The UK government has announced its plans for a new student visa system under the Points Based System (PBS).

Known as Tier 4, the new system aims to be more transparent and to simplify existing immigration rules for genuine students and education providers. Under the new rules, universities and colleges will be required to take greater responsibility for their international students, which includes obtaining a special license for recruiting international students and reporting those who fail to attend classes.

“The new system is not meant to discourage students going to study in the UK but to weed out bogus colleges and students,” said Dan Chugg, director, press and communications, British High Commission. All colleges and universities will have to maintain attendance sheets and ensure that all students’ paperwork is in order, including keeping copies of their passports and alerting the UK Border Agency (UKBA) if students fail to enrol.

Education providers who fail to follow the new rules will face a ban on recruiting international students in the future and bogus colleges will be shut down.

Representatives of British universities in India have welcomed the new rules. Richa Jain, India manager, Nottingham Trent University, said: “The new system is probably going to help increase the number of students going to the UK. And if it doesn’t, it would mean that bogus students have stopped applying. Besides, some students used to drag their degrees in order to extend their stay in the UK but, now, they would have to complete it on time.”

Similarly, Kalpana Das, country co-ordinator (India), Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), added: “Often students accept offers from several universities, use one for their visa application but on arriving in the UK, end up going to a different university. As a result, the university is left with vacant seats and the government is left unaware of the student’s location. However, under the new rules, the student’s passport will specifically mention which university the student is going to and they cannot change universities.”

Chugg stated that the new rules would apply to all students above the age of four outside the European economic region. “Students would also need to provide their fingerprints for biometric visas and IDs,” he added. According to Liam Byrne, UK’s border and immigration minister, all those who come to Britain must abide by the rules. “By locking people to one identity with ID cards we will know exactly who is coming here to study.”

Further, visas will only be granted to students who show a proven track record in education and are applying for a course that meets a minimum level of qualification. Students on courses for longer than 12 months will have to show they have sufficient funds to pay their first year of fees, plus 9,600 pounds to cover their first year in the UK. Students wishing to bring their dependants with them will need to show they have a further 535 pounds per-month for each person they bring.

Sources: The Times Of India

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What do you do when you’ve been injured or have lost a loved one due to medical negligence or malpractice of a physician, a hospital, or any other healthcare professional? Turn to the legal counsel of a medical lawyer. When you are seriously injured by another person’s negligence, you may want someone on your side — someone who knows the law, understands your rights, and can help you through the legal process.

In a medical malpractice lawsuit, you can claim compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, loss of companionship, funeral and burial costs, pain and suffering, disfigurement and disability and in cases where the medical professional’s actions were intentional, punitive damages. Some issues involved in medical ethics include assisted suicide, cloning, human genetic engineering, stem cell research and contraception.

The interface between law, medicine and ethics is a subject of great contemporary interest and relevance. New developments in medical practice and research are constantly in the headlines and they create new challenges that lawyers, judges, medical professionals and the public struggle to address.

Nowadays, healthcare professionals should be able to cope with multiple legal and ethical issues they encounter while working in a variety of settings, such as, the medical office, hospitals, clinics and nursing facilities.

What do I have to do?

Medical lawyers listen carefully and sympathetically to what you say. They advise you in a suitable manner so that your concerns and grievances about possible clinical negligence can be solved. These concerns could be improper conduct, performing unindicated sex determination tests, issue of untrue, misleading or improper certificates, prescribing unindicated steroids or psychotropic drugs.

Issuing certificates of efficiency in modern medicine to unqualified or non-medical persons are considered acts of professional misconduct.

The cause for action against negligence usually arises in one or more of the following situations: failing to perform surgery with reasonable care and skill; failing to provide post-operative care with reasonable care and skill; failing to provide appropriate referral for and failing to appropriately treat a patient.

Confidential information disclosed by patients to a physician should never be revealed unless their revelation is required by the laws of the state. The medical practitioner shall not disclose the secrets of a patient other than in a court of law under orders of the presiding judge, in circumstances where there is a serious and identified risk to a specific person or a community and in case of notifiable diseases.

