Representational illustration.
| Photo Credit: Freepik
Looking to develop its cultural footprint in nations with whom it has historic ties, together with these in its rapid neighbourhood, India is planning to create a pool of consultants in languages spoken in international locations like Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Indonesia to facilitate higher people-to-people exchanges.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has envisaged a particular venture known as ‘The Language Friendship Bridge’, which plans to prepare 5 to 10 individuals within the official languages of every of those international locations.
As of now, the ICCR has zeroed in on 10 languages: Kazakh, Uzbek, Bhutanese, Ghoti (spoken in Tibet), Burmese, Khmer (spoken in Cambodia), Thai, Sinhalese and Bahasa (spoken in each Indonesia and Malaysia).
Shared cultural heritage
“Considering our cultural imprints in these countries, India cannot afford to ignore these countries,” ICCR president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe advised The Hindu.
In India, the language studying focus until now has been on European languages like Spanish, French and German, alongside with the languages of main Asian economies like China and Japan. Though quite a lot of universities and institutes supply programs in these languages, solely a handful train any of the ten languages on the ICCR record. Sinhala, for instance, is taught on the Banaras Hindu University and the School of Foreign Languages (SFL) below the Ministry of Defence. The SFL additionally has programs in Bahasa, Burmese and Tibetan.
“India requires translators, interpreters and teachers in the languages of these countries with whom it shares a cultural history,” Dr. Sahasrabuddhe mentioned. The thought is to allow India to translate its epics and classics, in addition to modern literature, into these languages so that individuals in each international locations can learn them.
University consultations
The cultural physique is in dialogue with universities and institutes in addition to consultants providing overseas language programs within the nation on the modalities of implementing the venture. Among these being consulted are the overseas language departments on the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Hyderabad’s English and Foreign Languages University, Banaras Hindu University, and the Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwa Vidyalaya at Wardha.
The discussions, sources mentioned, have thrown up two potentialities. One is to institute tie-ups whereby academics from these international locations come and train programs in India. The second strategy is ICCR providing scholarships to Indian college students to go and examine these languages within the international locations the place they’re spoken.
Immersion studying
Language consultants really feel that the second possibility is the higher one as a correct cultural atmosphere is required to study a language in its entirety. “To learn any language, a person has to be in that country. There are many aspects which one needs to learn, like expressions and proper pronunciation, which happen only in the correct environment,” mentioned Soma Ray, a former senior school member on the SFL who now teaches at St. Stephen’s College in Delhi University.
She additionally emphasised the necessity for correct utilisation of skilled language consultants. “Usually, only languages that help get jobs are the ones that people opt for. This is the reason behind the popularity of European languages like German, French and Spanish.”
Growing demand
Experts additionally really feel that the ICCR’s record of languages wants to be expanded, with India seeing a increase in cultural and financial ties with different neighbouring international locations as properly.
Meeta Narain, a professor on the Centre for Russian Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University supplied the instance of medical tourism. “A large number of people are visiting India for treatment from countries like Turkey, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Maldives and there is an urgent need for a pool of translators and interpreters for facilitating their visits as well,” she mentioned.
Possibly recognising this, JNU will quickly be beginning a course in Pashto.
The ICCR mentioned that after the rollout of the venture this 12 months, the potential for increasing the present record of languages can be mentioned.
