The French language may have been among the earliest ones to be introduced in school and college syllabuses across the country, but youngsters aren’t too happy with just this choice. So, what is the alternative solution? Wait patiently to finish studying, take up a well-paying job and save up; then quit and abroad to study a language of their choice!
We spoke to a few working professionals, all under the age of 35, who recently gave up their careers, to pursue their passion of learning languages like Korean, Spanish and even Turkish. Going abroad and staying with the locals even gave them an insight into the culture, traditions and heritage of those places.
23-year-old Prakriti Shah travelled to Madrid in a quest to learn Spanish. “I had been learning Spanish after school and on weekends while I was studying in Chennai. Since it is widely spoken across many regions of the world, I wished to continue learning it,” she says. Her stint in Spain lasted for four months and when asked if she found the stay beneficial — “My experience there was absolutely enriching. Learning the language in the native speaking country taught me more in those four months than the five-six odd years I spent learning it as an extracurricular in secondary and high school,” she says.
As part of the language school programme she enrolled in, they included activities such as touristic visits and workshops to learn about Spanish food, dance, film and just culture in general. “The most interesting aspect for me was interacting with local Spanish people. They always like to go out, sit in terrazas (outdoor seating areas), drinking copious amounts of wine or beer and chat the night away. In a setting like this, you learn lots of slang and day-to-day words that you wouldn’t in a classroom setting,” she explains.
After finishing her Masters, Meghal Bhatt, another youngster from the city, headed to Turkey and Israel to learn the respective languages. Now in Paris as part of an internship, she tells us that travelling to countries to learn the language and culture has been a roller-coaster ride! “Apart from just studying the language, I volunteered with NGOs and locals to learn their language in exchange for teaching them English,” she says. “The best methods to learn the local dialect were by watching movies, and reading their newspapers. Apart from this, I even dated a couple of the locals to understand the accent better!” she smiles.
As for the culture — “I lived with many Turkish families (couch surfing) and ate their cuisine. Food taught me about the essence of the place,” says Meghal. “I would even go to mosques and just observe how the women pray. In fact, a lady offered me her prayer beads and showed me her prayer routine,” she adds.
“I loved the life of an international student. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life!” says Pavitra Ravishankar, who quit her job in an MNC in the city, to head to Korea for her love of the language and… pop music! She was there for a period of one year and three months. “I enjoyed all its facets, be it food, festivals, K-drama and K-pop — but interacting with the people was what I loved the most. I think there is no comparison to meeting native people and listening to stories about their country,” she muses.
But, with courses to study these languages being offered within India, is it affecting linguistic institutes here when people travel abroad? “Only a very small per cent can afford to live in foreign countries, so it doesn’t really affect us,” says Prabhakar Narayanan, language director, Goethe Institute Chennai. “Many states in India offer languages even like German as part of the curriculum — we do offer world-class trainers, but this is suitable only for beginners. Those who wish to pursue further studies in these languages can go abroad,” he concludes.
