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French- a Language beyond Frontiers

WHY LEARN FRENCH?

Learning one’s language is never enough, especially in today’s world, that is highly diversified in all spheres of human endeavours. Knowing another language enables you to push the limits of your world. Acquiring French will open new doors for you!

French -an international language

French is the second most widely studied language globally after English and the fifth most widely spoken language in the world. It is also the only language, alongside English, that is taught in every country in the world.

Spoken by 76.8 million people worldwide, French is an official language of 29 countries. The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), an international organisation of French-speaking countries, comprises 88 member States and governments.

French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

France is the 5th largest economy of the world. France is an important member of the G-8, OECD and G-20. Its technological strengths make it the leader in sectors such as aviation, space, food processing, transport, railways and agricultural research.

France is the 9th largest foreign investor in India with more than 1,000 French establishments already present in India.

39 of the 40 CAC 40 (French Stock Market Index) companies are present in India. Around 50-70 SMEs are also present in India essentially in the mechanical and pharma-chemical sectors.

It is estimated that the Indian community, including NRIs in mainland France number around 109,000, largely originating from French enclaves of Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe and Chandernagore.

There are more than 50 Indian community organizations active in France. Major communities constituting the Indian origin population originate from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Punjab.

Official language in: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Vanuatu
Regional language in: Belgium, Italy (in Aosta Valley), Spain, UK (Guernsey and Jersey)
Minority language in: Andorra, Spain
National language in: Mauritius
Widely spoken in: Algeria, Mauritania

France: Top destination for Indian students

Learning French is an excellent choice for students who are planning to go to France.
France is one of the top three most popular European countries for international students.
Every year, more than 5,000 students go to France from India.
As per the agreement signed between the Indian and French government in 2015, Indian students in France can stay for 24 months after completing studies.

Scope, Demand, Career and Job Opportunities

French is a career asset in many sectors which includes tourism and hospitality, export and import, banking and finance, fashion, retailing, automotive, luxury goods, aeronautics, international business, diplomatic service, education, and many more.

French provides lucrative career opportunities as language translator, interpreter and teacher worldwide.

There are hundreds of French international brands such as Axa, BNP Paribas, Orange, Airbus, Alstom, Alcatel, Louis Vuitton, L’Oréal, Christian Dior, Chanel, Carrefour, Peugeot, Michelin and much more.

French knowledge not only opens the doors of the French companies in France and other Francophone regions but also in India and other non-speaking French countries across the globe.

Many French companies are setting up their regional offices in India and other parts of the world. The ability to speak the language increases your growth manifold if you have french mentioned in your CV.

WHAT IS THE SCOPE AFTER LEARNING FRENCH?

Possible professional sectors that any foreign language student opt or for after completing the course are as follows –

  1. Business, Industry, and commerce,
  2. Teaching,
  3. Interpreting and Translating,
  4. Travel and Tourism,
  5. Media – Radio or Journalism,
  6. Media & Publishing
  7. Engineering,
  8. Services in MNCs.
  9. BPOs and Call Centres
  10. Embassies & UN Missions
  11. Technical Start-Ups and Entrepreneurship

Following is the list of job profiles for French-language experts

  • Freelancer
  • Content Writer
  • Translator
  • Editor
  • Tour Guide
  • Journalist
  • Teacher
  • Public Relation Officer
  • The representative of Foreign Companies
  • Research associates

French language experts are in demand because of the increasing MNCs and foreign tied-ups companies in India.

WHAT DOES THE FRENCH (BEGINNER) COURSE OFFERS?

Objective

  • Students will demonstrate the level of proficiency necessary to enable them to function in an environment where French is used exclusively
  • Students will be able to speak, listen, read, and write basic French

Learning Outcome

  • Will be able to demonstrate an elementary knowledge of French sentence structure through speaking and writing
  • Will be able to pronounce French reasonably well

Course Details (Syllabus)

  • Medium of instruction: French and English
  • Number of hours: 30 hours
  • Number of lessons per week : 4
  • Duration of the course: 3-months
  • Course Fees: Rs 5000/-

 Mode of Evaluation

  • Written test – 50 Marks
  • Speaking – 25
  • Listening – 15
  • Reading – 10
  • Total-100 marks
  • Recommended Study Material : Sans Frontiers Part1by Michèle Verdelhan-Bourgad

Unit-1-Grammar (10 Hours)

  • Nouns
  • Indefinite articles
  • Definite articles
  • Prepositions
  • Negation
  • Interrogatives
  • Irregular verbs (Present tense): être
  • Regular verbs (Present tense): -er
  • Expressions: c’est, cesont, il y a
  • Imperative mood
  • Contracted articles
  • Adjectives
  • Verbs: -ir (present tense)
  • Tense: futurproche/present
  • Impersonal verbs: pleuvoir ;neiger.
  • Possessive adjectives

Unit 2- Vocabulary (10 Hours)

  • Alphabet
  • Geography of France
  • Days
  • Months
  • Colours
  • Numbers 0 to 100 (Ordinal, cardinal)
  • Parts of the face and body
  • Clothes
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Festivals

Unit-3- Communicative skills(8 hours)  

  • How to greet
  • Locating objects and places
  • How to ask and answer questions
  • How to introduce oneself
  • How to talk about the weather
  • How to talk over the telephone

Unit-4- Civilisation (2 hours) 

  • Greetings
  • Etiquettes
  • Facts about France
  • French customs and traditions
  • Food culture in France