JapaneseMinor
Japanese is the national language of Japan, which has the third largest economy in the world, after the US and China. The ability to converse, read, and write in Japanese, while very challenging and therefore relatively rare for native speakers of English, opens a world of opportunities for those wishing to work in Japan, at one of the hundreds of Japanese companies with subsidiaries in the US, or at American companies doing business with Japanese partners.
What You'll Learn
The minor in Japanese focuses on the mastery of spoken and written Japanese and includes courses in beginning, intermediate, and advanced Japanese language, as well as content courses about Japanese culture taught in English, such as Anime and Manga, Japanese cinema, Japanese literature in translation, and Japanese calligraphy. Students have the opportunity to study abroad as well, either in semester- or year-long programs with WCU's partner universities, or through short-term WCU faculty-led summer programs in Japan.
Where You'll Go
Employers in almost every career field value having bilingual staff members giving you a variety of job options in the private and public sectors. Another popular, and in-demand, career is working as a translator or interpreter, a job that can have you working in the court system, hospitals and a variety of other locations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states the average salary for translators and interpreters is $49,110 (as of 2021) and expects the job field to grow by 20% by the year 2031, which is much faster than the average growth rate of jobs overall.
