10 Smart Ways for Savvy Language Learners to Make Money

10 Smart Ways for Savvy Language Learners to Make Money 10 Smart Ways for Savvy Language Learners to Make Money Looking for a  new side hustle that puts your knowledge of languages to good use?These days, progressively more people are living, working  and traveling internationally.Consequently, more and more people are committing to learning new languagesâ€"and for good reason! As the world “shrinks” in a sense, the need to effectively communicate across languages grows, both professionally and personally.Schools are heeding the call, with many adding foreign language credits as a graduation requirement. And as the business world expands, big companies like Apple and Amazon are looking for bilingual and multilingual candidates more than ever. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics listed interpreters and translators as one of the top 20 fastest-growing occupations in 2014.But here’s the best news: If you have other career dreams, that doesn’t mean your language skills have to go to waste.Rest assured, there are many attractive and creative options that can comfortably supplement full- time work, make you extra money and keep you involved in languages (while keeping  your brain fresh and letting you reap  the benefits of bilingualism).The growing presence of online businesses, platforms and marketplaces has dramatically increased opportunities for extra income. For professionals with full-time work commitments and those soon-to-become professionals, here are 10 ideas to earn some extra money without compromising your 9-to-5. 10 Smart Ways for Savvy Language Learners to Make Money1. Become a TutorMost students look for time slots in the late afternoons or on weekends, which can fit perfectly around  any  9-to-5 commitment.As for pay, theres quite a range  here in terms of what you can charge.  In metropolitan cities, the average is between $25 and $80 an hour, while in more suburban areas it’s between $12 and $50.Tutoring online is also an easy and lucrative option, as you can teach from your home or anywhere you have an Internet connection. Craigslist can be   a great way to start by creating your own ad to promote your tutoring business. Other popular options with often reliable referral streams are Varsity Tutors and WyzAnt, among others.WyzAnt is a great recommendation if youre looking to teach sessions in-person. This website has grown quite competitive in the last couple of years as the company continues to hire progressively more experienced tutors, who often wind up competing against each otherâ€"especially if they’re listed to tutor the same language in the same area! That being said, this competition allows you to request the rate that youre worth, you wont need to lowball others and get paid less than youd like.If youre more interested in teaching online, Verbling is the way to go. Theres a huge user base, and if youre able to teach a less common language, then youll find a lot of students heading your way. It also simplifies the whole online teaching experience, streamlining your online classroom so you have no need for Skype or another third-party softwareâ€"you can set up your teaching schedule, advertise your skills, communicate with students and hold classes right on this site.2. Freelance TranslationWith your bilingual or multilingual skills, theres also money in taking side jobs translating articles, books, websites and other forms of text. The most common way to land these positions is through word-of-mouth, and theres a big market for it.That said, it’s not exactly easy or simple, as many international businesses often prefer to hire people from lower income countries, where they can pay less for the same job. Standard rates are around 10 cents a word; you may earn more if the text is specialized, technical or scientific.If you have friends, family, or colleagues who are expanding their businesses internationally, helping them translate marketing materials can be an awesome supplement to your income. You can also try listing your services on online freelance boards, like Upwork.3.  App and Gam e DevelopmentThe mobile market outpaced computer use in 2014 and 80% of Internet users now own smartphones.Theres clearly a growing demand, and some say apps are the future of everything! The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, recently stated in a keynote that he believes the future of TV is apps as well, which further expands app possibilities beyond the iPhone and iPad and onto the big screen in the living room.Of course, this option can require a bit more of a time commitment. You’ll need to do your research, as your app will need to stand out among competition. If you’re not tech-savvy, you may also need to find and hire someone to bring your idea to life.If you create an app, depending on the number of people who download it and how much you charge for it, you can make between $5 and $12,000 monthly. Apple’s iOS platform is the most popular, and despite their commission charges, 25% of its app developers make over $5,000 a month!4. Freelance WritingDo you love to write? Do you have something to share about languages, or maybe even international travel you’ve done? Personal blogs can now easily include advertisements and links to Amazon products, which can generate income as people browse ads and click links from your blog.Advertising revenue varies greatly depending on your traffic, so you’ll need to spend a lot of time building your audience first. If you look for paid freelancing opportunities, you’ll notice many companies and websites pay between $10 to  $100 for articles.5.  Make Videos for  YouTube, Vimeo and Other PlatformsWe’ve all heard about the popular YouTube stars making tons of moneyâ€"and while it certainly takes work to get to that status, theres an opportunity to earn revenue from your own personal videos.Anyone can create digital video clips for free through their Google accounts, for example, and earn between .08 and 26 cents for every advertisement view. While this may sound like a small amount, it can easily add up.That said, it’s important to clarify that what makes the money isn’t the video-viewing or clicking itself, but the advertisement viewing. The more viewers engage with the ad (the longer they watch it), the more you’ll make. It also depends on your target keywords, so you may want to do some research on that.6. Sell Your (Original) ContentMany companies and schools pay tutors to create problem quiz sets for language courses. Any creative or innovative language worksheets, e-books or other pedagogic materials can become dollar signs.The skill here, beyond creating unique and quality material that facilities learning, is in the marketing. Pay rates depend on demand and can range from $5 to the thousands.  Some companies only take between 6.5%  to  10% commission and the rest is yours!7. Grade or Score Standardized Language ExaminationsMany universities, schools and testing centers, such as ETS (they administer the GRE and SAT), outsource their grading for the Spanish AP test, for example. Many of them hire from 5 pm to 9 pm (online as well) in the month of May, for example, which is great temporary work to supplement income!To find and apply for these positions, search ETS as well as websites like HigherEd Jobs. Others often post to Craigslist, too. These gigs usually pay between $13 and $40 an hour.8. Teach at a Museum or Community CollegeMany museums are open to hosting courses and easily attract returning students. These gigs can pay between $12 to $45 an hour, or a few hundred to thousands for full course contracts. Community colleges also offer many languages classes, and may be  more likely to hire teachers without teaching credentials.9. Lead a Trip to a Foreign CountryTeaching opportunities abound as more schools and universities see the value in taking students abroad. Depending on your availability, you might consider leading a short-term trip, such as one during a spring break. Check job boards or connect with local schools to see what opportunities are available .You can visit the websites for the study abroad programs themselves and see whats being offered. For instance, check out  Experiment in International Living  or  Organization for Tropical Studies.And if you’re a college student returning from an awesome study abroad experience yourself, see if your university hires campus ambassadors to promote study abroad programs!10. Teach English AbroadAfter Chinese, English is the most spoken language in the world. If you have a bigger window of availabilityâ€"perhaps you’re taking a gap year before entering college, for exampleâ€"consider going abroad to teach English! Many programs hire people without any prior teaching experience.If youre not sure how to get started, check out the resources on Teach English Abroad. They offer TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) courses and paid internships as well as jobs and travel opportunities.Another big perk is the opportunity to save money while you’re living abroad. In China, for exam ple, many English teachers are able to save $500 to $1,500 monthly teaching English after paying off all their expenses. Of course, you’ll need to do some researchâ€"contract length and what’s provided for you can vary.Take advantage of these growing opportunities to keep your language acumen solid and your brain sharpâ€"and profit from it all, too!Jason Linder, MA, is a Spanish tutor with TakeLessons, the leading online marketplace for finding lessons and classes in languages, music and more. Check out the full language guides and resources    and start learning today!   And One More ThingAs a savvy language learner, youll love using FluentU to keep your language skills fresh and always growing. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you ca n see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the iTunes store  or Google Play store.