Students in the city are signing up for foreign language courses at school and beyond to help open up a world of opportunities.

German, French and Chinese are being offered as third language in several schools, including The Heritage School, Modern High School for Girls, Ballygunge Siksha Sadan, Lakshmipat Singhania Academy (LSA), Delhi Public School (New Town and Ruby Park) and Birla High School.

“Learning a language improves a child’s cognitive abilities. The child not only learns a foreign language but also comes to know more about that country’s history and culture,” said The Heritage School principal Seema Sapru. At Heritage, German and French are taught as a third language from Class V.

Several students and professionals find it beneficial to enroll for a foreign language course at an early age. “The best time to start learning a foreign language is while in school. This is because children learn and internalise faster than adults. I started learning French when I was 14 because I was quite sure I wanted to pursue a career abroad,” said Aman Sondhi Jassal, who took a French course at Alliance Francaise in Chandigarh.

Jassal now runs an institute, Papillon Languages, at Circus Avenue. Papillon offers three-month courses in French and Spanish.

Several other institutes too offer foreign language courses at various levels — usually basic, intermediate and advance. The duration of most courses ranges from three to six months.

What makes foreign language courses so popular? Some students say they are driven by a desire to know about a new country. “I was introduced to Japan and its culture through Manga comics. I wanted to know more about the country and its people, so I promptly joined Japanese classes in school,” said Roshni Hazra, a Class XII student at Modern High School.

Roshni has also done a six-month course in French at Alliance Francaise, Calcutta. “I want to be a journalist and the knowledge of one or more foreign languages will surely help me in future,” she said.

Her classmate Madhurika Ray takes Japanese classes in school. “After I finish my graduation, I would like to take up a job as an interpreter and translator,” said Madhurika.

Knowledge of a foreign language is also useful for students who want to study abroad. “If a student wants to pursue higher studies abroad, knowledge of a foreign language, especially French or Spanish, can help him/her get grants and scholarships,” Aman said.

If French and Spanish are the common choices, many also learn Portuguese, Arabic and Russian. Atulya Ghosh Institute of Languages, Kankurgachhi, offers courses in German, Portuguese, French, Japanese, Spanish and Russian. “Our institute does not charge anything from students below 18 apart from Rs 200 for forms, identity card and prospectus,” said Gautam Talukdar, the secretary of the institute.

Mandarin too has many takers. “A boom in the country’s economy has prompted many multinational companies here to collaborate with their counterparts in China and vice-versa. Most of these companies need interpreters for smooth correspondence and co-ordination,” said Sunil Kumar of Zhong Wen Xue Xiao, a Chinese language school. “Even IITs and IIMs are now offering Chinese as an additional subject to give students a cutting edge in the job market,” said Kumar, who is assistant to the school’s principal, Madan Shraff.

Job opportunities are aplenty for foreign language students. There are jobs on offer in tourism, diplomatic services, entertainment and mass communication. Also high on demand are lucrative opportunities as interpreters, translators for MNCs and government organisations, foreign language trainers, public relation officer and research associates.