For more information, please see the Omniglot – Language Learning website.
Language as ‘core business’ – specialist language occupations
These options would be available to advanced stream students.
| Role | Employers | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Translating |
Business/multinational Companies Media Freelance Government NGO/NPO |
MA in Translation Training in programs provided by private institutions |
| Interpreting |
Business/multinational Companies Media Freelance Government NGO/NPO |
MA in Translation Training in programs provided by private institutions |
| Teaching Japanese / Japanese studies |
Private institutions Primary/Secondary schools Higher Education |
No specific requirements, through qualifications assist Graduate Diploma in Japanese as a second/Foreign language or Master of Teaching MA Applied Linguistics; MA or PhD Japanese Studies |
Careers which make use of language in conjunction with another skill
Note that language skill can used to complement almost any other skill to suggest career possibilities. Below are some examples only.
| Role | Companion studies | Employers | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|---|
Diplomacy / international relations Beginners to advanced | Politics and International studies / Asian Studies | Government Intergovernmental bodies NGO/NPO Business/multinational companies | Graduate Employment Programs (mainly Australian Government) OR Graduate Studies - International Relations |
Academia/research Advanced | Any field | University Research Centres | Honours Masters by research PhD |
Librarian – Japanese collection librarian Advanced | Arts Japanese Studies | Libraries | Graduate Diploma/Masters (Information Management/Library Studies) |
International business, in-country business, import-export in Australia Beginners to advanced | Business Marketing Commerce Economics | Commercial businesses (e.g. fashion, food, manufacturing, agriculture) Trading companies | Graduate employment OR Graduate Studies-International Business |
Translation software, language engineering Advanced | IT/Computer Science Linguistics | Software companies IT Venture business | Degree in Computational Linguistics or Computer Science |
Tourism – in Australia, in Japan Intermediate to Advanced | Arts Commerce | Tourism operators Hotel Restaurants Transport (eg. Airline industry) | Graduate employment OR Graduate Studies eg Business, Tourism Management |
TESOL | English App Linguistics Education | Teaching in Japan JET program, private colleges Teaching in Japan - Schools Universities Teaching in Australia Universities, Colleges and language schools | Some may require CELTA MA in TESOL Master of Education in TESOL (generally required but some private colleges may not require) |
Cultural exchange (project and program management roles) Beginners to advanced
| Arts | Cultural exchange associations, industry groups eg | Graduate study in various areas may be appropriate eg Marketing, Arts Management |
Law Proficiency advanced
| Law | Law firms Companies | Graduate studies in Law – JD OR Graduate entry to undergraduate Law courses |
Policy and Public sector Administration Beginners to advanced | Law Political Science | Consulate and embassy Government Consultant | Graduate Employment Programs (mainly Australian Government) OR Graduate Studies – Public Policy, EMA, Law |
Defence and National Security Advanced | Defence force | Defence Academy |
Links
Careers in Languages (other discussions)
Careers in Languages
Omniglot
Career View – Victoria University of Wellington (Asian and European Languages) (Linguistics and Applied Language Studies)
Working in Japan
Organisations
Australia Japan Business Cooperation Committee
Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan 外務省 “Japan-Australia relations”
Japan Information and Cultural Centre
Australia-Japan Foundation
Japanese Studies Association of Australia
Tourism Australia and JNTO
JETRO Australia - information for business investors and entrepreneurs who want to start business with Japanese companies
DFAT – useful links
National Federation of Australia-Japan Societies
Japan Club of Victoria
National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI)
The Japan Foundation (Sydney, Australia)
The Japan Foundation (Japan)
My Navi Career information site for exchange students and bilinguals (in Japanese) - company that organises career recruitment in Australia.
Language Proficiency tests
JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test)
JETRO Business Japanese proficiency test