RIYADH, 8 June 2007 — With new employment avenues opening up in the Kingdom, Saudi students are being groomed for a career in diplomacy, tourism promotion, guidance to pilgrims and dawa (Islamic propagation) activities in different languages.
Faisal Al-Mohanna, dean of the College of Languages and Translation (COLT), told Arab News that there were bright prospects ahead for students of foreign languages as the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry was providing job opportunities for young Saudis, both men and women, in the field of diplomacy.
He pointed out that the tourism-promotion drive was also gaining momentum with the decision of the Supreme Commission of Tourism to bring in foreign tourists to the Kingdom.
Besides, there were opportunities galore for young Saudis to act as guides for pilgrims coming for either Haj or Umrah.
The need for translation and interpretation had also gained importance in the context of international conferences that take place in the Kingdom or, alternatively, to engage in dialogue with non-Muslims to clarify any misconceptions about Islam.
On the subject of tourism promotion in different languages, he said they are offering joint programs between COLT and the College of Tourism set up under the auspices of the Supreme Commission of Tourism.
Proficiency in one of the foreign languages would be deemed an essential requirement for getting admission to the college. “For the time being, we need to think along two lines: First, the requirements of the job market. Second, the language to be taught should be in demand from the tourist market,” he said.
The COLT’s academic program deals with European languages and translation, Asian languages and translation, African languages and translation and is taught in three different departments. Al-Mohanna said the last department has not yet become operational.
Besides learning a foreign language, they also develop skills for translating technical terms, whether in medicine, economics or any other field, he added.
The European languages on offer include English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Russian. As for the Asian languages, they are Persian, Japanese, Turkish and Hebrew. Urdu, which once used to be taught, is no longer part of the curriculum.
Al-Mohanna added that Chinese will be taught in the next academic year, while they are also considering inclusion of African languages, especially Hausa and Swahili, after an evaluation.
