Multilingualism: A must in a global world

Today, a higher percentage of the world population is either bilingual or multilingual. In Mauritius, despite English being the official language, French and Creole are both used for communication. However, since a few years, there has been a growing interest in other languages such as Spanish, German, Mandarin and oriental languages. Learning a second or third language has numerous advantages. Numerous studies have showed that the brain of a bilingual person have more benefits at task-switching capacities than the monolingual brain. In Mauritius, as from the primary level, students start to learn English, French and oriental languages (Urdu, Hindi or Arabic). At the secondary level too, students learn the same languages. However, private centres offering courses in foreign languages like Spanish, German and Mardarin are mushrooming around the island.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"17768","attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-30199","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"500","height":"375","alt":"Priscille Ng"}}]]

The rise of Mandarin

Lecturer at the Department of Chinese Studies MGI, Priscille Ng explains that based on the future trends, indeed speaking more than one language is vital in a globalised community. “Technology makes it easier for people of multiple nations to interact regularly. International price competition has led to an increase in the number of international work environments, which is why many companies are moving to countries where they could manufacture their products at a competitive price. Because of this movement towards diverse work environments with a variety of nationals working together on a regular basis, it is important that people learn a second or even a third language. Learning a third language is surely one of the possible ways to seize the opportunities to thrive in a fast-changing world,” she says. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"17769","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-30200 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"262","height":"219","alt":"multilingual1"}}]]Analysing the trend of Mandarin language, she says “Mandarin, now mainly known as Modern Chinese, is the official language of China. Modern Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and studying it has become popular in recent years following China’s development as a world economic power. The increasing number of Confucius Institutes across the world explains the great demand for learning Modern Chinese. As far as Mauritius is concerned, nowadays we have noticed a major increase in the number of learners for Modern Chinese. Following the great demand for the learning of Modern Chinese in Mauritius by non-native speakers, the Department of Chinese Studies at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute has introduced new courses which could benefit the public so as to enable the learners to rise above others on the job market.” Speaking about the importance of learning more than one language, she states: “The contemporary psycholinguist, Frank Smith said ‘One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.' This shows how important it is to learn more than one language. With China as an economic giant, there are more and more people who are willing to learn Modern Chinese. In Mauritius, learning English and French are compulsory at school rendering the Mauritian students at least bilingual. Due to social and economic development in Mauritius and abroad, there is a great demand for foreign languages such as Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish etc. This prevailing situation has urged Mauritian people from different communities to learn these languages so as to keep the doors opened for better career opportunities. In Mauritius, students who know a third language such as Modern Chinese are more likely to find a job, especially with the launching of the Air Corridor and many other direct flights from China.”

Spanish making its place

Director at Varsity School Ltd, Therese Loo reveals that Mauritius being in a phase of development, a third language provide any individual with a golden opportunity of employment within this boosting sector. For her learning Spanish has many benefits today. “It is necessary to have a notion of Spanish so as to keep pace with popular culture as Hispanic influence on culture is strong and is getting stronger. Spanish is also a medical device as research indicates studying languages can improve memory and slow age-related decline in mental acuity. Besides,   globalization, with its accompanying free trade agreements is   shrinking the business world, and those who know more than one   language will definitely have the edge. The director highlights those facts by saying that in US there are some 50 million Spanish speakers. “Spanish is the 2nd most speaking second language after English and with some 400 million speakers; Spanish is the 4th most commonly spoken language in the world.  Spanish is an official language on four continents and is the mother tongue in 21 countries. The sheer number of Spanish speakers and their rate of growth makes learning Spanish a smart choice. Learning a third language is of utmost importance nowadays especially if the students want to be open to globalization and any foreign opportunities. It is helpful for students as well for professionals.”

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"17770","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-30201 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"200","height":"209","alt":"P. Mootoosamy"}}]]German: An emerging language

P. Mootoosamy, Education consultant recalls that German is spoken by nearly one hundred million people in central European countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union and one of the major languages of the world. “German is the only official language of Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein; one of the official languages of Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Belgium; and a recognised minor language in many other countries, such as Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Namibia, and Poland. Germany is internationally recognized as the industrial and economic powerhouse of Europe, so a working knowledge of a third language like German is essential for professionals in areas such as business, finance, economics and politics.” He reveals that most of the German universities are public institutions, funded by the government and students have traditionally undertaken studies without paying fees. “Many institutions in Germany offer courses in "German as a Foreign Language". So many international students learn German language so as to have free access to education in Germany. Moreover, learning a second language will have a substantial effect on your success in business. The ability to converse freely in multiple languages is so important, in fact, that many companies actually offer financial benefits to employees who can achieve fluency. Learning a foreign language will provide a mental challenge that will increase your intellectual agility in both school and business.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"17772","attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter wp-image-30203","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"764","height":"166","alt":"Top languages by population per\u00a0Nationalencyklopedin"}}]]

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"17771","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-30202 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"229","height":"267","alt":"Dr Vinaye Goodary"}}]]Oriental languages still going strong

In Mauritius, students learn oriental languages as soon as they attend primary school. Hindi and Urdu are among the most common. Senior Lecturer at MGI, Dr Vinaye Goodary avers that Hindi is undeniably among the most widely spoken languages in the world with an approximate number of 490 million speakers. “Hindi, as we know, comprises a variety of dialects spoken in India and outside within the Indian Diaspora. Therefore, it can be considered a very fast growing language. Huge businesses from traditional ones to newly developed ones based on technological strategies are being implemented and enhanced in this language. As social networking websites like Facebook, twitter, WhatsApp among others are generating billions of funds, most of them are targeting the Indian market, thereby, accepting to sell their products in this language. In order to be competitive and sustainable in this fast developing sphere of globalisation, I feel that it is an integral part of our sustainability to ascertain the importance of Hindi and thus, get acquainted to it.” He refers to UNESCO which stipulates that ancestral languages are the best ones in which a child can be most effectively be educated. Oriental languages are witnessing a paradigm shift in their status these days. “Universities and academic institutions need to revisit their modes of teaching of oriental languages. For example, at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, the tertiary sector delivers diploma, BA, MA and up to PhD level courses in oriental languages, especially Hindi; MGI also provides its services to training in education from Teachers’ Diploma certificates to PGCE in the oriental languages. This has been contributing immensely in the development of the languages in Mauritius. Hindi is moulding itself into a new shape, a new structure, a language which is vibrant, dynamic and holds its powerful structure and syntax to keep people connected to it. And of course, a language keeps a culture and its traditions alive.” Senior Lecturer and Head of Department of Urdu Studies, MGI, Dr Asuf Allymamod, elucidates that oriental languages are our ancestral languages and are meant to be preserved due to the fact that culture is directly related to languages. “In Mauritius the scenario is taking another dimension. We cannot deny that the statistics show a decline in the study of this language at school and this can be explained in the sense that the job market is saturated. But learning the language outside the school, in view of getting the basic communication skills, has become a normal trend today. As the world has become a global village where the influx of migration from India to European and American countries has intensified, the need for having interaction in the said language is more felt nowadays. In Mauritius too, the tourist sector needs more and more translators and even in business and communication purposes, the need has greatly intensified to know more than one language. Having an oriental language in hand along with English and French can help in furthering a person’s career development.”