Master a foreign language in Delhi University

The polyglot club: Take your pick from French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Bulgarian, Polish, Serbian, Czech … the list is endless

Updated on: Jun 12, 2015, 19:46:07 IST

Hindustan Times | By Vandana Ramnani, New Delhi

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You’re 18 and getting ready to join college. Ever wondered how many languages you can speak and the amount of time you took to master them? On an average, each one of us can speak at least three languages and gaining fluency in an additional one is not at all difficult. If you’re enrolling for an undergraduate course at university, you either have an option to take up a language course in your college after classes or you attempt a full-time degree course in a foreign language. The choice is entirely yours. Take your pick from French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Bulgarian, Polish, Serbian, Czech … the list is endless.

At-the-department-of-Slavonic-and-Finno-Ugrian-Studies-you-can-take-up-diploma-certificate-advanced-diploma-MA-MPhil-and-PhD-courses-in-languages-such-as-Russian-Bulgarian-and-Croation-Photo-Sushil-Kumar

The Department of Germanic and Romance Studies, Delhi University, offers the following courses: a three-years undergraduate programme in French, German, Italian and Spanish; a post graduate courses in French, German, Hispanic and Italian Studies, certificate courses, diploma courses, advanced diploma courses and MPhil and PhD besides part time courses offered in various colleges.

The department is in the process of revising the syllabus, especially in the light of the choice-based credit system and hopefully it will be ready by the new session, says Minni Sawhney, head, Department of Germanic and Romance Studies.

“We are also planning to use the language laboratory now and introduce a course in interpretation. There is a course in translation but none in interpretation. This could become a part of every language course in the third year,” she says, adding the department would also want to introduce a course in children and adolescent literature as part of the BA language course.

At the department of Slavonic and Finno-Ugrian Studies, you can take up diploma, certificate, advanced diploma, MA, MPhil and PhD courses in languages such as Russian, Bulgarian, Croation, Czech, Polish and Serbian.

Rashmi Joshi, head of the department of Slavnic and Finno Ugrian Studies, says that the department is currently in the process of planning a new syllabus and course content.

“There is a common framework for all languages and we follow the European union framework. We are currently updating the course content to the European standards and changing the text books etc. We are hopeful we will be able to introduce the changed syllabus in the new session after it is cleared by the committee of courses,” she says.

The department does not offer any undergraduate courses. The Department of East Asian Studies offers an MA in East Asian Studies and an MA in Japanese. Sreemati Chakrabarti, head of the department, says that they are planning to do away with MPhil programmes and introduce a consolidated PhD programme.

Many colleges also offer part-time diploma courses. Renish Geevarghese Abraham, coordinator, School of Languages, St Stephen’s College, says that the college offers diploma, certificate and advanced diploma courses in languages such as German, Spanish, French, Chinese and Japanese. “This year we are planning to introduce a certificate course in Italian. The Chinese and Japanese courses will be affiliated to the Department of East Asian Studies from this year. We will also be offering a certificate course in Korean,” he says.

The college does not intend taking in more than 40 students for Italian and Korean, both of which will be weekday courses, Abraham says, adding that admissions to the courses will begin after June 20.

These are part-time courses offered for a year. An aggregate of 45% at the plus-two level is required to make it to the merit list but a 75% in English is essential. For those who do not make it to the cut off will have to clear an entrance exam.

Path finder

The Department of Germanic and Romance Studies,Delhi University offers a three year undergraduate programme in French, German, Italian and Spanish; postgraduate programme in French, German, Italian and Hispanic studies and certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, MA, MPhil and Phd courses

The Department of East Asian Studies offers MA in East Asian Studies and an MA programme in Japanese

School of Languages, St Stephen’s College, offers diploma, advanced diploma and certificate courses in German, Spanish, French, Chinese and Japanese

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vandana Ramnani
Vandana Ramnani leads the real estate vertical at Hindustan Times Digital, bringing over two decades of journalism experience across real estate, education, human resources, and foreign affairs. She specialises in India’s real estate sector, covering residential and commercial markets in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, with in-depth reporting on regulatory developments, urban policy, housing trends, and interviews with industry leaders. Her work has also appeared in the Hindustan Times newspaper and HT Estates. Earlier, Vandana played a key role in establishing the real estate vertical at Moneycontrol (NW18 Group), shaping its editorial direction and market coverage. She has also written extensively on international education for HT Education, tracking global study destinations, policy changes, and student mobility trends, earning the Singapore Education Award 2009 for Best Media Coverage (Print). Her reporting portfolio includes human resources and employment trends for HT ShineJobs and PowerJobs, as well as lifestyle and interior design features for HT Premium Homes. Vandana began her career with the Press Trust of India, gaining strong editorial and reporting expertise. She was also selected for a prestigious fellowship at Fondation Journalistes en Europe in Paris, where she wrote for EuroMag. One of her notable reporting assignments included covering Germany’s capital relocation from Bonn to Berlin. Outside of journalism, Vandana is a passionate traveller, constantly seeking out charming hideaways across India and the lesser-known, offbeat corners of Southeast Asia.Read More

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