Scope of Japanese Language

Japan is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and it also prominently features, among the top 5 largest economies in the world. This is mainly due to the technological prowess and manufacturing capabilities of the country. Japan is also one of the leading source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in many growing economies around the world including India. Most of the leading Japanese MNCs (especially in Electronics and automobile sectors) have a presence in India through joint ventures or local subsidiaries in the country. Sustained presence, growth and popularity of Japanese brands have made learning Japanese language a very common phenomenon across the country. There is a persistent demand for workers as well as qualified professionals who possess working knowledge of Japanese. This trend has prompted many leading universities and foreign language training institutes to offer degrees and diplomas in Japanese Language. Fluency in Japanese language can not only help an individual in securing a career opportunity as a translator with foreign embassies or corporate but also in something as creative as writing.

Any individual who wishes to master Japanese must clear the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). This exam is conducted by Japanese Government all over the world on first Sunday of July and December every year. It tests the proficiency of disciples over the language at 5 levels – N1, N2, N3, N4 and N5; where N5 is the basic level while N1 is the most advanced level of exam. An individual can take the exam based on their level of learning and kind of career opportunities each level can provide. N5 level proficiency means that a person has language skills and they can communicate or respond to Japanese words and greetings. This kind of proficiency can come handy in jobs which require basic interaction with people in the language like in tourism industry. This level assumes that the disciple would know approximately 800 words of vocabulary and 100 number of kanji. While N1 level assumes that individual has advanced Japanese language courses and skills and he/she can communicate fluently in the language. N1 level expects the disciple to know at least 10,000 words in vocabulary and 2000 number of Kanji. This level of proficiency would help a person in securing translation based high profile jobs with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) or Embassies. Such profiles would require a person to speak or write in Japanese in real time with utmost amount of accuracy and a JPLT certificate of N1 level tests and ensures the same.

Symbiosis Institute of Indian and Foreign Languages (SIFIL) provides exhaustive courses in Japanese language with proficient faculty, advanced curriculum and updated course material. Any individual who wishes to develop command over Japanese to pursue a fulfilling career can avail these courses. These courses are well equipped to train a person for all 5 levels of the JLPT. SIFIL is part of renowned Symbiosis International University (SIU), Pune and it offers a wide range of courses in Indian as well as foreign languages at its Pune campus.

URL – https://www.sifil-symbiosis.org/japanese-language-courses.html

Learning French: Not so romantic, yet Classy

French is one of the most sought after languages for new language learners in the world. The allure of French culture is quite irresistible and it often acts as a catalyst in motivating more and more youngsters to take up French classes. In metropolitan towns of India, most of the foreign language institutes offer French as one of the flagship courses to the seekers. Symbiosis Institute of Indian and Foreign Languages (SIFIL) is one of leading institutes who offer French classes in Pune. It should be noted that learning any new language comes with its own set of challenges as well as advantages. For all romance and pleasantness French entails, developing proficiency over the language is not a cake walk and it does involves sincere and substantial effort from the learner.

All the people who have learnt French agree unanimously on one aspect of French i.e it is very challenging to develop fluency in pronunciation and accent. For example, the usage of nasal ‘r’ in words like ‘frere’ (means brother) often tends to drive the English speaking learners crazy. This problem can be easily handled by memorizing the letter combinations for different words. Learner also should deploy extra emphasis on accent over the ‘e’ to be able to pronounce the phonetics of the words perfectly. French is often considered as a very inconsistent language when it comes relationship between word spellings and pronunciations. Usually, words would always have some alphabets appearing as silent while pronouncing but they do come along as compulsive part of the spellings. This usually creates lot of confusion for the new disciples of the language and tends to create havoc between their reading and speaking capabilities. This challenge needs to be handled by devoting dedicated effort on building vocabulary and developing sound understanding of how word formation and phonetics work in the language.

Another commonly challenge faced by English speaking learners while learning French is Gender differentiation. Much like Hindi or many other languages, French addresses both masculine and feminine genders with differentiated syntax and it requires substantial amount of understanding of French culture to decipher the same. Unfortunately there are no shortcuts or tricks to master the same. English is primarily a Gender neutral language but French is very much like Hindi where one needs to know Gender of object beforehand in order to get the phonetic sound and syntax right. Comfort level over this can only be achieved by consistent practice over a period of time and it does get better as level of fluency over language improves. Another commonly observed challenge faced by new learners is regarding the expression of facts about self or own feelings. Most of the French courses introduce the learners to ‘etre’ which is commonly used to express regular things about self like place you hail from or what is your profession. English uses ‘to have’ or ‘to be’ for variety of feelings or states of being. But French does not follow any thumb rule for the same set of expressions. Learners should memorise each expression and get habitual to expressing it in the prescribed manner.

Overall consistent practice and discipline is required to develop proficiency over a new language. And on top of these, one needs to persist with the tribulations which will be caused by above mentioned issues and persist till complete proficiency is achieved over the language of romance – French.

URL – https://www.sifil-symbiosis.org