Practicing euthanasia constitutes unethical conduct. However on occasion, the question of withdrawing supporting devices to sustain cardio-pulmonary function even after brain death shall be decided only by a team of doctors and not by the treating physician alone. Thus it is essential that the physician, nurse and the medical facility act according to standard practices.

Medical lawyers assess the case, investigate the claim, interview witnesses and research to find the facts. They work with clients, experts and lawyers to assess the case, and communicate the prospects for success every step of the way. A key focus is to ensure that clients understand all the considerations involved in a medical malpractice case.

What should I study?

You should be a graduate in any stream with some knowledge of the medical field.

What next?

Medical lawyers can work as legal counsels and legal advisers for firms, organisations, families and multinationals. They can work as trustees of various trusts and for medical insurance companies. Some renowned hospitals and clinics also employ medical lawyers.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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....

FOLLOW THESE TIPS AND YOU WILL SAIL THROUGH THE INTERVIEW:

Worldly wise:-
While you should definitely stay abreast of the developments in your field, keeping up with the larger world can only help you. A big part of interview success is connecting with people, and one of the best ways to do so is by finding common interests and knowledge. The more you expand your interests and knowledge, the greater chance you’ll have in connecting with the interviewer.

Furthermore, in an ever-shrinking world, everything is interconnected. “I think in order to truly understand a company’s business problems, you have to understand that company’s position in the world,” says Steve Fogarty, senior staffing partner at public relations agency Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. “As an interviewer, when I feel that a candidate is well-read and pays attention to what’s going on broadly, they rank higher than candidates who don’t.”

Curiosity counts:-
How many times have you failed to look up an unfamiliar word? Now’s a good time to get into the habit. Install Merriam-Webster’s online toolbar on your computer, if necessary. And when someone uses a word you don’t understand, ask for an explanation or do an Internet search later.

“There are opportunities to learn all around you all the time,” Fogarty says. “If you think about the smartest people around you, they’re people who ask the best questions. They’re not the people who have the answers all the time. Asking questions everywhere you go is a way to learn a lot and bring a lot to an interview.”

Speak well :-
Fogarty says you can develop your skills by putting yourself in situations that force you to try to communicate well. “The more you can volunteer to do public speaking, the better, because that’s really going to make you feel comfortable in an interview,” he says.

He also recommends taking a communications class. Fogarty, who considers himself an extrovert and a natural communicator, took his own advice. His instructors videotaped him and pointed out subtle tendencies he never knew he had. “Just because you’re comfortable at doing something doesn’t mean you’re good at it,” he says.

Lastly, ask a recruiter or even a family member to interview you, and record it to listen to later. You might be surprised at how you come across.

Silver tongue :-
We’ve all come across people who have an unusual knack for communicating well. Observe them carefully. What sets them apart? Is it the way they use their voices? Their hands? Their words? Fogarty notes that the best communicators are great storytellers. So the next time you’re listening to a good story, find out what makes it enjoyable, and see how you can apply these principles in your next interview. Conversely, note what makes people ineffective communicators, and avoid those habits.

Feedback facts:-
A massive detriment to career success is that “people are unaware of how they act”, Fogarty says. “This is where I think a lot of people struggle in life in general. We’re all guilty — every single one of us. I think you should solicit feedback at every opportunity that you can. If you think you irritated someone, find out why. Right or wrong, it’s perception. You could be conveying something unknowingly.”

Constantly work at finding out how people perceive you. “I think it makes you a better interviewee over the long haul if you get feedback about how you convey yourself to others,” Fogarty says.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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BA (hons) in hotel management, IHM, Aurangabad
If you believe in the ancient Indian custom of hospitality, this is the course for you. Institute of Career Studies has all the details

The Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) was set up in Aurangabad by two institutions, the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and the Maulana Azad Educational Trust, with the aim of creating a world-class centre in hospitality education. The trust is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and runs over 15 colleges and institutes affiliated to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University. A decade after its inception, IHM is today the most sought after institute of hotel management in India. The curriculum is internationally recognised, critically scrutinised and frequently amended, ensuring that it reflects the latest trends in the industry.

The institute is equipped with technology reflecting the latest trends in hotel management. There are basic and advanced training kitchens, a housekeeping laboratory which is the replica of a Taj hotel room, a front office laboratory, computer laboratory and Internet centre, a state-of-the-art auditorium and conference centre and a world-class library that ensure practical training in a professional hotel environment, in addition to the training students undergo at the Taj Residency.

