Linguistics Careercast

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Episodes

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Linguistics Careercast is the podcast devoted to exploring careers for linguists outside academia, through interviews with linguists employed in industry.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 9, 20261 hr 5 min

Episode #88: Samantha Beaver

“The secret to wealth is not to be rich in money but rich in language” Samantha Beaver is a workplace communications analyst and linguist, business owner, wife, and mother. She earned a Masters in Applied English Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Since 2018, she has applied her linguistic expertise to help executive teams, leaders, and boards of directors optimize interpersonal communication through the application of linguistics. She is the CEO and founder of Memra Language Services, a learning and analytics company. Samantha Beaver on LinkedIn Memra Language Services Samantha Beaver’s books at Bookshop.org Topics include: – research – data analysis – children’s language teaching – company culture – children’s books – workplace learning – work/life balance – entrepreneurship – experience analysis If you’d like to support this show, we’ve got a Patreon! Listen to Lingthusiam, our first patron!The post Episode #88: Samantha Beaver first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

May 12, 20261 hr 16 min

Episode #87: Danny Bate

“My mission is to show people how much language they already know without realizing it” A linguist, writer, and podcaster based in Prague, Danny Bate has turned a lifelong passion with language into a career that spans teaching, academia, and online media. After completing his Master’s, he worked as a language teacher before diving into a PhD in Linguistics with the University of Edinburgh. Since then, he’s become a broadcaster, voice actor, and podcast host. In A Language I Love Is…, Danny dives into a particular language with an expert, sharing their enthusiasm with his audience. Danny Bate on LinkedIn Danny Bate’s website Why Q Needs U on Bookshop.org A Language I Love Is…podcast Topics include: – Proto-Indo-European – history – historical linguistics – networking – Old Irish – public linguistics – podcasting – writing systems – careers outside academia – LLMs If you’d like to support this show, we’ve got a Patreon! Listen to Lingthusiam, our first patron!The post Episode #87: Danny Bate first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

April 28, 20261 hr 4 min

Episode #86: Joan Barker

“My linguistics work has allowed me to experience humanity on different levels” Joan Barker received a Master’s in Linguistics at Central Connecticut State University and spent much of her career abroad, holding positions in Africa and the Middle East. She’s worked as technical consultant, writer, instructor, and trainer, contracting with the Department of Defense to design and implement language courses. She’s currently employed here in the States as a public safety officer. Joan Barker on LinkedIn Joan Barker’s freelance journalism Topics include: – Peace Corps – TESOL – technical writing – cross-cultural communication – government contracting – language instruction If you’d like to support this show, we’ve got a Patreon!The post Episode #86: Joan Barker first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

April 17, 20261 hr 0 min

Episode #85: Jen Polk

“Where you land in a job might not be where you want to stay” Jen Polk is a career coach for professors, postdocs and PhD students looking to make the jump from academia to industry. She got her PhD in history at the University of Toronto and since 2013 she has guided students and faculty in identifying fulfilling opportunities that align with their goals and values, through 1-on-1 coaching, group facilitation and workshops, webinars, conferences, and through her written work, which has been published in various journals, books, and on her blog and business website, From PhD to Life. Jen Polk on LinkedIn PhD To Life Anna Marie Trester’s Career Linguist Tori Wobber’s Coaching and Consulting Topics include: – history – career coaching – job search – entrepreneurship – elevator pitches – networking – LinkedIn If you’d like to support this show, we’ve got a Patreon!The post Episode #85: Jen Polk first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

April 13, 20262 min

Linguistics Careercast Update!

