EIFL opens door to learning foreign languages
Source: Chronicle News Service / R Lester Makang

Ukhrul, January 22 2022: Not long ago, learning a foreign language was a distant dream for most of the people in Manipur, not just because they couldn't afford it or found it too difficult.

Rather, it was due to lack of opportunities.

Today, things have changed quicker than we can imagine and lack of opportunities is simply passe.

And now, with the establishment of a new learning place Enchante Institute of Foreign Languages (EILF) in Imphal, we can proudly claim to have this opportunity to learn foreign languages from the comfort of one's home.

Behind this landmark initiative is a team of three enterprising young women Thingshung Christin, Yarmi Sayai and Zen-ngaihlun who are founders and faculty members of EIFL which holds the distinction of being the first-ever foreign language learning institute in Manipur.

Christin who hails from Ukhrul district, got her Masters in France (language and Literature) from EFLU, Hyderabad and had served as French teacher at LMA, Dima-pur.

Sayai, also from Ukhrul district, is an M.Phil in French Literature (DU) and Masters in French (French and Fren-cophone Literature (JNU) and has five years' experience as French teacher at GRSD, DU.

A Masters in French Translation (JNU), Zenngaihlun from Churachandpur district has taught French at GRSD, DU for over two years.

In a virtual interview with The People's Chronicle, the EIFL team shared their struggles and vision and also talked about the courses being offered by EIFL.

Here are the excerpts: The People's Chronicle: What is EIFL and what are its vision and mission? Enchante Institute of Foreign Languages: EILF stands for Enchante Institute of Foreign Languages.

As the name suggests, it is a foreign language leaning institute based in Imphal.

It is the first institute of its kind in the entire state of Manipur, providing a platform of learning to language enthusiasts, working professionals and youngsters who are looking for a career in foreign languages.

Talking about our vision and mission, we at EIFL aim to encourage people from every walk of life to get a head start on their skills acquisition and language aptitude.

Along this line, we look forward to fostering respect, understanding and appreciation across the cultures by focusing on skill enhancement for cross-cultural communications.

In fact, we seek to not only impart communication and language skills but also to help the students with an overall personality growth.

We wish to create awareness among the youth to explore beyond the few academic fields that have been the only career option.

Through EIFL, we aim to open a window of opportunities and open up creative ways of learning in this globalised world.

We are a team of diversity when it comes to our areas of expertise but all united with one goal and vision, that is to educate the youth of today.

So, here we are, encouraging the youth to tap their potential of language, embrace our love for languages.

TPC: When did the idea of this initiative take shape and how did EIFL actually come about? EIFL: Starting an Institute for Foreign Languages is an old dream, but we started working on the project officially at the beginning of 2021.We were looking for ideas where we could encourage more students around that state to learn a new language and with schools making at least one foreign language paper compulsory in high and higher secondary schools in metro cities, the idea for EIFL felt timely.

TPC: What are the courses currently offered by EIFL? EIFL: After months of working on curating a special one month French course, EIFL came into fruition on August 21, 2021.Classes for the French Introductory Course kicked off by mid-September with a handful of motivated learners.

So far, we've successfully completed four batches (weekend & week-day batches) including a junior batch.

Our first A1 level batch is on the run.

At the moment, we offer one-month French Introductory course, three months A1 level (French).

Recently, we have added Korean to our courses and we are working to add more languages in the coming days.

TPC: Tell us one compelling reason to learn foreign languages.

EIFL: Learning and getting higher education always comes at the cost of the comfort of your home, away from your near and dear ones due to the lack of good educational institutions in our region.

We too spent a good decade away from home to be where we are today.

Getting exposure to a new culture and environment has many advantages but they all come with a price.

Financially, it is burdensome and strenuous on the mental and emotional front.

Besides, it creates disparities among the peers because not every family can afford to send their children to metro cities for higher studies.

Many young students who stay back in the region are left behind.

They miss most of the opportunities to cultivate different skills and explore a wide range of career opportunities, unlike their counterparts in the metro cities who are facilitated with information and different skills.

Hence, better career opportunities.

EIFL aims to bridge the gap, in its humble way, by opening the door to people from all walks of life, an opportunity to learn new skills and be able to stand in parallel with any candidate from other corners of the world.

EIFL is an attempt to provide one such platform for willing learners from the comfort of their homes at the most reasonable price.

Learning and knowing a foreign language is an add-on skill that any potential candidate on an international or a domestic platform aspires to have.

Excelling in one or two foreign languages can land one in a coveted job position in MNCs, international organisations such as the UN, apart from the various career opportunities.

Knowing a foreign language is not limited to career dimension, it will take you places in terms of knowledge, information, literature and cultural exposure in cross-cultural communication.

TPC: What are the most special things about EIFL that learners/trainees would find extremely beneficial? EIFL: We are committed to quality content.

We value the needs of every learner, we aspire to make learning fun, creative, interactive, and inclusive with authenticity.

Our course is curated to accommodate people from all walks of life.

Our aim is to engage learners in cross-cultural communication.

At EIFL, we value the relationship between our students and teachers.

We strive towards executing a well-planned and organised syllabus and lesson plans for each topic to meet the proficiency level we intend on imparting to our learners.

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