After graduating, students are placed with renowned hotel chains such as Taj, Oberoi, Marriot, Ista, Hyatt and Four Seasons.

IHM offers a four-year BA / BA (hons) in hotel management and a four-year BA (hons) in culinary arts. Both the degrees are conferred by University of Huddersfield, UK.

The notification is published in April. Application forms may be downloaded from the website (www.ihma .ac.ina). A crossed demand draft of Rs 1,000, favouring the Institute of Hotel Management and payable at Aurangabad, Maharashtra, should be sent along with the filled-in application form to the Institute of Hotel Management, Taj Residency, Rauza Bagh, Aurangabad- 431001, Maharashtra. Application forms have to be submitted by mid-May.

Eligibility

Students who have passed Plus Two or equivalent examination in any stream with English as the medium of instruction can apply. Students appearing for their board exams are also eligible subject to successfully qualifying the exam. Applicants should not be more than 22 years of age.

Entrance exam

An entrance exam is conducted by the Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad (IHM-A) on an all India basis. It is held at the end of May at centres in Aurangabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai.

Pattern of exam

The 90-minute written test carries 100 marks. The objective-type exam has questions in abstract reasoning, verbal reasoning, reading comprehension, numerical reasoning and general knowledge.

Candidates will have to score at least 45 per cent to qualify the written test. Those shortlisted will then have to appear for a group discussion (50 marks) and a personal interview (100marks). Applicants are assessed at the personal interview on the following five criteria: communication skills, alertness and analytical skills, general awareness, warmth and service orientation, and personality.

How to prepare

To prepare for the section on abstract reasoning, some of the books you can consult are Analytical Reasoning by Pandey, Verbal and Nonverbal Reasoning by R.S. Agarwal, Test of Reasoning by Edgar Thorpe and books on the subject by CSR Publications or Bookhives.

Brush up your verbal reasoning from books such as English is Easy by Magic Publications, Objective English by Tata McGraw Hill publishers, 30 days to Word Power by Norman Lewis and All about Words by Nurenberg. For reading comprehension, practise the exercises given in the GMAT guides of Barron and Princeton.

The area of numerical reasoning requires an understanding of concepts along with the ability to calculate quickly and accurately. You could prepare from books like Quantitative Aptitude by Abhijit Guha, Objective Question Bank (Mathematics) by R.K. Gupta and J.P. Arya and Mathematics by Edgar Thorpe. Practise makes perfect in this case.

Brush up your GK from the CSR Yearbook or the Pearson’s guide, as well as from magazines like Competition Master. Read the newspaper daily.

The aim of the interview is to assess your knowledge and depth of understanding, presence of mind, analytical skills, communication skills, confidence and composure. Successful conversation demands clear thinking, expressed in concise and grammatically correct language, which must convey facts in an easily understandable and interesting manner. Keep a cool head and you should be able to ace it.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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How do you feel about heading abroad for an MBBS? It is no more an impossible dream. With Health Care Management Institute (HCMI) to hold your hand, getting a medical degree from the Phillipines is just a matter of time.

The Singapore-based institute that facilitates medical education for aspiring doctors in many Asian countries is all set to expand its operations base in eastern India and will set up counselling units in Siliguri, Asansol and Guwahati. The first one was set up in Calcutta last year.

HCMI Education has partnered with the top 10 medical universities in the Philippines to offer MBBS degrees to foreign students. The course fee is around Rs 4.25 lakh per year, including tuition, lodging and boarding (twin sharing basis), not even as high as that of some of the private institutes in the country. This makes the idea of studying abroad much more feasible for candidates hailing from middle class families.

Says Provosh Chandra Sardar, a small-time businessman from Behala, “My daughter always wanted to study abroad. She secured about 60 per cent in the Higher Secondary examination and we decided to send her to the Phillipines.”

Current trends show that after China, the Philippines seems to be the next destination for aspiring doctors from India. However, a good percentage of the applicants are those who fail to crack the WBJEE.