Just a quick update – we’ve taken a short hiatus but we have so much more content to come: Interviews! Panels! Webinars! If you’d like to support us, we have a Patreon and our first Patron is the fantastic Lingthusiasm podcast! And if you would like to be a guest on the pod, or know someone who would, get in touch via our contact form. New episodes coming soon!The post Linguistics Careercast Update! first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

January 6, 202648 min

Episode #84: Abby Bajuniemi

“Networking is work, but it’s fun work – you get to talk to smart, fun people” Abby Bajuniemi is a linguist with 10+ years of experience leading UX research and content initiatives across multiple industries, working for organizations such as Google, Calendly, Medtronic, Princeton University, and the non-profit New_Public. She is a contributing writer on the intersection of UX and linguistics for Code Like a Girl, and has published a number of articles at Medium. She is a self-professed word nerd and loves the oxford comma. Abby Bajuniemi on LinkedIn Abby Bajuniemi’s website Abby Bajuniemi on Medium Code Like a Girl Topics include: – UX research – Hispanic linguistics – networking – social media – comment moderation – implicature – resumes – LinkedIn If you’d like to support this show, we’ve got a Patreon!The post Episode #84: Abby Bajuniemi first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

December 9, 20251 hr 10 min

Episode #83: Shannon DeJong

“I thought: I don’t know which way to go. Wow – what a wonderful place to be!” Shannon DeJong is a linguist, namer, brand agency founder, writer, performer, artist, business advisor and coach; she’s worked big firms like HP, Google, Adobe, and Logitech as well as with non-profits, mission-driven orgs, startups, entrepreneurs and artists. She double-majored in linguistics and mass communications at UC Berkeley. In addition to her branding work, she also co-produces a literary salon in Sonoma County, California, and occasionally hosts a podcast. Shannon deJong on LinkedIn Shannon deJong’s website Da Salon ArtistCEO podcast Topics include: – naming – branding – coaching – semantics – career journey – networking – sociolinguistics – marketing If you’d like to support this show, we’ve got a Patreon!The post Episode #83: Shannon DeJong first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

November 4, 202558 min

Episode #82: Deborah Ball

“There’s so much you can learn from linguistics when you apply it to the business of naming” Deborah Ball has been working in naming, branding, content creation, marketing, and communications for more than 10 years in the UK and the US. Her special focus has been brand naming. She has a Master’s in Linguistics from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Durham University Business School. Over the years, she has immersed herself in the study of naming, including the grammar of brand names, to understand how meaning is more fully shaped when phonetic forms are placed in context. Deborah Ball on LinkedIn “Exploring the landscape of proper names and their grammatical characteristics to understand how brand names fit in” ANS Presentation on YouTube NAMES, the journal of the American Name Society Topics include: – naming – market research – Egyptology – neurolinguistics – marketing – project management – medtech – brand strategy If you’d like to support this show, we’ve got a Patreon!The post Episode #82: Deborah Ball first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

October 23, 202551 min

Episode #81: Emelia BensonMeyer

“We take so much of communication for granted – until we can’t communicate” Emelia BensonMeyer is a speech-language pathologist specializing in evaluation and treatment of voice, airway, and swallowing disorders. She has an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Master’s in Communicative Sciences and Disorders. Her background in linguistics has equipped her to critically consider and be mindful of the disparities in the profession of speech-language pathology as they apply to the culturally and linguistically diverse populations who are served. Emelia BensonMeyer on LinkedIn ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) Topics include: – speech pathology – physiology – neurology – language development – laryngology – dysphagia – speech science – pragmatics If you’d like to support this show, we’ve got a Patreon!The post Episode #81: Emelia BensonMeyer first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

October 2, 202552 min

Episode #80: Eukene Franco-Landa

“I created Minority Languaging as a place to communicate, to share, and to debate” Eukene Franco-Landa is sociolinguist with a Ph.D. from the University of Miami who works at the intersection of language, identity, and legitimacy, especially in minoritized and bilingual communities, especially Basque, of which she is a speaker. Her dissertation explores how linguistic features become tied to perceptions of authenticity and nativeness. She is the founder of Minority Languaging, an Instagram-based platform that connects linguistic minorities so they can reflect and learn about minority languages, cultures, and history. Eukene Franco-Landa on LinkedIn Minority Languaging on Instagram Minority Languaging website Topics include: – Basque – minority languages – language revitalization – sociolinguistics – language policy – morpho-syntaxThe post Episode #80: Eukene Franco-Landa first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.