BENGALURU: Learning a foreign language is a great way to know about an otherwise unknown country, its culture and way of life. While many learn a foreign language merely as a hobby, for others it’s safe to say that it opens up doors to new and unique employment opportunities.
Take the case of Sher Satynarayana, a techie from Hyderabad who landed a job in Bengaluru mainly because he knew how to speak Chinese.
“I worked in this electronics components company as a team lead and was into handling and talking to manufacturers and suppliers from China. I was required to speak to as many as 30 to 40 clients a day, besides collecting data, and engaging in knowledge processing,” says Satyanarayana who has been studying the language since 2011.
Although now he is based in Hyderabad he says that the language has greatly helped him in landing one job after another. He is presently working in an e-commerce company as a marketing business operations specialist where he regularly has to analyse feedback from Chinese customers and make important decisions about the products thereafter.
With many international companies having their headquarters in Bengaluru, there is a great demand for people like Satyanarayana. Sujatha Swamy, who teaches French, history and teaching methodology says, “With globalisation, it is now imperative to learn one or many foreign languages.
There are a number of Japanese and Korean companies as well as French companies. Companies also regularly need to send people abroad for meetings with clients.
Those who can speak the language of that particular country are most likely to fill that shoe,” she says. Besides technology, there is a lot of demand for such people in the banking sector, adds Sujatha.
Tourism is another sector that regularly employs people with knowledge of a foreign language. Especially with the government also promoting the state as a tourism hub, there are many opportunities.
Murali B, a tourist guide, who is learning French points out, “In Karnataka, there are many tourists from France who come every year. While a few can speak English they usually prefer someone who can speak their languages so there is a high demand in the sector.” Murali is presently juggling a diploma in French and wants to do an MA in the language while also working as a guide in areas like Hassan and Belur. Murali’s brother also learned French and is also working in the travel and tourism sector.
Then there is the obvious demand in universities and colleges to fill teaching positions. Merita Shantharaj, who learned Spanish in Spain teaches the language in Mount Carmel College and Christ University as part of a business management course and as well as in Bangalore University. “One can do translation work for medical, software sector as well as literature and publishing,” she adds.
Reji P R embarked upon his interest in languages only after he retired the Air Force. Soon after, he completed his MA in Chinese from JNU and has been involved in a number of research projects due to his knowledge of Chinese. “I also have got calls from different Universities for teaching positions,” he adds.