BCU to start survival courses in foreign languages

To help Indians overcome language barrier in foreign countries, the Bangalore Central University (BCU) is all set to start survival courses in various foreign languages.

The two-month crash courses include 40 hours of sessions. It will teach the basic communicative terms in the foreign languages to help Indians communicate in countries where English is not spoken at all.

Talking to DH, Dr Jyothi Venkatesh, Chairperson, Centre for Global Languages (CGL), BCU said: “We Indians are familiar only with the English language. However, it’s very difficult for us to come across people who speak English in many countries. There are instances where Indian tourists find it difficult to
communicate.

“These courses will help to beat this language barrier. We have named the programme as survival courses as it helps to survive in foreign countries with basic communicative skills,” she said.

The courses include French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese and Korean languages. After going through the demand and response for the course, the CGL management also plans to add new languages such as Dutch, Hebrew, Polish, and Thai.

“The candidates will have oral exams at the conclusion of the course, which is mainly intended to test their language and speaking abilities. We are in the process of getting the approval. The course will be started by the end of December or by January 2019,” Jyothi added.

The fee for the course is yet to be finalised, but according to the chairperson, it would be “affordable”.

“We have designed the course in such a way so that it benefits the maximum people,” the chairperson said.

The CGL has also started an integrated programme in French and it also has the history of 33 years offering a various course in global languages.