 |
|
| CAREER GUIDE | Friday, September 12, 2003, Chandigarh, India |
Language professionals in demand Biotech centre to come up in Delhi University Telepathy gets academic seal in Sweden |
|
Language professionals in demand MASTERING a foreign language is fast becoming a lucrative option for the aspiring language professionals. So do not be surprised when you meet a friend who speaks fluent French, German or even Spanish. They have mastered the languages to earn money. Call centres are offering rewarding opportunities to foreign language professionals to cater to the needs of their multi-national clients. A job in this industry fetches a salary in five figures. Foreign language experts are required to handle several jobs, including back office work (in foreign language) of various overseas companies, besides translation of corporate documents. Most overseas companies outsource back office jobs, including customer care, to countries like India. This means more and more people are required who can converse in languages in demand. There is now an enormous exchange of scientific and technological knowledge in business transactions, which has opened new avenues for foreign language experts”, says Dr Manmohan Chauhan, Chairman of the German Department, Panjab University. Besides call centres there is a demand of such professionals in multinational companies in varied sectors — automobile, fast moving consumer goods, pharmaceutical and information technology — to name a few. Translators and interpreters are required by major business firms who have tie-ups with international companies to facilitate communication in seminars and meetings. Companies participating in trade fairs in other countries also need interpreters to converse with consumers and clients. They can also find jobs with ministries, defence and in Parliament. Teachers of foreign languages are in demand all over the world. Language professionals can also work as freelancers and work on several projects. The remuneration is attractive. However, the youth of Chandigarh are probably not aware of the scope of learning foreign languages. “A majority of the foreign language students in my institute are potential emigrants or are focusing to study abroad. A limited number is inclined to make a career out of it”, says Mr Surinder Maaken, proprietor of the School of German, Chandigarh. However, things look bright for Panjab University this academic year, with leading call centre conglomerates, including Daksh e-services, approaching the university. “The scenario was not so bright a decade ago when foreign language diploma holders were mostly confined to tourism and the hospitality industry; those who sustained till MA and PhD could only dream to be lecturers of their mastered language. Only the brighter lot could reach to the limited jobs offered in embassies”, elucidates Ms Cecilia Antony, chairperson of the French Department, Panjab University. Panjab University offers part-time, one-year certificate, diploma and advance diploma courses in French, German, Russian and Chinese. MA and PhD are offered in French and German. It is the only university in the Punjab, Haryana and Himachal regions to provide education in foreign languages. According to language gurus, counselling help create awareness among the youth to adopt foreign languages as a career. Whereas departments of some languages, which are less relevant should be done away with, the staff strength should be augmented in other “career-friendly languages”. |
Biotech centre to come up in Delhi University NEW
DELHI: The Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation (DSIDC) is setting up a biotech centre in Delhi University to promote interface between the industry and the academic world. The DSIDC hopes to complete the construction of the Rs 5-crore centre, to come up in an area of 2.5 acres, within a year, its Managing Director Jalaj Srivastava has said. He said an advisory committee, to be headed by eminent scientists and technologists with representatives from the corporation and the Department of Biotechnology, would monitor the activities of the biotech centre. The objective of the centre was to encourage research and development activities by fostering collaboration between the industry and the university in the area of biotechnology and develop it as a centre of excellence. Pointing out that the centre would cater to projects in three different modes, Mr Srivastava said research grant for projects in which patent and selling right would be with the biotech centre, would be done jointly with the industry. In case of sponsored work, companies would have the exclusive right to the end product as well as patent and renting out of the facilities for the industry, he added. Initially, research and development efforts would be in the areas of isolation, development and production of industrially important enzymes, diagnostics for infectious diseases and genetic disorders and vaccines, and transgenic crops.
— UNI |
Telepathy gets academic seal in Sweden STOCKHOLM:
Sweden’s Lund University, one of the oldest seats of learning in Scandinavia, will take a leap into the unknown by appointing northern Europe’s first Professor of Parapsychology, Hypnology and Clairvoyance. Almost 30 candidates, including a self-professed Indian medium and an American named Heaven Lord, applied for the post, financed by a donation, whose holder the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet has joked will be a ‘’Ghost Professor’’. The first professor, to be appointed by Lund University Dean Goran Bexell, is expected to start work in 2004, faculty secretary Kerstin Johansson said. Hypnology is the science of the phenomena of sleep and hypnosis. Despite decades of experimental research and television performances by people such as spoonbending psychic Uri Geller, there is still no proof that gifts such as telepathy and the ability to see the future exist, mainstream scientists say. ‘’Verifying the existence of paranormal phenomena does not seem to be a promising field of science,’’ said Sven Ove Hansson, Professor of Philosophy at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Scotland’s Edinburgh University also have chairs in parapsychology. — Reuters |
QUERY HOTLINE Cartooning is an inborn skill Q Does one need to take coaching in order to become a cartoonist? Could you please tell me the prospects in this field.
