Farzana Rahman (pseudonym), a second-year French student at the Institute of Modern Language, University of Dhaka.
However, her academic pursuit is not driven by a romantic desire for the high life in Paris or to follow the path of Emily Cooper.
Rather, it was due to her poor performance in the DU entrance exam.
“I wanted to study international relations, law or English,” Farzana said.
“At first, I did not find it interesting, but later I was accepted only because I wanted to study at Dhaka University,” Farzana explained.
Many others, who do not get places in other departments, are given the opportunity to stay with DU and learn a new language.
It’s an academic move that could pay off, too.
Farzana pointed to job opportunities abroad for French language students.
Defense personnel from Bangladesh go to peace missions in various countries in Africa, where many speak French. Bangladeshi graduates can work in those countries as an interpreter.
“The French language is beautiful,” she said.
Many others, like Farzana, began charting a new course for their future in the halls of the Language Institute.
Whether it is a love of linguistics or even securing a career on the road less traveled, the Language Institute offers the best guarantees for both.
Nafis Tohamy, the third-year valedictorian at the Institute of Modern Languages, was awarded Chinese (Mandarin) based on his performance in the DU entrance exam.
At first, he didn’t know exactly how he could benefit from studying Mandarin.
“But now we see that there are many facilities for learning the language,” he said. “There are many areas of careers and we can be entrepreneurs – start a business or work as authors.”
He added: “Even though I made the decision [to enrol] “Without knowing everything, it was a good decision.”
He said they created a community among themselves to speak Chinese. In the cultural session, they were shown four Chinese dramas.
Their teacher told them to keep listening to Chinese and at some point, they would be able to master Chinese.
“My goal is [ultimately] To do business because China is a leader in trade. If not, I can still work as an interpreter in different multinational companies in the country,” he said, noting that most of the major development projects in Bangladesh are being built by China.
So far, only one batch has obtained a master’s degree in Chinese.
Nafees draws motivation from his senior colleagues – many of whom have already gone to China for a second Master’s course and many others are working in different multinational companies in Bangladesh.
“Maximum students want to seize the opportunity of getting a Chinese scholarship,” said Nefes Tehan.
Fahmida Bint Farooq’s performance in DU admission or low merit list led to her enrollment in Japanese postgraduate course.
“I was accepted without having any knowledge of the course and job opportunities, but then I knew there were possibilities,” said Fehmida, who had a limited idea of Japan and its culture limited to Japanese anime such as Doraemon.
First, the teacher lectured on Hirakana, Katakana, and Kanji – the three scripts for writing and speaking Japanese. “Kanji is the most difficult of the three scripts,” Fehmida said. “Hirakana is taught to write the native Japanese language and Katakana is taught to write foreign words. Kanji is basically the Chinese language.
“China and Japan are working on large development projects in Bangladesh, and there are opportunities to get a job in those projects as an interpreter,” Fehmida said.
Dr. ABM Rezaul Karim Faqiri, Director of the Institute of Modern Languages, said that there are a total of 16 language courses at the institute. Among these programs, there are four language programs: ESOL, French, Chinese, and Japanese for undergraduate and graduate studies.
“We are thinking of opening graduate and postgraduate programs in ten languages including German, Hindi, Portuguese, Korean and Russian,” said Dr. Razul Karim Faqiri.
At the Institute there are also the Romantics, whose motivation stems entirely from trying new words.
Meet Dr. Kazi Shafayet Masum, Health Staff Officer at BCS.
In the past 19 years, he has learned 14 languages including French, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Apart from his work as a medical officer at the Central Drug Rehabilitation Center of the Drug Control Administration, he learns new languages as a hobby.
“This year the Modern Language Institute issued a Malay language circular, so I was accepted into it,” Masum said.
In 2004, Masoum began his linguistic journey. Learn Persian at the Iranian Cultural Center. Soon after, he discovered the Institute of Modern Languages, where he went to learn Arabic.
Since then, every year, he is always accepted to learn a new language. In 2016, he enrolled in a Hindi language course.
“I find learning a new language interesting,” said 47-year-old Masoom.
In non-graduate courses, there are four years of courses: primary, pre-intermediate, diploma and higher diploma. Masoom taught all the elementary courses in fifteen languages. But I have not followed up on recent courses.
Dhaka University students from various departments also enroll in IML, mainly to add a new skill to their portfolio.
“It’s like opening up an option for my career,” said Ashaful, a master’s student in DU’s accounting department. “If I have the opportunity to go to Japan, I will go and I can do something good in my career.”
He recently completed a beginner level course in Japanese and will be pursuing the next level course soon. He is planning to do a diploma course in the same subject.
The Modern Language Institute is a place where language enthusiasts come together to cultivate their love for languages and explore new horizons. With a diverse range of courses and programs, the institute offers a vibrant and immersive environment for language learning. Whether it’s mastering a new language for professional development or simply feeding a passion for linguistic exploration, the institute is the perfect place for those who are eager to expand their linguistic horizons. Students and faculty alike come together in this dynamic setting to indulge in the beauty of language and embark on a journey towards fluency and cultural understanding. Through a blend of traditional and modern teaching methods, the institute is dedicated to nurturing a deep appreciation for language and fostering a global perspective.