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Language Analysts

Most foreign intelligence needs translating, interpreting and contextualising. So our language analysts help us to do just that. We constantly work with unusual materials, providing reports with real purpose. It means that you’ll constantly develop your skills.

Roles & responsibilities

Language Specialists

Working together to safeguard Britain’s people, interests and businesses, GCHQ, MI6 and MI5 - the UK’s Intelligence Services – are looking for linguistic experts to help drive their operations. People who can speak, listen to, and understand a wide range of languages and dialects. And who have an in-depth knowledge of a country’s history, culture, ideology, and politics.

As a Language Specialist at GCHQ, you’ll work with technical experts, piecing together snippets of information from a range of digital sources. You’ll translate and transcribe, while contextualising and identifying key information, providing valuable insights that will help progress our operations and influence Government policy.

You’ll need passive and active language skills, but formal qualifications are not expected. You’ll just need to be a proficient user of the language. This proficiency could come from growing up in a multi-lingual household, training in the military or studying at university. You’ll also be someone who loves to solve problems, has a keen interest in communications technologies, and an eye for detail.

When you join us, you can expect extensive training and development and enjoy a supportive and inclusive environment. We value the individual perspectives people from all walks of life can bring to our mission and actively promote diversity through support and policy. We’re also big on ensuring everyone has a healthy work-life balance, and everyone gets what they need to do their best work, including offering flexible working and part-time contracts. Whatever role you find, you’ll directly contribute to keeping the country safe.

What our people say

Practice Materials

Russian Practice Materials

Get an idea of the sort of work we do and test your Russian skills.

View Russian practice materials

Arabic Practice Materials

Put yourself to the test and see if you've got the potential we're after.

View Arabic practice materials

Persian Practice Materials

Take our Persian practice tests and see how much you can complete.

View Persian practice materials

Mandarin Practice Materials

Discover how well you can tackle some of our Mandarin materials.

View Mandarin practice materials

Meet our team

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