I have a friend who got his degree in Japanese language, and has been certified to the first ranking in fluency. Yes, he initially started taking Japanese in high school through anime, but he now has a very nice-paying job as a translator at a company in Seattle, who has sent him on extended trips to Japan at least twice, to do translating for their Japanese side. I think he's done work for city-government over there as well on one of his trips, translating documents for a sister city delegation that would be coming.

If you live in an area with heavy Asian population/influence/connections, it can be quite a lucrative major.