The webinar was presented by MODLINGUA'S interns Shubhangi Agarwal and Mahak Yadav, mentored by Prof. S.Jayalakshmi and Ravi Kumar sir, founder of the Modlingua group. The webinar aimed at highlighting language as a career option and to guide students. The webinar opens with Dr.Ravi Kumar sharing his own journey after school and how he pursued his interests. Further, he talks about the importance of languages in all career streams ranging from engineering to management, etc. Further such mainstream careers often do not give returns as much as we invest in them. Hence opting for a career in languages is very promising. 

Mahak explains how languages are omnipresent and crucial in any field. The only requirement one has to fulfill is that of being passionate about languages or be creative and make a commitment. Learning and mastering languages require one to commit to it. One of the most benefitting aspects of them is the flexibility. A person can decide either to take it up as full-time or part-time. Many of the institutes in India offer graduation, master's, M.Phil, Ph.D. in foreign languages. There are also certificate courses, diploma and advanced diploma courses. The full-time courses also include history, literature, media skills, etc in their curriculum. If you opt for language with some other formation like economics, political science media, or journalism, it'll give you an edge over all the other students and boost your career prospects. Studying in a full-time language at institutions like DU, JNU, Goa University, etc provides with the opportunity for exchange programs.

 

Further Mentor Prof. S.jayalakshmi explains how communicating in foreign languages with the natives in the professional arena facilitates business. 

Next Shubhangi explains the career prospects in the field apart from just translation there are a number of jobs that you can take up. In India Ministry of Tourism, Public relations offices, Embassies, Media houses, the entertainment industry, and various international organizations offer jobs for various roles for people with language abilities. Companies like Accenture, Amazon, Scabbard, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Infosys, Wipro also hire language professionals. Apart from this one can also work as a writer, editor, etc in publishing houses. 

 

Next, she explains the fee structure at universities like DU or JNU, the courses have fees as low as 3000 INR per annum, they also give out scholarships as well. 

Foreign language professionals earn good remuneration as well. In the early stages, a teacher can earn 15 or 20 thousand per month, a translator gets paid around 30 thousand INR at the beginning of their careers. With experience, people can earn more. 

 

As a closing remark, mentor S.jayalakshmi mentions other prospects such as legal translation, medical translation, interpretation, subtitling, etc. She highlights one more important point that a language career is flexible and hence provides women an opportunity to avoid gap years in their careers due to marriage or childbirth. Today they have the option of freelancing and earn while being at home. She remarks that this is an ideal field for women and would allow them to strike a work-life balance. 

 

Moderator Dr. Ravi Kumar closes with an inspirational quote, highlighting that nothing in life is impossible, we just need to have 'josh' (passion )