Not lost in translation

A Masters in Mandarin from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Shruty has been working in China since 2005, first in Guangdong and now for Essar Steel in Beijing, reports Amit Baruah.

Shruty Priya Jha was busy doling out her visiting cards to new contacts at a summit meeting between Indian and Chinese businesspersons before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s address.

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A Masters in Mandarin from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Shruty has been working in China since 2005, first in Guangdong and now for Essar Steel in Beijing. She’s the new face of India in China. “For me it’s (living and working in China) been wonderful,” Jha told HT. “China is very, very safe for women.”

Pursuing a Mandarin language career is an excellent option for Indian students interested in a job in China. “Even those who don’t clear the Mandarin course at JNU are being picked up by companies and sent there.”

Jha studied Mandarin from 1998-2003; then, she spent a year at Beijing University on a Government of India fellowship. “In 1998, the interest in the Chinese language was limited in India today it’s a different story.”

What does she do when she’s not at work in Beijing? “I socialise with my friends, most of whom are Indians.” What does she miss the most about India? “Listening to Indian music and seeing Hindi movies,” she says.

Jha added that her single status was soon coming to an end. Even as you read this, she’s left Beijing for Kolkata to get married — on January 23 — to her fiancé Shubhajit, a PhD scholar in Beijing.