“Launched last year, HCMI has already helped a little over 100 students from 18 states in India study MBBS in the Philippines,” says Baljit Singh, managing director, HCMI, Singapore. “India is a storehouse of talent and there is a huge demand for Indian medical professionals in the US as well as the global health sector, so we are expanding our presence in India to tap it’s latent talent.”

HCMI Education provides students information about quality medical schools, the course and the fee structure as well as assistance in processing student visas. It even provides counselling and guides candidates step-by-step through the application process. It also provides loan assistance. All the student has to do is get in touch with the zonal office.

The reason MBBS courses in the Phillipines are so unique is because the syllabus matches the one offered in India but is in the American format — the best of both worlds. “Perhaps the fact that the Philippines is the second largest exporter of medical talent to the US is making it a hot destination for medical students,” says Himanshu Sharma, head of operations (east and northeast India), HCMI, Calcutta. The fact that applicants don’t need to learn an additional language is the other reason that the Philippines is fast becoming a favourite. “Language is a major problem,” says Sharma. “For applying to colleges in Russia or China it’s mandatory to know the local language. But here there is no such compulsion.” The students just have to appear for an online test. “The test is very simple. You don’t need to be an Einstein to crack it,” confirms Sardar, whose daughter is in the second semester in a medical college in the Philippines.

The reasonable expense is the prime attraction, feels Sardar. “As the cost of study is low and the institutes or universities offer full assistance to get a job in West Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia, a lot of students from eastern India have got in touch with HCMI Education’s regional centre at Salt Lake,” says Sharma. “Counselling will be on till say another week and then the applicants would have to take an online entrance exam.”

If a student wants to return to India after completing the course, HCMI makes arrangements for that too. “We help the students who want to return to the country by obtaining an eligibility certificate from the Medical Council of India (MCI), before admitting them to any HCMI universities in the Philippines. This is in accordance with the eligibility requirement of taking admission in an undergraduate medical course in a foreign medical institution under the regulation act of 2002,” informs Singh. On completion of the course, the student has to clear a screening test conducted by the National Board of Examinations after which he or she will be registered with MCI.

Singh says, “The medical institutes with which HCMI Education has tied up to provide MBBS degrees to Indian students are all accredited under the Commission of Higher Education, government of Philippines.” The University of Northern Philippines, the Davao Medical School Foundation, Cagayan State University and the Emilio Aguinaldo College are some of those with whom HCMI has a tie-up.

“We have also started a national-level admission test, as a pilot project, in Jharkhand this year. From next year the examination will be held across the country for the next session,” he said.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

With hyperlinks leading you down myriad pathways, it is impossible to concentrate :-

If you are wondering what don’t-be-evil Google, the poster boy of employee-friendly practices, is up to these days, here’s the answer: it’s increasing childcare costs. Googlers are aghast at the hike — up to 70 per cent —even as the world’s leading Internet search company continues to tout its free gourmet cafeterias, pool tables and climbing walls.

That may have all the makings of a public relations disaster. And there could be more to come. The latest issue of The Atlantic has an article by Nicholas Carr, US writer on the impact of technology on culture, titled Is Google Making Us Stupid?

It’s well worth reading. Carr is not talking about Google alone; his ambit is the whole Internet. But Google, as the most popular gateway for data access, is representative.

Carr’s thesis is something that any regular Internet user will identify with. With hyperlinks leading you down myriad pathways, says Carr, concentration is impossible. This may be all very fine when you are on the Net, a medium meant for people with low bandwidths. But it is influencing your every day functioning too. Reading books, for instance, is fast becoming history.

“Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy,” writes Carr. “My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle… My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles. Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet ski.”

Carr is not saying this is necessarily bad. He thinks it is, but has an open mind. He says that that at Google’s headquarters, in Mountain View, California, the religion practised inside its walls is Taylorism. (Fredrick Taylor was one of the high priests of scientific measurement and mass production.) “What Taylor did for the work of the hand, Google is doing for the work of the mind,” says Carr.

That is a debate worth following. What it has also done is to spark off an argument on information overload. What has the Net brought? On the one hand, you get taken down sundry byways. A person searching for, say, rabbits is likely to get diverted to dwarf rabbits and even verse such as “The rabbit has a charming face; / Its private life is a disgrace”. On the other hand, with all this information so easily accessible, you don’t need to remember it.

