Career in Foreign Languages

There is a vernacular saying in India that the dialect changes every 7 miles. Unbelievable is it not considering our earth's total area. But that is how it is. The taste of water and the flavor of the language changes almost every 7 miles. Hence even in a particular language we have sub dialects and area specific ways of pronunciations and accents.

India itself has more than 30 languages to boast of. And what with the world becoming a global village, increased number of globe trotting people and countries having close knit industrial and commercial trade relations one is exposed to the foreign languages too. Due to this learning a foreign language has become a lucrative and sought after career option.

Studying a foreign language includes the in-depth study of the complex word concepts and intricacies involved in any given language. Understanding the subtle nuances and flavor of a particular language and a sound knowledge of grammar and semantics is essential to succeed in the area of languages.

In this newly emergent global economy, where networking and business alliances are becoming commonplace, and globe-trotting for business and pleasure has become routine, there are excellent job opportunities for qualified multilingual professionals, including executives and managers. Therefore a growing number of students are taking to learning foreign languages. Therefore for those with a yen for foreign languages, this is a good time to learn one of them. There's no dearth of prospects in India.

Foreign language courses can be studied after 10+2 as a 3 year's graduate degree or even as 5 year's integrated language course in the universities offering such courses. Some universities even offer diploma/certificate courses for graduates and post graduates. The other option is to pursue these courses at the institutes run by embassies and consulates or there are private reputed institutes which offer a course equivalent to a graduate degree. These institutes offer both basic and advanced level courses, some of them extending up to 5-6 years.

Most language courses include imparting knowledge on semantics, grammar, pronunciations, reading and writing the language, and spoken language with correct and appropriate accent. Initially simple spoken language is dealt with. However, as one advances the business and commercial language is also dealt with.

Most universities across India select students for post graduate studies on the basis of their academic performance at the graduate level.

 Good verbal abilities
 Good reasoning abilities
 Flair for being creative
 Love for the particular language
 Some insight into the cultural and geographical aspects that could influence the particular language in question
 Patience and diligence
 Adaptability
 Pleasant demeanor
 Ability to handle work pressure and withstand strain

Those who take up Language as a career, find job opportunities in the Ministry of External Affairs, which requires translators in foreign languages. Other options include Teaching & Lectureship, Translation (General), Technical Translation, Research and Documentation, Interpretation, Transcription, Archiving, Movie Subtitling.

With the globalization of Indian economy and many multinationals coming to India for joint ventures abroad, many opportunities have opened up for those proficient in foreign languages. Academic qualifications in foreign languages help in pursuing careers in the areas of tourism, entertainment, public relations, mass communication, international organizations, embassies, diplomatic service, publishing, etc.

Today many students prefer to opt for German as a language. German can be studied after the tenth grade as part of the 10+2 curriculum. Many students also opt for a major in the language.

The Goethe-Institute is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany. Their main aim is to spread knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. They have an extensive network of Goethe-Institutes, Goethe Centers, cultural societies and reading rooms, alongside examination and language learning centers. Like the other Goethe-Institutes in India, the Goethe-Institute in Mumbai is known as Max Mueller Bhavan.

Certification Exams:

Level A1 to C2 - Goethe Zertifikat Deutsche
Deutsches Sprachdiplom Stufe I and II - German as a foreign language

www.goethe.de

The other preferred language that has good future prospects is French. One of the premier institutes teaching French in India is Alliance Francaise which has 15 centers throughout India located in all the leading cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Baroda, Goa, Kolkata, Cochin and so forth. Alliance Française in India assures the coordination of cultural, teaching and administrative activities of all Alliance Françaises in India. One can opt for the courses offered by Alliance Française right after X. These courses can be done while pursuing a degree in another discipline.

Certification Exams:

Level A1 to B2 - Diplôme d'études en langue française (DELF)
Level C1 & C2 - Diplôme approfondi de langue française (DALF)

www.afindia.org

The other foreign language gaining rapid popularity within student and professional communities is Japanese. Improved trade relations between Japan and India, multiplying Indo-Japanese joint ventures and an upsurge in Japanese FDI (foreign direct investment) during the past few years, have generated persistent demand for qualified translators.

Most top-rung universities in the country offer diploma, degree and/or certificate study programmes in Japanese. The duration of courses varies from six months to four years. For instance the CIEFL (Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages), Hyderabad offers a Masters (correspondence-cum-attendance) programme in Japanese and other languages for diploma and degree holders. Universities apart, there are numerous foreign language training institutes which offer beginners’ and advanced study programmes in Japanese. Language courses are also conducted by the Indo-Japanese Association, in different metros, supported by the Japanese consulate.

Certification Exams:

JLPT - Japanese Language Proficiency Test
BJT - Business Japanese Proficiency Test
EJU - Examination for Japanese University Admission

Spanish is one of the most used language in international communication, and an official language of the UN and its organizations. Globalization has further fueled the need for Spanish speaking individuals.

One of the premier institutes teaching Spanish in India is Instituto Hispania. This is an affiliated center of FIDESCU (Ministry of Education, Spain) and offers D.I.E (Diploma Internacional de Español) examinations for those who wish to test their knowledge in Spanish at the international level. It has six centers spanning across the prime metro cities of India; Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Jaipur.

Certification Exams:

Levels A1 to C2 - DELE - Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera

www.institutohispania.com

With Italian industries looking at India as a production base and Indian companies moving to set up branch offices in Italy, it has indeed become the need of the day to know the Italian language.

The Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce offers language courses to residents of India. The Italian Consulate and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan also offer language courses in Italian for Indian students.

Certification Exams:

CILS (Qualification) - Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera
CELI - Certificato di Conoscenza della Lingua Italiana

The other languages that are gaining popularity amongst the student population for the prospects that they offer are Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Persian.

Since foreign languages has become a lucrative career one can earn anywhere between 10,000 for starters and move till 25,000/- and more. If one is employed by foreign companies or the foreign consulate one is bound to have a better pay package according to the country's currency.