AIIS conducts a yearly survey of language program alumni. In 2024, we received responses from 49 language program participants from the previous program cycle. The responses reflect a body of alumni that is highly educated, employable, and actively engaged in international affairs, South Asian Studies, and community service.
What is the highest educational degree you have attained?
What is your current employment status?
Which of the following best describes your principal employer?
Knowledge of a foreign language is a requirement or considered a key asset for your current job.
Training in international and/or South Asian studies is considered a key asset for your current job.
How often in your current job are you called on to use the South Asian language(s) you studied with AIIS?
How often in your current job are you called on to use the international and/or South Asian studies training you received while studying with AIIS?
Describe how you used your South Asian language and/or area studies training as a consultant or volunteer.
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Language-based consulting/volunteering:
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Translation and transcription (e.g., public health translations, Tamil interview translations, interview transcriptions, freelance translation).
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Tutoring (e.g., Urdu language tutoring, volunteer tutoring for Hindi-speaking students).
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Communication and advocacy within specific language communities (e.g., Tamil church community education, Punjabi asylum petitions, NGOs supporting Punjabi emigres, interviews in Gujarati for field research).
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Education and curriculum development:
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Curriculum development and teaching (e.g., developing and teaching a course at IIT Gandhinagar, developing educational programs for Tamil students).
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Project development and academic volunteering (e.g., sustainable design course in India, sharing research with nonprofits in Bangladesh, podcasts and exhibitions).
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Non-profit work and grassroots involvement:
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Volunteering with NGOs (e.g., working with NGOs to support South Asian communities, assisting undocumented Punjabi immigrants).
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Volunteering for specific causes such as environmental groups, public health, and grassroots organizations in the South Asian American diaspora.
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Research and fieldwork:
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Field research involving language skills (e.g., interviewing forest department officials and forest goers, research in Bangladesh, academic projects in India using local languages).
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How has the language proficiency and area studies training you gained with AIIS affected your professional development?
