Language consultant and translator

– What are the most important aspects of your job?

– As a language consultant, my work involves proofreading texts. I suggest changes and give feedback to improve the texts, avoid misunderstandings and reach the target group. Much of the work comes from public bodies that want the texts they publish to be both written correctly and easy to understand for the public. Other times, the texts come from publishers who are releasing a book, researchers publishing articles, or private companies that want to market themselves better.

– What do you like best about your job?

– Making important knowledge and information more accessible is very meaningful. In addition, I like that I constantly get to familiarise myself with new topics. The working week offers opportunities to learn new things all the time – about the world, about society and about language.

– In what ways are the studies offered by the Faculty of Humanities relevant to your job?

– It was at the Faculty of Humanities that I established the theoretical framework that is needed. It was particularly useful to learn that there are other appropriate ways of analysing a sentence than with nouns and verbs, and to get used to thinking more descriptively rather than prescriptively. Although the job is often about finding mistakes, it is just as important to understand function and context.

– What is the best advice you can give new students who are thinking about job opportunities after completing their studies?

– As a student, I had no idea how many different types of job there are, and if I had navigated according to what I thought offered the biggest job opportunities, I would certainly have ended up doing rather boring work. Be aware that many employers want – and need (!) – employees who can write well and clearly, and that such expertise is also underestimated among job seekers. Get a good start by familiarising yourself with the Language Council of Norway’s web pages on clear language and start adopting good linguistic habits as soon as you can.

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