The clamour for picking up a foreign tongue is getting louder as students and young professionals realise it’s a value-add in their skill set. To address the demand, foreign missions in Calcutta are reaching out through tailored language programmes.

“German companies are looking to do business with Bengal and Calcuttans speaking German are in pole position in the jobs market,” says Max Mueller Bhavan (MMB) director Reimar Volker.

The German cultural institute, which is observing German Language Day with a workshop on November 23, is rolling out a slew of courses catering to corporate needs.

“It’s also important to receive a crash course in German culture and traditions, and our programmes are designed accordingly,” adds Volker.

His counterpart at the renamed Alliance Française du Bengale, Christian Chatton, agrees. “Our language teachers are being imparted training aimed at acquainting the corporate crowd in French cultural norms,” Chatton points out.

AF, which has a regular language programme of 13 weeks, is also offering early-morning and late-evening classes for working professionals, coupled with orientation sessions. MMB does individual or group coaching and the corporate house can choose the time, schedule and venue, besides online learning on the company premises.

While German giants like Siemens and Lufthansa have approached MMB for tailored language programmes, Indian IT powerhouses with large city operations like Wipro and Cognizant also need to equip their staff with the tongue and etiquette.

Similarly, with the presence of the likes of Mitsubishi Chemicals and Sumitomo, the Japanese consulate office has been receiving a slew of enquiries on language courses. “The first step if your are working in a foreign country is to understand its culture and you can’t do that if you don’t speak the language,” observes Japanese vice-consul Akihiro Oikawa.

There are about 1,000 people studying Japanese in Calcutta, and Oikawa expects this number to rise substantially soon. “There is a defined need for quality interpreters and translators,” he points out.

The response at the corporate level has enthused foreign missions to take language learning to the schools. “There are around 10 schools in Calcutta teaching German as an extra-curricular activity and we want to help more institutions do the same,” says Volker.

Taking French lessons to schools would be the “perfect option to complement our language programme”, feels Chatton. The Japanese mission is also looking at language lessons at an early level.