Learning a foreign language will stand you in good stead abroad; check out these courses

More and more people are travelling abroad for studies and employment in recent years. The knowledge of a foreign language is an asset especially for students, tourists and business people. We understand people and culture better while learning any new language. Having a command over a few foreign languages would be beneficial in many situations.

Some build a career with their knowledge of a foreign language. They work as translators, interpreters, tourist guides, diplomatic personnel, air-hostesses, front office executives in hotels and even spies in foreign countries. Moreover, entrepreneurs investing in foreign countries and their employees also learn the language of the place where they do business.

All such people would be looking for a practical knowledge of a foreign language rather than its literary aspects. Several short-term courses are available in India for this purpose, among which the best are offered by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi and the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Hyderabad.

Courses in Kerala

Here is a glance at some of the courses available at these institutions as well as the universities in Kerala:

• Jawaharlal Nehru University: Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Persian, Portuguese, Pushtu, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.

• The English and Foreign Languages University: French, German, Japanese, Arabic, Russian and Spanish.

• Kerala University: Russian, German and Arabic.

• Cochin University of Science and Technology: German, Japanese and Arabic.

• Mahatama Gandhi University: French, German and Arabic.

• Calicut University: French, German, Russian and Syriac.

• Kannur University: German, French and Arabic.