This is information in the public domain. Within companies, there is enterprise knowledge which, if the collection, cataloguing and cross-referencing has been good enough, is even more valuable. The executive assistant who was prized for his memory has been replaced by a laptop and even a Blackberry.

But even as information overload in terms of data you need to remember becomes a thing of the past, decisions need to be made faster. The report which would earlier take you three days to write is now needed in three hours. The overload — whether you call it information or work — remains. The solutions to such problems (see box) are the same.

As for Google and reading, one needn’t worry too much. Calculators should have killed off another R — arithmetic. But it hasn’t made much difference to our lives.

EMPTY-HEADED :-

How to manage information overload

Learn to let go: Weed out the unimportant. Scan your emails rather than read them in depth. And teach yourself to recognise what you need to devote time to and what you can discard.

Learn to say no: Decide whether meetings are really necessary. If you need to really concentrate on something, let your phone calls go to voicemail and don’t worry about offending people.

Do the most difficult thing first.

Never procrastinate. Clear your in tray and do what you say you’re going to do, every day.

Do one thing at a time. Take one piece of information, deal with it, file it and then move on.

Source: Adapted from Personneltoday.com, How to Avoid Information Overload

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The new add-on course on radio jockeying introduced by Hansraj College this year is attracting students from all streams. The college opened its admission for the certificate course in radio jockeying, anchoring and news reading from July 16. The last date for submission of forms is July 31.

“We have got a good response from students both within and outside Delhi University. Students from all streams be it science, commerce or humanities have shown interest. Students from the School of Open Learning have also applied. We have received a few applications from senior citizens too,” said Prabhat Kumar, course co-ordinator and faculty, Hansraj College.

The college had decided to start two new add-on courses from this academic year ie certificate course in travel and tourism and another in mass communication. “The media sector is booming and it is providing several opportunities for the youth today. There is a shift from the traditional method of news reading and radio jockeying. The course will update students with the latest trends,” said N C Bansal, chairman, R K Films and Media Academy, Delhi, which has developed the three-month course. “The course will introduce students to the nuances of facing the camera, body language, voice modulation and knowledge of various software used,” added Bansal.

The college also organised an orientation programme to introduce students to the fields of anchoring and radio jockeying and about the opportunities available. Around 200 students participated in the orientation programme.

“This course will try to enhance a student’s personality. It makes a big difference in the way you speak and present yourself. So apart from news reading, anchoring and radio jockeying, a student can enter into event management, live events like quizzes, etc,” he said.

“The college is in touch with the radio community to provide practical training to students,” informed Kumar.

Selected candidates will have to appear for an interview in August. The classes will start from September this year and they will be held on alternate days for two hours. “Currently we are planning to take 30 students, but if the response is good and there are many more students interested, we can think of running one more batch,” Bansal said.

Sources: The Times Of India

Have a firm handshake.

Look people in the eye.

Sing in the shower.

Own a great stereo system.

If in a fight, hit first and hit hard.

Keep secrets.

Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen everyday.

Always accept an outstretched hand.

Be brave. Even if you’re not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.

Whistle.

Avoid sarcastic remarks.

Choose your life’s mate carefully. From this one decision will come per cent of all your happiness or misery.

Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.

Lend only those books you never care to see again.

Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.

When playing games with ! children, let them win.

Give people a second chance, but not a third.

Be romantic.

Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.

Don’t allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It’s there for your convenience, not the caller’s.

Be a good loser.

Be a good winner.

Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.

When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.

Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born.

Keep it simple.

Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.

Don’t burn bridges. You’ll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.

Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets

Be bold and courageous. When you look back on life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the one’s you did.

Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you.

Take charge of your attitude. Don’t let someone else choose it for you.

Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital; you need only stay a few minutes.

Begin each day with some of your favorite music.

Once in a while, take the scenic route.

Send a lot of Valentine cards. Sign them, ‘Someone who thinks you’re terrific.’

Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice.

Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table. Million-dollar ideas sometimes strike at 3 a.m.

Show respect for everyone who works for a living, regardless of how trivial their job.

Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later.

Make someone’s day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you.

Become someone’s hero.

Marry only for love.

Count your blessings.

Compliment the meal when you’re a guest in someone’s home.

Wave at the children on a school bus.

Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is x-udd on your ability to deal with people.

Don’t expect life to

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With several Japanese companies venturing into India, job opportunities have opened up for those fluent in the language.

Learning a foreign language can be fun and lucrative too. Fluency in a foreign tongue is one of the key attributes for making it big in the global arena. And with ties between India and Japan getting stronger, learning Japanese could be the new mantra for success.

“Japan is the domain for Indian information technology (IT) solution providers catering to the Asia Pacific region. Knowing the language comes handy. At times, one is required to make a presentation in Japanese because most of the clients have little or no knowledge of English,” says Krisnarup Basu, a business analyst with a leading IT company. “So a professional armed with a diploma in Japanese has a better chance of going for onsite assignments in Japan,” he adds. Basu got himself enrolled at The Japanese Language Academy, Calcutta, after returning from Japan.

With several Japanese companies (both IT and automobile) venturing into India, job opportunities have opened up for those fluent in the language. And it’s not only those in the software business who are raking in the moolah, but also freelancers, interpreters and translators. “On the basis of skills in Japanese, one can get a job in the testing, client interface and marketing departments. One can also work as a translator or an interpreter. The starting salary for these positions is around Rs 20,000,” says Kum Kum Nandy, director, Japanese Language Academy.

A. Oikawa, senior vice-consul, Consulate General of Japan, Calcutta, says, “Learning Japanese can be an aid to success. Companies like Tata Consultancy Service (TCS), Cognizant Technologies and several others look for computer engineers with knowledge of Japanese.”

The demand for people proficient in the language is increasing with every passing day. Companies like TCS (which deals with Japanese companies) have a special cell that encourages employees to take up foreign language courses. Says Deepankar Dey, IT consultant at TCS, Calcutta, “Our foreign language cell sponsors and gives waivers to those enrolled in specific foreign language institutes. Fees are reimbursed on completion of the certificate course.”

His statement clearly indicates the growing demand for professionals with specialisation in at least one foreign language. Dey says, “I had to take along an interpreter to Japan to talk to my clients. On returning to India I enrolled at an academy teaching Japanese.”

Basu feels professionals working in firms that deal with Japanese companies need to know the language well. “If one doesn’t know the language one is completely at the mercy of the interpreter,” he says. Companies are also looking at the cost-cutting factor as hiring interpreters is an expensive affair.

Nandy who has been running her academy for years says, “The demand for people eager to learn the language has definitely increased. Mostly IT professionals working with companies that do business with Japanese companies come to learn the language.”

However, the IT sector is not the only place that provides job opportunities to those fluent in the language. “Students with an advanced level diploma in Japanese and a sound knowledge of Kanji (Chinese characters in Japanese where each character has its own meaning and corresponds to a word), Katakana and Hiragana (the two other Japanese scripts) can get work as a translator or an interpreter.”

Says Sushila Kini of Kenkyu Centre in Salt Lake, “While learning Japanese can be a test of patience, the results can be rewarding. Starting from translation jobs to interpreting, it offers a whole lot of avenues to young, upcoming professionals who want to gain an edge.” Knowing the language, which is an emerging one, also equips one with a soft skill that has a roaring demand in the market. The institute has been teaching Japanese for more than a decade now.

The phenomenal boom in the outsourcing sector has opened up opportunities for those with a good command of the language. Says Basu, “I used to work for a financial solutions provider that catered to Japanese companies. There I had Japanese translators to help me draft the business analysis. Most of them were fresh graduates with a major in Japanese from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), but they earned around Rs 40,000 a month.” He says even a freelancer can make good money. “As a freelancer you can charge around Rs 1,000 per page for any translation work that you do,” he says.

Oikawa agrees on this point. He says, “It may be relatively difficult for Indians to learn Japanese than Chinese but one can’t deny the fact that the job prospects are definitely very good.”

To cater to the growing demand for the language, the Japanese Consulate has opened 10 institutes that offer quality training in Japanese. They offer regular scholarship programmes to those keen on learning the language. “We have announced a sponsorship programme for school graduates keen on studying Japanese in Japan. The entire course fee will be borne by the government of Japan,” he says.

Those interested in doing graduation in Japanese can do so either from JNU or Visva-Bharati University.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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