KATHMANDU, June 10: The times are now competitive and every skill you possess gives you that extra edge. Since the introduction of many language classes, many of us have enrolled in order to learn a new language. The reasons may vary from learning a new foreign language.
It could be for fun, learning in order to fit more easily with the new crowd in the country you are going to or learning simply to add to your knowledge and skill.
Smriti Rai, 26, who just completed her Master in Global Development and Peace, tells us, “It is definitely an asset in this age of globalization. It helps to know more than one language. I was always interested in learning a new language and since I just finished my studies, this seemed the perfect time. I am currently learning Korean as I found it interesting and easy. I have a private tutor who has been teaching me for the last one and a half month.”
As Nepalis, the younger generation these days has an upper hand when it comes to the number of languages they can communicate in. Apart from our national language, we can converse in our mother tongue.
Our education system also stresses on fluency in English and the massive influence from Bollywood has had most of us speaking fluently in our neighbor’s national language Hindi, as well. And some of us even speak other ethnic languages that our country is enriched with. Therefore in this context, why is there a need to learn a new language, a foreign one especially?
According to Prakriti Chalise, 21, a journalism student of St Xavier’s College, “It’s been six months since I joined Alliance Francaise to learn French. I think it’s a plus point if we know more than one language. In every career, opportunities will be plenty and new doors will open for those who have an extra skill. Whether you work in Nepal or abroad, your asset will work positively for you.”
Dr Susmita Rai, 25, explains, “Knowing different languages is beneficial in many ways. For me, as a doctor it becomes easier to interact with patients if I know more than just Nepali. Sometimes we need to converse in Hindi and English too which makes our job easier. Moreover, it does look good in our CV, and we get better job opportunities too. In fact, I have been planning to learn other languages, if I ever have free time in my hand. I am sure that later it will be easier for me when I visit different countries.”
So our young generation thinks that with a new skill come new opportunities. It is evident that investing in the learning of a new language means only good things, let us hear you say ‘Yo hablo español’ or ‘Je parle français’ or even ‘Saya bercakap bahasa melayu’ for that matter
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