Talking in Tongues for an Edge over Others

When Vandana joined the BA Programme at Hindu College, she decided to take up an add-on language course in French offered by the college.“I wanted to have an edge over the others when it comes to finding a job,“ said the 22-year-old who goes by just her first name.

Today, Vandana works for a media house in France. “Learning a new language opened up many avenues for me and made it easy for me to pursue a career in a foreign country about which I had very little information,“ she said.

Vandana was among the many who take up add-on language courses offered in a majority of colleges in Delhi University as certificate and diploma courses.

In most colleges, French is among the most popular foreign languages followed by German. “A lot of students go in for both these languages. There are around 30 to 35 students in the certificate programme each year,’’ said Vinay Kumar Srivastava, principal, Hindu College.

The college offers courses in courses in Spanish and Russian. Hindu college has already sold close to 500 forms for the four add-on language courses.“A lot of students join initially but most drop out in later stages as the courses are demanding,’’ added Srivastava.

The most common reason behind joining a language course is to generate better job opportunities. “Studying a foreign language opens the doors to jobs in foreign firms. It also benefits students who want to go in for higher studies as it adds to one's academic record and also helps earn scholarships,’’ said Babli Moitra Saraf, principal, Indraprastha College for Women.

Some students also join these foreign language courses to learn about the culture of a country. “I joined a course in Spanish when I was in college as I was interested in the country's culture and Spanish literature,’’ said Vaishali Bhambri, a former student at Lady Shri Ram College for Women.

But not everyone thinks that add- on languages are a good thing. “Add- on courses take away the focus from the main courses. One has to decide their priorities and I feel that these courses just dilute the academic standing of a college,’’ said P.C. Jain, principal, Shri Ram College for Commerce. 

Mallica Joshi  
Source: www.hindustantimes.com