Beijing Foreign Studies University students arrive in Pakistan for learning Urdu language
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BEIJING: A group of seven Chinese students from Beijing Foreign Studies University’s Urdu Department will leave for Pakistan on August 28 for a six-month training programme to further enhance their Urdu language proficiency.
“The students selected from a batch of 22 students currently studying Urdu at the university will join National University of Modern Language (NUML), Islamabad to improve their Urdu language skills,” Head of Urdu Department, School of Asian and African Studies, BSF University, Zhou Yuan said.
“This activity will provide a chance to our students to not only enhance the standard of Urdu language but also aware them more about Pakistan, people and culture,” she told.
Zhou Yuan, who has adopted a Pakistani name ‘Nasreen’ informed that the BFS university had been teaching Urdu since 2007 and till now two batches of its students have completed their degrees.
She said the current batch of students had been studying Urdu for last two years, adding, “We have recently organized an Urdu Dubbing Competition to further promote the Urdu language, Pakistani culture and society among the Chinese students.”
Out of the rolled-out students, a few have got admissions on scholarships in foreign universities for higher education while some joined different companies.
Zhou Yuan said many Chinese students are learning Urdu at different universities and institutes around the country, including Beijing.
The reasons for learning Urdu vary. Some have been romanced by Pakistan’s culture, food and landscape; other by the beauty of the language itself. Yet, others see learning Urdu as a practical means of eventually working with Chinese companies carrying out different projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework in Pakistan.
To cope with the demand, several universities in Shanghai, Tianjian, Kunming, Urumqi and Inner Mongolia are considering setting up Urdu departments, Zhou Yuan said.
While sharing their sentiments prior to their departure, Wu Jiahao, who has adopted Pakistani name Amber said that it was an honor to have the opportunity to study in NUML which was one of the best language universities in Pakistan for one term, adding, “It will be an excellent opportunity for me to learn Urdu language and culture in NUML, and I’ll take a good use of the opportunity to become more proficient in Urdu.”
During the period of studying in Pakistan, she would listen to the teachers carefully in the class and finish her homework after school, and also hoped to take a good use of the library resources of NUML, read more books and newspaper in the original Urdu as much as she could, and expand her vocabulary while learning knowledge and news.
“At the same time, I think my oral speaking and listening will be greatly improved through the communication with local speakers in my daily life when studying abroad,” she added. - APP
