LCTL Career Fair

For public and private organizations to operate successfully on the global stage, individuals are needed who can communicate across languages. Programs like the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI) have been helping to cultivate the crucial skills needed for global engagement. In effort to connect speakers of less commonly taught languages (LCTL) with professional development and career opportunities, WISLI hosted the LCTL Career Fair.

The event was held virtually on July 17, 2020 and drew over 450 attendees, including UW–Madison students, students from other universities, and language instructors. In addition, 19 panelists and over 42 exhibitors across various fields participated by connecting with language learners and make them aware of opportunities and needs across industries.

IFLE director speaks on importance of language learning

Cheryl Gibbs, senior director, International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE), U.S. Department of Education, served as keynote speaker for the fair. The IFLE office administers Title VI (domestic) and Fulbright-Hays (overseas) grant and fellowship programs that strengthen foreign language instruction, area/international studies teaching and research, professional development for educators, and curriculum development at the K-12, graduate, and postsecondary levels.

In addressing participants, Gibbs noted that students taking part in language learning programs supported by IFLE, such as WISLI, find opportunities in both the public and private sectors through employers like the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, U.S. Agency for International Development, Institute for Peace Studies, Teach for America, Google, Brookings Institute, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, and others.

“The language training takes you to public and private and government sectors that really need individuals who speak the language, and who by learning the language, have a maturity and an understanding of what it means to operate in a global environment,” Gibbs said.

Beyond preparing students for meaningful employment and developing individuals who can play roles in strengthening national security, diplomacy, and economic competitiveness, Gibbs said that learning about languages and programs allow students to effect change in the world.

Following Gibbs’ keynote, panel discussions were held on topics such as “Opportunities for Speakers of Less Commonly Taught Languages in the Government,” “Opportunities for Speakers of Less Commonly Taught Languages In the Private Sector,” and “Professional Development Opportunities for Speakers of Less Commonly Taught Languages.”

Participants had the opportunity to ask panelists about desirable skills, how to navigate public sector opportunities, and what panelists saw as the future of LCTLs in the scope of global engagement. In addition, participants received access to resources from exhibitors, which will allow them to further access professional development opportunities or even find a job requiring their unique skillset.

“Less commonly taught” does not equal “less commonly spoken”

A common misunderstanding about less commonly taught languages is that they are less commonly spoken. Often that is not the case.

Languages such as Bengali (130 million speakers), Telugu (81 million), and Tamil (69 million), may not be as familiar to some in the U.S. compared to more commonly taught languages like French (77.2 million), German (76.1 million), and Italian (64.8 million).*

“Although they are ‘less commonly taught,’ these languages may well represent huge numbers of speakers,” said Lesley Bartlett, faculty director for the Institute for Regional and International Studies at UW–Madison. “Many of the less commonly taught languages are critically important to international relations in the 21st century. However, the low level of current enrollments jeopardizes the relatively few existing programs and significantly restricts access to language learning opportunities for the large majority of students in the United States.”

WISLI has made strong strides in increasing the number of speakers for LCTLs. This summer, WISLI has 375 participants, a record number. WISLI staff hope to continue this trend in the future through virtual and in-person offerings, both formats which have shown strong growth for participants.

Program Agenda for Friday, July 17, 2020

1:30-4:45 p.m. CDT

Program events are listed in Central Daylight Time. To calculate the time in your time zone, you may wish to use a time zone converter tool.

This is was a virtual event. We used Webex as our platform to host and present. There was no cost for registration. This event was also livestreamed and the link is available here: WISLI Facebook page.

1:30-2:30 p.m. CDT: Welcome, Keynote Address and Keynote Speaker Q&A

Laura Hammond, Director, UW Language Program Office and Administrative Director, South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI)
Guido Podestá, Vice Provost and Dean, International Division
Lesley Bartlett, Faculty Director, Institute for Regional and International Studies International Division (IRIS)
Keynote Address: Cheryl Gibbs, Senior Director, International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE), U.S. Department of Education

2:30-3:00 p.m. CDT: Panel Session 1 – Opportunities for Speakers of Less Commonly Taught Languages in the Government

Hilary Robertson Collado, Assistant Director, Boren Awards, Institute of International Education (IIE) & Aleia Maculam, Program Officer, National Security Education Program (NSEP), Department of Defense
Joemer A. Ta-ala, Assistant Provost, ETD, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC)
Abigail Barnes, Recruitment Analyst, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs & Bureau of Global Talent Management & Ron Packowitz Diplomat in Residence (DIR) – Midwest

3:00-3:30 p.m. CDT: Panel Session 2 – Opportunities for Speakers of Less Commonly Taught Languages in the Private Sector

Anne O. Fisher, Senior Lecturer, Translation and Interpreting Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Anja Green, Content Development Manager, Mango Languages
Janelle Hawk, Translation Team, Epic

3:30-4:15 p.m.: CDT Panel Session 3 – Professional Development Opportunities for Speakers of Less Commonly Taught Languages

Kaveri Advani, Program Manager, The Language Flagship, National Security Education Program (NSEP) & Brian Cooke, Program Officer, Project GO & Language Training Centers, Institute of International Education (IIE)
Katie Jost, Program Director, Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC)
Mark Lilleleht, Assistant Director for Awards, Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) at UW-Madison
Julie E. Taylor, Director of Academic Relations for Fulbright Institute of International Education (IIE)
Addisu Hodes, Project Manager, Government Contracts and Rula Malky, Training and Certification Specialist, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

4:15-4:45 p.m.: Closing Discussion Session – Question and Answers

In addition to the live event, there was also an opportunity to learn about career and professional development opportunities by visiting our Virtual Exhibitors Directory, where employers and organizations had information available for those interested in exploring career options for speakers of less commonly taught languages, and professional development opportunities for learners of less commonly taught languages.

List of Exhibitors

Browse this directory to find employment and career development opportunities from LCTL 2020. You may use the links and contact information provided to get in touch, but keep in mind they are from last year’s event.

The information provided in the Virtual Exhibitor Directory is provided by external parties. WISLI is not responsible for the content of the external links and if there are any questions about information provided by the exhibitors, the organizations should be contacted directly.