English no more enough, foreign language a plus to get jobs
“French, German and Japanese are being taught to final-year students in 10 government engineering colleges. Over 600 final-year students have benefited during the 2022-23 academic year,” said a senior official from the Higher Education Department.
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CHENNAI: With newer job markets opening up crossing geographical boundaries, students in Tamil Nadu who are proficient in a foreign language or two seem to be at the receiving end of more attractive salary-packages.
The State government had introduced Japanese, French and German languages in the government and government-aided engineering colleges to help students find jobs abroad and communicate effectively with their counterparts in that country.
“French, German and Japanese are being taught to final-year students in 10 government engineering colleges. Over 600 final-year students have benefited during the 2022-23 academic year,” said a senior official from the Higher Education Department.
The official said this year the number of students interested in pursuing a foreign language has increased by around 20%. “There is a possibility of introducing other foreign languages including Chinese and Russian from the next academic year. Accordingly, more seats will also be allocated,” he added.
Unlike a few years ago, students can now take online classes or home tuitions for learning a foreign language, and that too, on a minimum budget. Interestingly, basic communication tools such as introducing yourself, greeting others, ordering food and booking an appointment in any foreign language are possible in a couple of months of taking a course.
Anuradha, director of Japanese language school, ABK AOTS Dosokai, TN centre, said: “Five years ago, we had only about 300-400 students. But for this academic year, it has increased to 3,000. Every year, the Japanese Language Proficiency Test is conducted twice – once each in July and December. Over 3,500 students have appeared this year compared to only about 800 a few years back.”
Stating that the TN has about 500 branches of Japanese companies functioning in various fields, she pointed out that the Japanese have difficulty with English pronunciations, as the Japanese language does not have the ‘L’ sound. “Indians’ English pronunciation comes 25th in the global level while the Japanese rank at 60,” she opined. “After seeing the demand for Japanese language here, our institute made a recommendation to the State government to start teaching the Japanese language in all the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). A lot of Indian students have claimed that they see Japanese as one of the most important and popular of all languages in Southeast Asia.”
Quoting a report that over 10% of students in the country are learning at least one foreign language for their personal growth, B Samson, a French tutor here, said that other than English, French was the only language spoken on all five continents. “France is among the top 3 most popular European countries in the globe as a study-abroad destination for Indian students. It’s easy to learn, especially with regard to basic communication and writing,” he averred.
Students, who have successfully learned a foreign language, claim to have found good opportunities in India to become a tutor.
N Preethi, a French tutor, who had wanted to go to France as a translator and interpreter, is now settled here. She takes online classes and also an institute.
“I take French classes and get paid very well here. Learning French opens your employment opportunities in European countries, especially in IT and engineering fields,” she pointed out.
