New trends in the language professions: a report from the world of work.

Abstract

The qualifications and competences required in the language industry and language professions have changed and continue to change in accordance with the general socio-economic and technological developments in what is now termed the global knowledge society. Today, most university graduates with a degree in foreign languages will find themselves jobs that involve a multitude of tasks and therefore also a multitude of competences, of which the language and intercultural competences form a certain percentage. This paper takes as its point of departure such recent developments in Europe. It reports on and discusses the results of a university network project, the Thematic Network Project in the Area of Languages, as well as the implications thereof for the world of work and for the universities in their curriculum planning and research activities.