Future Careers

I graduated from the University of Bern with a Master's degree in German linguistics, English linguistics and Sociolinguistics. I then completed a PhD in German linguistics on the topic of long-term accommodation in the Swiss German variety of Romansh speakers. I am currently a postdoc at the University of Teacher Education in Grisons for Romansh and didactics in Romansh. My main task is to conduct research in Romansh (applied) linguistics. Furthermore, I am responsible for distributing the results of my research projects in presentations at scientific conferences, in acadmeic journals, in public outreach activities and also in lectures and seminars for future Romansh teachers. Another important part involves writing applications to get funding for scientific and development projects. I value the methodical skills - especially data collection and statistical analysis - as they have proven to be invaluable and therefore a door opener for collaboration in different projects.

After my Master's degree in English studies and German studies, I completed a PhD in Language and Communication.

As a User Experience writer, I work in web and software design. In simple terms, I’m responsible for writing the words people see when they interact with websites, apps, and other software. In practical terms, there is of course a lot more that goes into these words – much of my day-to-day work revolves around collaborating with colleagues from design, research and business in order to define what we want to say, why we want to say it, and how we should say it, so that people actually understand it.

I believe what’s most valuable is my understanding of how language and communication are situated in society, and how people use language to do things. Working in software design, I also draw a lot on what I learnt about multimodality, and how communication happens not just through (written) words but ultimately through the intersection of various modes.

I’ve been lucky in that my work and my studies have been closely intertwined from the beginning. I started working part-time as a content and communication specialist in a design agency in the first semester of my Bachelor studies, and I was able to grow in that job throughout my entire studies. I even did two seminar papers using data collected at/through my job. This gave me the idea to do research on the kind of work I was doing, and I was fortunate to get the chance to do a PhD on the language work of UX writers. Although I love academia, I decided to go back to industry work for more stability, which brought me to where I am now.

I have an MA in Sociolinguistics with a minor in Digital Humanities. My BA was in German Studies with minors in Criminology and French.

After my MA, I worked on a project on technology acceptance among editors and platform operators for the Open Access Team in the Open Science Department of the University Library of Bern. Since summer 2025 I work as a trademark expert at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.

The main task is to examine Swiss and international trademark registration applications in all four national languages and English. Whether a trademark can be protected is examined on the basis of various criteria: a trademark must not be descriptive, i.e. it must not contain any information about the nature, quality, type or place of manufacture, intended use or price of the goods. Nor may it violate applicable law, public order or morality.

Precise research, contextualization and interpretation of statements, efficient handling of large amounts of data, the ability to formulate coherent texts quickly and easily, and – as a basis for all of this – a good feel for linguistic subtleties are the most important skills I have gained from my studies.

I majored in Sociolinguistics with a minor in English linguistics.

After my MA, I completed an internship at SRF/3sat nano in scientific journalism, followed by a traineeship (Volontariat) in TV, radio, and online journalism at CH Media.

I’m a content manager and journalist, working fully remotely and freelancing part-time. The main tasks include managing and producing website content, including copywriting, proofreading, content migration, and English and German translations. I also write journalistic articles for a philanthropic publication.

My studies strengthened my research and analytical skills, particularly in interpreting data, evaluating arguments, and thinking critically, which I apply daily in my jobs. 

www.oliviashares.com

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