Do you like learning new languages? Then foreign language courses are your go-to ways, which not only allow you to pursue your hobby or love for languages but make the career in the same. The travel and tourism and hotel industries have a huge requirement for language specialists. Moreover, MNCs are in need of professionals who can break down the language barrier in order to help them conquer new markets across the globe.
Apart from the career aspect, learning a new language gives you a chance to explore more of what the world has to offer. You will be introduced to newer cultures and you become more open-minded. Learning a new language increases your brain power and improves your decision-making skills and confidence. Read on to learn about foreign language courses offered in India.
If you feel that you are cut out for foreign language courses, then you must possess the following:
Foreign language courses that have a wide scope in India include:
Chinese: The increasing presence of China in the global market has opened newer opportunities for Chinese speakers.
French: French is the working language of the United Nations, European Union, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and many other international organisations.
Japanese: Japanese operates in the Indian market and they are reluctant to speak English or any other language, which creates the need for Japanese translators and interpreters. Considering this, the Japanese language has been introduced as one of the optional languages in the CBSE syllabus, which means more demand for teachers who know Japanese.
Russian: The tourism departments of Goa, Uttarakhand and Kerala have established links with the Russian Tourism and Cultural Ministry. Russian-speaking tourist guides can take advantage of this.
German: Germany offers cheaper education as compared to other European countries, hence foreign language courses teaching German help students who are planning to study abroad.
Spanish: India’s relationship with Spanish-speaking countries has strengthened, thus, career prospects for Spanish teachers, translators and diplomats are growing significantly.
Portuguese: Many MNCs or multinational companies in India are looking for Portuguese language experts because of business requirements.
Italian: Italian companies that have set up business in India are looking for Italian speakers.
Arabic: The presence of Middle East countries in the global market is the main reason for Arabic language gaining popularity.
Korean: With the presence of companies like Samsung and Hyundai in India, Korean-speaking employees are like assets to the organisation.
Pass outs of postgraduate foreign language courses can serve as:
-Language specialist
-Public relations officer
-Foreign language teacher
-Translator for private/Government organisations
-Research associate
-Interpreter
-Tourist guide
-Air hostess or a flight steward
-Freelance writer
A list of reputed institutes that offer certificate foreign language courses is given below:
|
Name of the Institute |
Language taught |
|
Alliance Française Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Mumbai |
French |
|
Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, New Delhi, Pune |
German |
|
The School of Foreign Languages (Under Ministry of Defence, |
Certificate of Proficiency in Arabic/ Bahasa Indonesia/ Burmese/ Chinese/ French/German/Hebrew/Persian/Pashto/Russian/Sinhala/Spanish/Tibetian |
|
Arabic, French, Spanish, German, Japanese |
|
|
Bangalore Nihongo Kyooshi- Kai Bangalore |
Japanese |
Some of these institutes offer foreign language courses in extensive, intensive and blended learning mode. The duration and fees for each mode differ accordingly.
The syllabus of Certificate Course in German in Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak is as follows:
|
Paper-I Communicative Grammar: Functional Grammar based on the text book |
|
Paper-II Text Comprehension and Written Expression: 1. Compression of simple texts and précis-writing 2. Essays on simple topics, questions on civilisation 3. Translation of simple passage into English and simple sentences into German.
