When it comes to career and studies, we always focus on science and business streams as it offers plenty of opportunities. There is a common misconception among people that majoring in arts could only get you a job in the teaching field. This ignorance is the reason why Arts, especially language is always undermined by both students and parents.
On the contrary, Language industry is still an unexplored treasure island of jobs. With globalization and rapid development in the communication field, there has been a surge in the need for language professionals for translation, interpretation, content writing and many other roles. The number of foreign industries investing in India is more than we can imagine. They all need employees proficient in local language and their official language.
Multi National Companies like Accenture, Capgemini, Deloitte, and Amazon .etc. need not only tech savvys but also language specialists as analysts, content creators and translators and many more. Learning a foreign language can also help you with understanding their culture and literature.
There are a few foreign languages that are in high demand all over the world other than English. Even if you don’t learn any of these languages as a major, but as a hobby or second language, having them in your resume would help you stand out from your competitors. There are standardized exams for these languages which would determine your proficiency in levels through reading, writing, listening and speaking tests.
So, here are the high demanding top five foreign languages that you can learn and make a career out of.
Mandarin
Mandarin is a Chinese dialect that is the most spoken language in the world. The demand for Chinese speakers have grown rapidly with an almost 80% increase in job ads requesting fluency in the language from January to December last year. Mandarin is now taught in many centers in India where you will earn a certificate for your proficiency upon successful completion of HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) test, the international standardized exam which tests and rates Chinese language proficiency.
Korean
Korean, undoubtedly has seen growth as a language with the Hallyu wave. From K-Pop to K-Dramas, people have completely immersed in Korean culture and language, which in turn increased the number of Korean language centers as well. You can learn Korean from these centers and appear for TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean), which is the standardized test to certify your respective proficiency.
Japanese
Japan being a super developed country with its booming economy, Japanese is one of the most demanded foreign language. JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) is the standardized exam to certify its proficiency for non-native speakers. Like Korean and Mandarin, Japanese is also taught in many centers in India where you can learn them either online or offline.
Spanish
Spain never leaves the mind of those who love Hritik Roshan’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Spanish, the official language of Spain is one of the highly demanded European language. In India, the best place to learn Spanish is Instituto Cervantes, the official Spanish culture center where you can also get introduced to the culture. You can certify your proficiency by taking DELE (The Diplomas de Espanol Como Lengua Espanola) exam which is the standardized test for non-native speakers.
German
Germany is not only famous for its invincible automobile industry but also for its bread, bear, sausages and castles. German is the official language of Germany which is the best for you if you’re interested in science and technology. The number of German based companies investing in India has been increasing rapidly which ensures you’ll not be disappointed with German. The mostly recognized German exams are the DSH, the TestDaf and the Goethe Institut examinations.
French
France is undoubtedly one of our dream destination either with the glory of Eiffel tower or with the delectable taste of croissants. French being the official language of France is the most internationally significant romance language globally. It is the mostly used foreign language in India with schools and colleges teaching French as a second language. Alliance de Française is the French language and culture center where you can learn French from the best. You also have French Institute in India, in Delhi which is a section of the Embassy of France to learn French other than colleges and language centers. DELF/DALF exam is the standardized test to determine French language proficiency.