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The differences between language specialists and speech pathologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a language specialist and a speech pathologist. Additionally, a speech pathologist has an average salary of $62,640, which is higher than the $51,084 average annual salary of a language specialist.
The top three skills for a language specialist include english language, language and foreign language. The most important skills for a speech pathologist are patients, language, and speech.
| Language Specialist | Speech Pathologist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,084 | $62,640 |
| Hourly rate | $24.56 | $30.12 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 21,614 | 22,779 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 46 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Language Specialist is responsible for transcribing an audio file into a written text format depending on the language used. Often, they need to interpret proceedings in the court, translate a foreign language like Arabic, Spanish into the English language and decode word forms. They ensure that the tone, style, and format meet the target language. This position specializes in the field of literature, politics, medicine, American and British Language. They must also have a wide range of knowledge in communication and knows how to resolve possible language barriers.
The job of speech pathologists is to diagnose, treat, and prevent speech, social communication, language, swallowing, and cognitive-communication disorders in both children and adults. They are responsible for providing aural rehabilitation for people with hearing impairment and hearing loss, and alternative and augmentative systems for people with severe language comprehension disorders such as progressive neurological disorders and the autism spectrum. Speech pathologists may also work with individuals without language, swallowing, or speech disorders, but are eager to know how to communicate more effectively.
Language specialists and speech pathologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Language Specialist | Speech Pathologist | |
| Average salary | $51,084 | $62,640 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $75,000 | Between $43,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Apple | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a language specialist and a speech pathologist in terms of educational background:
| Language Specialist | Speech Pathologist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | English | Communication Disorders Sciences |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between language specialists' and speech pathologists' demographics:
| Language Specialist | Speech Pathologist | |
| Average age | 46 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% | Male, 11.9% Female, 88.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 16.0% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 4.5% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 6% |