Learn Hindi in Delhi, India

Posted by Heiko Pfeiffer • Monday, November 28, 2011 • Category: Global Career
Coming to India for vacations, internship or job? Regardless the amount of time you are planning to spend here, it is very advisable to learn at least a couple of basic phrases in Indian languages. They will make your stay nicer, your experience richer and they will even save you some money! The "language situation" in India is quite different from other countries. You have many official languages and countless of other languages. In fact, India has the most complex linguistic set up anywhere with literally thousands of languages being spoken. Nevertheless, there is one language that functions as a lingua franca across much of the country. Indians generally refer to it as Hindi!

Whether you would like to speak to the locals at a holy shrine...

(c) by Manuel Menal
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmenal/6324711879/]

Hindi is spoken in most of the major cities and though other local languages might be spoken at your destination, Hindi will be understood and will get you through most of India like a charm. When people say Hindi in India, they in fact refer to Hindustani language, an Indo-Aryan language that covers both standard Hindi as well as standard Urdu. Combining Hindi and Urdu speakers, Hindustani is the third or second most widely spoken language in the world after Mandarin Chinese and possibly English.

If you are going to travel or live in India you will of course survive using only English. When visiting popular tourist destinations you will get in touch with many people from the tourism industry, guides, vendors and tradesmen, who confidently use English. They are aware of the fact that knowing English makes it easier for them to communicate with tourists and that means a quick way of making money - foreigners often don't seem to mind paying a little bit extra...

But if you want to stand out from the package tourism crowd and don't like to be seen only as a walking ATM, it is very handy to know at least some simple basic sentences and words in Hindi. If you ask "How much is it?" or reply "Oh, that is expensive!" in Hindi while haggling over the price with a rickshaw-driver or a fruit seller, it can actually save you a lot of money! Besides, it will also make your stay much nicer and richer because you will be able to get in touch with the "normal" people you encounter in daily life.

...or want to decipher a curious poster in the streets, Hindi will do the trick!

(c) by Katjusa Cisar
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/katjusac/5328017670/]

Indians always appreciate foreigners willing to learn their language and will most certainly give you a discount! Also while learning a language you always learn to understand better the logics of the culture itself and get a better insight into people's minds, their way of thinking and behaviour.

Knowing Hindi will make your CV look more interesting, too. Not many foreigners speak this language and that's why it will give your resume a real edge! Already since a couple of years India has been called a "new superpower" or "superpower in the making". The country has huge economic potential and a fast growing middle class; it is one of the world's technology leaders in IT and has a huge pool of qualified English speaking professionals in a wide range of industries.

India represents a huge labour market with lots of opportunities and knowing Hindi gives you a big advantage! So don't hesitate and learn Hindi / Hindustani while staying in India to get the most out of your stay!

--

If you are interested in learning Hindi / Urdu / Hindustani, whether in our classrooms in Delhi or in a village homestay setting in the Himalayas, you should get in touch with us right away. Just drop us a line at courses@language-must.com or simply call us on +91 - (0)11 - 2649 1817...


comment using facebook

0 Trackbacks / PINGBACKS

  1. No Trackbacks

3 Comments

Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)
  1. What a neat arcilte. I had no inkling.
  2. Economies are in dire staits, but I can count on this!
  3. Alright alright alright that's exactly what I needed!

Add Comment


Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (*word*), underscore are made via _word_.
Standard emoticons like :-) and ;-) are converted to images.