How To Become An Arabic Linguist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an arabic linguist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Arabic is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with over 300 million native speakers in over 20 countries. There are many forms of Arabic, from Classical Arabic used in the Qur'an and other classical literature to a variety of local dialects. It's no wonder that many businesses need Arabic linguists to make sense of this useful, beautiful, yet highly complicated language.

Arabic linguists have a variety of duties depending on where they work. Linguists working at an international business or nonprofit provide translation or interpretation services. Those working for the government or intelligence services may monitor Arabic language communications. Meanwhile, Arabic linguists working in universities research the language and teach it to eager students.

Obviously, to be an Arabic linguist, one needs to know Arabic very well. Even native speakers usually get a bachelor's or post-graduate degree. They can specialize in the field they want to go into, such as business or political science, in addition to studying Arabic.

ScoreArabic LinguistUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,433

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.1

Growth rate 20%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.25%

Asian 14.19%

Black or African American 7.96%

Hispanic or Latino 34.10%

Unknown 4.64%

White 38.86%

Gender

female 28.12%

male 71.88%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

6.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an arabic linguist

Explore arabic linguist education requirements

Most common arabic linguist degrees

Bachelor's

60.5 %

Associate

16.3 %

Master's

10.9 %

Start to develop specific arabic linguist skills

Skills	Percentages
English Language	14.70%
Transcription	13.20%
Target Language	9.91%
Language	7.83%
Vice Versa	5.81%

Complete relevant arabic linguist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New arabic linguists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an arabic linguist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real arabic linguist resumes.

Research arabic linguist duties and responsibilities

Provide written and verbal translation services (Farsi) to achieve assign USAF mission goals.
Perform transcription, analysis and reporting of real-time critical intelligence in target language.
Function as part of an intelligence analytical team of military and DoD civilian in support of BCT.
Instruct crewmembers on operations of employ ISR, IBR and PGL/TTL equipment and integrations of duties with assign crews.

Prepare your arabic linguist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your arabic linguist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an arabic linguist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable arabic linguist resume templates

Build a professional arabic linguist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your arabic linguist resume.