Rajat Kalra A A cartoon is an editorial in pictorial form. While you have to look for comic humour even in a serious situation, you also have to learn where to draw the line. Coaching is not required if you are good at sketching or caricaturing. Cartooning is an in-born skill that can be polished with training and keen observation. Your artistic skill can be honed by a diploma or a degree in Fine/Applied Art from a good art college or polytechnic, though there are hardly any worthwhile courses in cartooning. After dabbling and experimenting, you will in time evolve your own `trademark’ style. Familiarity with multimedia or animation tools is now mandatory — particularly if you want to work in the electronic media i.e. television, Internet or publishing. In the meanwhile, get all the experience you can, drawing for your school magazine, local publication, or whatever. Measure reader feedback to see what works and what doesn’t. Just keep at it. After all, making people laugh is serious business! Cartoonists are usually hired by newspapers and magazine publishers. However, most of the national dailies already have a lead cartoonist with several years of experience (e.g. ToI’s R.K. Laxman, Sudhir Tailang or Ajit Ninan, who have become household names). It may be somewhat easier to start off with illustrations for the inside pages and gradually work your way up. Political cartooning, essentially a British import, has become a dying art. Earlier, the pocket cartoon provided welcome visual relief on a predominantly text-filled front page. But today colour, pictures and graphics have virtually edged out the cartoon. So while there are those who take to it for the sheer love of it, it’s difficult to survive on this craft alone. If you can however combine it with illustration and animation work, you can make a go of it. Animation is to cartooning what movies are to still pictures. And, it is a growing field with estimates of tens of thousands of opportunities arising both out of the growth of television and Internet and because India is attracting significant animation work from overseas film and advertising companies. The Net is a veritable a boon for budding cartoonists. There are some excellent sites showcasing the work of various cartoonists all over the world.
US varsities Q I am interested in pursuing my studies in the US. I want to know how to get admission in an American University. Is it very difficult to get a student visa? Amrit Gill A
With 2,000 universities offering UG (Bachelor’s) courses and 1,100 universities offering UG and PG (Master/Doctoral) courses, selecting the right one requires a lot of spadework. To begin with, start surfing the Net i.e. www.collegeboard.org, www.indianstudents.net, speak to friends abroad. Get cracking preferably two years in advance. While the pluses of Master’s-level studies in the US are well-known - for instance, far greater chances of financial aid, platform for jobs in the US, etc, you need to think carefully whether the high investment of four-year Bachelor’s study in the US is worthwhile. For example, if you plan to study engineering, IITs and other top Indian engineering colleges are as good a bet as most in the US — and at a fraction of the cost. This holds true for many technical and professional fields of study at the Bachelor’s level. But the terrific plus of undergraduate study in the US is the great flexibility it offers in terms of allowing you to choose a wide mix of courses. For instance, you could select languages and literature and film studies while majoring in economics, unlike the very rigid and strait-jacketed streams in India. For higher studies, go by the department’s reputation rather than the university’s, because departments are independent decentralised units. And large universities may have several departments in the same broad field (for instance, there may be 30 departments in physics involved in different areas of research. Check out the faculty, the source and quantum of funding for the department, lab and library resources, etc. Costs: $ 20,000 (Rs 9.5 lakh) p.a., including living costs (varies between $ 13,000-$40,000 depending on the course, institution and location). Only a handful of awards add up to more than $5000. Full fellowship support is rare. As for visas, all applications, not just student visas are now subject to a greater degree of scrutiny than in the past. Visit USEFI fairs (held thrice a year), although the premier universities seldom participate or advertise here. Nonetheless, you will gain a good understanding of the American education system, as well as detailed info on the application process, and the various admission tests. Editing Q After doing my Master’s in English, I did a professional course in editing from the UK. After scanning the newspapers for months for a suitable job, I am now beginning to feel frustrated. What should I do? Komal Jain, Patiala A Take heart. Many jobs, in many industries, including publishing don’t ever get advertised. So, what you need to do is to take the initiative to go looking for unadvertised jobs that are out there. First, draw up a list of the leading publishing houses in your city (the directory is a good source), and then follow either - or, both — of the following methods: Sending a letter or e-mail: The most common method is to send a brief letter or e-mail introducing yourself with an attached resume. Highlight your skills and the kind of work you’re looking for in your cover letter. This doesn’t mean you’ll be inundated with job offers, but employers will be impressed with your initiative. If they do have a suitable position they will be interested to know more about you. If not, they will probably keep your resume on file in case they need someone in the future. Do ring up first to find out to whom you should address your mail (name and designation if possible). Landing up in person: When you decide to ‘cold canvass’ in person, ask employers for only a few minutes of their time. Have a chat about the kind of work you’re looking for and leave them a copy of your resume - make sure you include all your contact details. Dress as you would for an interview. First impressions count. One other thing: almost all publishers have plenty of free-lance editing work available. In fact, I know this from personal experience. So, even if a full-time position is not immediately available, you might get free-lance work from several publishers. That would give you the opportunity to prove your competence - and an inside track to the next vacancy that might arise! Incidentally, there are a number of “content aggregation” service providers who handle editing, rewriting, excerpting work for foreign publishers, whom you could contact. These fall under the broad category of BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) of which call centres are the better-known segment. Finally, most companies now have websites and often list their vacancies which may not otherwise be widely advertised. NET Q I did my BEd after completing BSc. Am I eligible to take the NET? Simran Ahuja A Although it is pursued after a Bachelor’s degree, BEd does not qualify as a Master’s degree (it’s a Bachelor’s in Education). Only Master’s degree-holders who have secured at least 55% marks (without grace) in Humanities (including languages) and Social Sciences, Computer Science and Applications, Electronic Sciences, etc. are eligible for taking the National Eligibility Test. SC/ST candidates should have secured at least 50% marks. Incidentally, there is no provision of rounding up of marks to make it 55% (or 50% for SC/ST). For instance, even if you secure 54.99% marks, you won’t qualify for this Test. The syllabus for all the 93-odd subjects of the exam along with model questions is available in the libraries of all Indian universities as well as on: www.ugc.ac.in Please send in your query preferably on a postcard along with your name, complete address and academic qualifications to: |
 |
|
