Mumbai: Move over French, German and Spanish as ‘tis are the days to learn Mandarin. Inchin Closer presents a discussion on job opportunities for Mandarin speakers. Santosh Pai, an international corporate lawyer and honorary fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi will be in conversation with Prof Dr Debraj Ghosal, Faculty International Business & Strategy, SPJIMR (S P Jain Institute of Management & Research), Mumbai.
Ahead of the event, we caught up with Nazia Vasi, Founder, CEO Inchin Closer, to shed light on the job opportunities available for Mandarin speakers in India. “As we all know, China is one of India’s largest trading partners, and it does indeed open up a lot of avenues for Mandarin speakers. There are opportunities galore for translators, interpreters, lawyers drafting deeds for Chinese companies, financial service providers, cross border international banking, or even those working with Indian companies who have partnered with Chinese companies and vice a versa, or someone planning on expanding the family business in China. The possibilities are endless,” Nazia says.
When it comes to learning foreign languages, Mandarin isn’t exactly high on the list. Usually, the more ‘appealing’ ones like French are picked up. How can it be made as appealing as other foreign languages for discerning learners? “It already is appealing. And, learning a foreign language is also at times about economics. Twenty years ago India was doing a lot of business with Europe, and hence languages like French, German, and even Spanish were the favourites. Now, our country is doing a lot of trade with China, and hence the focus is shifted to Mandarin. In fact, a lot of parents are enrolling their children for Mandarin classes. It’s the language of the future, and people are aware of the benefits,” Nazia informs. In fact, she adds that during the lockdown people also took up learning Mandarin as a way of self-development.
“Inchin Closer is a Mandarin language eco-system, where one doesn’t only get to learn the language but are also provided with various job opportunities. Through the Inchin app, you can continue to practice the language,” Nazia signs off.
Those interested in attending the event can enrol through a link mentioned on their Instagram page (inchincloser).
