Novel tongues translate into success

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There are more job opportunities for students of less-commonly taught languages than for those who major in English, the president of China's leading foreign language university said.

"Students majoring in those less-commonly used languages, such as Spanish and Portuguese, almost all have found jobs this year," said Han Zhen, president of Beijing Foreign Studies University. "This year, often described as 'the hardest year to find a job', more than 90 percent of our students have jobs, and students in those two majors have all been given work. It's not only because of the popularity of Spain and Portugal, but of Latin America and Africa."

According to statistics from BFSU, as of July 1, 93 percent of graduates from the university had landed jobs. Students majoring in French, Polish, Hungarian and Japanese are also attracting employers.

Founded in Yan'an in 1941, BFSU was China's first institution specializing in foreign languages.

Dubbed "diplomat's cradle," the university has seen more than 400 graduates become ambassadors.

There are 58 languages taught at the university, with four just approved by the Ministry of Education.

"So far, the languages taught in BFSU have covered all the official languages in Europe and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations," Han said. "This year, we are preparing to start courses in Amharic, Pushtu, Sanskrit, Pali and Kirghiz. Our next goal is to cover all the languages in Asia and Africa."

By 2020, BFSU plans to teach 70 languages, with the ultimate goal of 90.

"As China opens more to the world, more young people in China can speak foreign languages, especially English. So, we have to seek new advantages," said Han, who took the position of president about a year ago.

"Therefore, we are aiming at bringing up students with multi-language skills and multiple-skills other than languages. Mastering a foreign language better is only a basic requirement for students right now. We require the students to learn at least three languages. We also have schools or departments of international politics, international law, economics, finance and media."

Han believes that the internationalization of the campus is another point for his university to be proud of.

"We are always making an effort to create an international atmosphere for the students on campus, since internationalization is the reason BFSU exists," Han said.

"We have more than 7,000 students here, some 1,000 are foreign. Of the more than 600 teachers, about 140 are foreigners. Students who major in those less-commonly used languages all have a chance to study in countries where the language is spoken, for up to a year."

Questions:

1. Who is finding jobs this year?

2. How many languages are taught at Beijing Foreign Studies University?

3. How many international students are at BFSU?

Answers:

1. Students majoring in less-commonly used languages, such as Spanish and Portuguese.

2. 58.

3. 1,000 out of more than 7,000 students.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.