|
|
Paper-III Oral Expression: Reading of texts, general questions on history, culture and civilisation of German-speaking courses. |
Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, offers Certificate courses in French, Spanish, Chinese and German. The duration of the course, fees and eligibility for these foreign language courses are tabled below:
|
Programme |
Eligibility |
Duration |
Fees (annual) |
|
Certificate Course in French |
Senior Secondary Examination (10+2) with at least 45% marks in aggregate |
1 year |
INR 11,174 |
|
Certificate Course in Spanish |
Senior Secondary Examination (10+2) with at least 45% marks in aggregate |
1 year |
INR 11,174 |
|
Certificate Course in Chinese |
Senior Secondary Examination (10+2) with at least 45% marks in aggregate |
1 year |
INR 11,174 |
|
Certificate Course in German |
Senior Secondary Examination (10+2) with at least 45% marks in aggregate |
1 year |
INR 12,000 |
|
Name of the Institute/University |
Eligibility |
Duration of the course |
Languages taught |
|
10+2 |
One year |
Diploma of proficiency in Italian, Portuguese, Pashto & Bahasa Indonesia |
|
|
10+2 |
One year |
Diploma in French/Spanish/Russian/Italian/Portuguese (Part-time) Diploma in Uzbek/Modern Arabic/ Turkemenin/ Khazakhi/Modern Persian/ Turkish/Pashto |
|
|
10+2 |
Two years |
Diploma in French/German/Spanish/Italian/Portuguese/Romanian |
|
|
10+2 |
Two years |
Diploma in Russian/Arabic/Chinese/French/German/Persian |
|
|
10+2 |
One year |
Diploma in Persian/German |
|
Courses |
Fees (total) |
|
Diploma in Russian |
INR 7,260 |
|
Diploma in Chinese |
INR 5,720 |
|
Diploma in Italian |
INR 7,260 |
|
Diploma in Modern Arabic |
INR 7,260 |
|
Diploma in Persian |
INR 5,720 |
|
Diploma in Spanish |
INR 7,260 |
|
Diploma in French |
INR 7,260 |
|
Listening comprehension |
|
Functional grammar as per the prescribed textbook |
|
Lexical items for written and oral communication |
|
Cultural life of the people and salient features of history and society of the countries where the language is spoken, contemporary issues of general interest |
Banaras Hindu University offers two years Diploma in Chinese. The syllabus of the diploma course is as follows:
|
Semester-I |
Semester-III |
|
Paper – I ( Chinese Language I ): Phonetics, Grammar & Character writings |
Paper – VI ( Chinese Language – III ): Text, Translation & Grammar |
|
Paper – II ( Introduction to China – I ): The paper shall introduce the language, land and people of China |
Paper – VII ( Composition & Translation I ) |
|
Semester-II |
Semester-IV |
|
Paper III (Chinese Language – II): Phonetics, Grammar & Character writing, Text & Translation |
Paper VIII ( Chinese Language IV ): Text, Grammar & Translation |
|
Paper IV (Introduction to China – II): The paper shall introduce history and Culture of China. |
Paper IX ( Composition & Translation II ) |
|
Paper V (Viva-voce) |
Paper X (Viva – Voce) |
|
University |
Course |
Admission Process |
Eligibility Criteria |
Duration |
Delivery Type |
Fee Structure |
|
Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi |
Master of Arts in Arabic/Persian/ Japanese/Chinese/ French/ German/ Russian/Spanish |
Entrance exam |
10+2 and bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 45 percent marks with proficiency in the concerned language |
Two years or five years integrated program |
Full-time |
INR 675 for 2 years |
|
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi |
Master of Arts in Chinese/Russian |
Entrance exam |
10+2 and bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50 percent marks with proficiency in the concerned language |
Two years |
Full-time |
INR 3,645 per annum |
|
Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi |
Master of Arts in Arabic/ Persian |
Entrance exam |
10+2 and bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 45 percent marks with proficiency in the concerned language |
Two years |
Distance learning mode |
INR 13,100 for 2 years |
Following are the areas of specialisation offered to students pursuing undergraduate foreign language courses:
Branches of linguistics include phonetics (study of the sounds of speech), phonology (study of how sounds are organized and used in Foreign), morphology (study of words, and their formation and relationship to other words), syntax (study of how phrases, clauses and sentences are constructed and combined in Foreign), semantics (study of meaning), sociolinguistics (study of society and language) and historical linguistics (study of how Foreign language has changed over time).
This area of specialisation helps students explore, analyse and understand the history, theory and criticism of films and television with a focus on novel forms of interactive media. Students will be shown a selection of foreign films so that they can develop analytical skills in artistic representations and cultural issues.
This area of specialisation in foreign language courses will expose students to a wide range of cultural artefacts in a historical and contextual perspective.
This area of specialisation under foreign language courses will help students learn theoretical and practical aspects of the media world.
This is quite a common specialisation and involves in-depth study of a number of literary texts written in the language. It concentrates on imparting knowledge of key cultural, social and political issues relating to the countries where Foreign is spoken.
Choosing the right specialisation paves the way to a promising career. Students pursuing postgraduate foreign language courses can choose from a variety of options for specialising in a particular area. Though options remain the same as offered at the undergraduate level, students enrolled in postgraduate degree will be exposed to in-depth knowledge of the field they choose to dedicate themselves to.