Linguists at Work Speaker Series
In spring 2021, the Department of Linguistics has brought "Linguists at Work" to CU for a series of professional talks and workshops geared toward industry jobs in linguistics outside of academia. Linguists and language experts working in a variety of career paths and industries discuss their fields and paths to employment with students at all levels, Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD alike. All CU students, faculty, and any others interested in the events are welcome to view recordings of our past events.
Please check back soon for information about a potential fall speaker series!
These "Linguists at Work" hold careers in fields such as...
- Consulting
- Politics
- Language education
- Tech
- Clinical linguistics
- Translation
- Service and fellowship programs
RECORDED PAST EVENTS
Wednesday, April 28
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
and Rai Farrelly join together in conversation about their careers in TESOL.
Morena Botelho de Magalhães manages the Diagnostic English Language Needs Assessment program at the University of Auckland, a post-entry English assessment program. Morena holds a doctorate in Applied Linguistics, and considers herself an ESOL teacher by trade, having studied languages and literature as an undergraduate student and only later language teaching for her MA degree.
Rai Farrelly cooordinates the TESOL program at CU, and is an English language instructor in the International English Center. In addition to delivering TESOL courses, Rai has taught English as an additional language in both academic and community-based settings. Her passion is teaching adult refugee-background students with interrupted formal education and emerging literacy. She serves on the board of directors as the Communications Director for Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults (LESLLA). In addition to her professional interests, Dr. Farrelly is the Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Girls Education International, and the co-founder of the nonprofit organization Project Wezesha, both of which strive to increase access to education for children in remote regions of Pakistan and Tanzania.
Tuesday, April 27
Institutional Research Board Management
speaks about her experience working in leadership positions in Institutional Review Boards following the completion of her PhD at ²ÊÃñ±¦µä. Hiromi currently works as the IRB Director at SCL Health, where she develops, leads, and coordinates all aspects of IRB operations; her work includes overseeing biomedical research protocols, developing IRB Policies and Procedures to improve internal systems and compliance, and implementing and maintaining a new IRB database. In addition to holding a PhD in Linguistics from CU, Hiromi also holds a Master's Degree in Linguistics from Syracuse University.
Thursday, April 22
Translation, Cross-Cultural Communication, Consulting
speaks about her experience as a UN certified translator and interpreter, language access, community outreach and community engagement specialist, and cross-cultural communications expert. Marina is CEO and Founder of Colorado Language Access and Cultural Experts, CLACE. From her work with NASA, the NIH, NSF, the City of Boulder, Boulder County, UCAR/NCAR, just to name a few, she is highly recognized and praised for her excellence in translation, transcreation and interpretation services, outreach, activating and engaging communities, and bridging gaps to tackle complex societal, community, cultural, and language challenges proactively.
Tuesday, April 20
Data Science
Alexis Raykhel speaks about her career as a Data Scientist for the online vacation rental marketplace Vrbo. She has prior experience working as a Natural Language Processing Engineer for CognitiveScale, and her passion lies in maintaining the "human voice" in programming and machine learning. Alexis graduated with her BA in Chinese and Linguistics from Brigham Young University in 2012, and she earned her MA in linguistics from ²ÊÃñ±¦µä in 2014.
Tuesday, April 13
Teaching and Service Fellowships - Special Event for Undergraduates
, Travis Richardson, and Leah Gray will participate in a moderated panel discussion about their experiences working as linguists in teaching and service organizations after they graduated from college with BA degrees in Linguistics. Laura worked as a bilingual educator for Teach for America; Travis served in the Peace Corps; and Leah participated in the Japan Exchange and Teaching program. This event is designed especially for undergraduates pursuing or considering a BA in Linguistics.
Friday, April 2
Translation, Translation Technology
shares her experience as a Product Manager in software development at Babbel. Her career has focused on the intersection of language and technology, specializing in making second language learning accessible and joyful for everyone. She has professional experience with human and machine facilitated translation, localization of marketing projects, linguistic research in the private section, multilingualism and business implications, sentiment analysis and machine learning, and online language learning experience development. Jacey is a CU alumna, with a BA in Linguistics and German; she also earned her MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Barcelona.
Tuesday, March 30
Property and Facilities Management
Ruth Acevedo discusses her experience as as Assistant Facilities Manager as Jones Lang LaSalle, a biosciences company. Ruth shares how her training in Linguistics has fundamentally shaped how she structures her work and has helped her climb the ladder at her company. She manages finances and vendors to keep 11 different bioscience buildings running efficiently.
Tuesday, March 16
Finding Your Fit in Industry, Career Resources
Cat Diebel-Wilson from ²ÊÃñ±¦µä Career Services leads a 'Finding Your Fit in Industry' workshop, discussing how to begin an exploration of the world of non-academic work, and introduces attendees to the internal and external decisions that need to be made in the course of identifying what kind of work will be your best fit with a graduate degree in Linguistics. This session will include time for a Q&A.
Tuesday, March 9
Clinical Linguistics, Speech Pathology
Jen Lewon and Jack Damico join in discussion about their careers in Clinical Linguistics.
Jen Lewon works at CU Speech, Language & Hearing Clinic, providing assessment and intervention for adults with voice and neurogenic communication impairments, and voice and communication training for individuals who identify as transgender or non-binary. She holds a MS in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Arizona State University and an MA in Applied Linguistics from Northern Arizona University.
Jack Damico is currently the Chair of the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences department at CU. In addition, Jack has over 12 years of clinical experience as a speech-language pathologist in the public schools, medical settings and in private practice, his research focuses on the authentic implications for individuals with atypical language and communication skills and on the development of clinical applications to assist in overcoming communicative problems. He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of New Mexico and a MS in Communication Disorders from the University of Oklahoma.