<p>I'm consider going to law school in 3-4 years to try to start a new career. I'm currently a journalist.</p>
<p>One legal career I'm considering is international corporate law. The idea of working with clients in other countries, of learning a new culture and of having the opportunity to take on major transnational clients appeals to me.</p>
<p>But is it at all practical? If I had 3-4 years of Arabic study, would this actually put me in a position to be able to do this type of work? </p>
<p>How can someone thinking about being a lawyer also think about having foreign-language skills incorporated into the career?</p>
<p>This particular language I know something about.</p>
<p>Every different region of Arab nations speaks something different. I could hold a conversation with people from Egypt or the Maghreb, with a lingua franca of, well…la lingua Franca. However, my ability to communicate with people from Arabia proper is not as free as those from Africa and I’ve failed miserably at communicating with Lebanese and Assyrians. I’m told that their language was altered somewhat more by Turkic influence.</p>
<p>So my suggestion to you is to try to focus your language study in Arabic to the places where you would hope to actually work. From the way the world works right now (and how I see it for the foreseeable future) the most fruitful course of study would be heavy in “Eastern Arabic” and those idioms specific to the Arabic peninsula.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the tips for language study. Is there actually a realistic way to be a US-based lawyer who uses foreign language skills – and is valued for them?</p>
<p>My wife works with a visa attorney - helps acquire, fill out, and process work and dependent visas for individuals to work in the US - and she charges $100/ 30 minutes of consultation, so I’d say that may be a good optio depending on if you would work in an area where there would be a demand for foreign workers.</p>
<p>Speaking Arabic will be different (by varying degrees) depending on the region, but I thought that writing/reading Arabic was taught to be the same? MSA? Anyhoo, most likely one Arabic region will be able to understand what you’re trying to say, but it’ll just sound a little funny to them. A few handful do not communicate well with other Arabic speaking cultures.</p>
<p>If you can become fluent in conversational modern Arabic, and become fully proficient in written Arabic, you will be much sought after in pretty much any area-including international business law. Frankly, if you fully master written and spoken Arabic, notwithstanding any issues with some idiomatic Arabic, you will be able to write your ticket. It’s a rare thing to get to that level, however, and anything less markedly diminishes your marketability.</p>
<p>He’s right. There is significant difference between the languages and so it is rare to find someone who is fluent in English and fluent in Arabic. It is much harder to reach that level than other languages.</p>
<p>A guy I know earns ridiculous money as an Arabic interpreter for Boeing. His degree is in “Social Science” and other than “knowing how to act in public” he has told me Arabic/English translation is his only truly remarkable skill. He is easily in the top 10% of wage earners for the USA.</p>
<p>I have to disagree on the idea that Arabic makes you instantly employable for high pay with no other skills. Maybe it’s a regional thing, but D1 is fluent in Arabic and in DC it’s no big deal. There are scores of people who are fluent and more coming every day. Since 9/11 there has been a huge surge of students taking Arabic.</p>
<p>I gave one example. It is a convenience sample, for sure, and this humble fellow may be downplaying his talents when speaking to me. I have not read his CV, but he told me he was a not particularly stellar Engineering student who switched to something easier and his Bachelors degree is from Washington State University. He’s a native Arabic speaker whose English is impeccable, as he spent most of his childhood in London and came to the Seattle-area shortly after primary school.</p>
<p>Have no idea what zoeydoggie is talking about; OP is going to be an attorney(no other skills?)and we aren’t talking about fluency, we’re talking about the highest level of proficiency in written and spoken modern Arabic. People at that level are well beyond “fluent”. It is a big deal to be able to communicate at that level in Arabic. And I’m also writing about DC-I have no idea where these “scores” of Arabic speakers are, let alone those at the highest level of proficiency.</p>
<p>And yes, there has been a surge of students in Arabic; there’s also-still- a critical shortage of qualified Arabic teachers-even now, more than 10 years after 9/11.
That you can Google.</p>
<p>My other sources are both objective and anecdotal. Objective: Both DOD and the State Department, and don’t forget NSA and CIA, have a desperate need for high-level Arabic speakers-and all these agencies(I don’t know why) think it’s a plus for their employees to have law degrees. So if OP gets the JD and the proficiency, he’ll be in great shape for a good job-check their websites. These, in my opinion, are jobs that pay well-but that’s subjective.</p>
<p>Regarding truly proficient speakers of Arabic-my friend has taught college-level Arabic for 10 years. He’s had a lot of dedicated students(he’s in DC), but none have gotten to the highest levels of proficiency. It’s that hard.</p>
<p>Fully ancecdotal: A friend is a partner in a massive DC lawfirm; in response to my query-student with full written and spoken Arabic proficiency with degree from a respectable law school-what would his prospects be? A: Great; they do a lot of govt contracting-and with Middle East turmoil, do a lot of business representing military contractors, computer companies, etc who want to do business with governments friendly to US. This is a giant firm, and they have exactly zero attorneys who are proficient in Arabic; he says they’d hire a law grad with that skill in a minute. Again, anecdotal, but I stand by my assessment: If you can speak and write Arabic at the highest level, and have a law degree from a respectable school, you’re in great shape looking for work.</p>
<p>Thanks Cranky (Cranks?). As you say, full proficiency does sound difficult. I am not sure I could reach level five in 3-4 years of dedicated study – maybe 4. That, though, from the sounds of it, would seem to have appeal – although I hesitate to say how much.</p>
<p>Cranky-I was referring to XaviFM’s comment that his friend had no other useful skills, not that a JD would not be a useful skill. I also don’t think 3-4 years of Arabic study will put anyone at the level you are talking about but that is the level the OP is talking about. </p>
<p>D1 passed the Foreign Service exam on the first try, passed the Arabic language proficiency test, and also Arabic as her foreign language for grad school. She has not finished law school but has interviewed with most of the agencies you listed. There were lots of applicants for every job. TONS of them. </p>
<p>I stand by my assessment as well–the OP is not talking about being at the level you are talking about.</p>
<p>And to add to a shortage of Arabic speakers:
I was enlisted in a Marine Crops infantry battalion for 4 years (2006-2010) and EVERY SINGLE unit member studied and practiced basic Arabic and when we were in country we STILL almost solely relied on local translators. Even up to my last deployment in late 2009 it was a godsend to find an actual service member or DoD personnel who were even moderately advanced at Arabic. The demand for that skill is definitely there, especially if someone becomes extremely proficient. I would go as far to say as most would not even need to be native when seeking an Arabic language related federal job. Contrary to popular belief, most multilingual citizens don’t work in clandestine service like the CIA where they are exposed to the locals daily. Many use Signals Intelligence from afar and then have a lot of time afterwards to translate (and double check certain parts in case they are possibly unsure). Although I have never witnessed spooks tracking other languages other than Arabic (and I didn’t ask at the time), I can imagine they would do the same for other critical languages as well.</p>