The Indian Leaders Program organizes the "Language and Talent" discussion forum at USAL

As part of his visit to Spain in January of this year, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar participated in a dialogue organized by the Spain-India Council Foundation together with his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares.

At this meeting, entitled "Strategic Alliances for a Changing World," Minister Jaishankar highlighted the importance of strengthening the teaching of Spanish as a tool for professional and academic mobility. To this end, the "Language and Talent" forum was held in Salamanca. This initiative brought together representatives from key institutions such as the Embassy of India in Spain, the Directorate General of Spanish in the World, the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE), Indian teachers of Spanish as a foreign language, and trustees of the Spain-India Council Foundation.

The objective of this forum was to explore possible collaboration agreements to promote Spanish language training and cultural exchange.

Speakers included USAL professor Pedro Álvarez Mosquera; Pilar Garcés, a researcher at the University of Valladolid; Guillermo López Gallego, Deputy Director General for the Promotion of Spanish in the World at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation; Raúl Sánchez Prieto, Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Cooperation at the University of Salamanca; Mariola Sánchez, a technical teaching advisor at the SEPIE (Spanish Institute of Education); and Susana Azpiazu, Director of the International Center at the University of Salamanca.

During the event, the advantages and challenges of the expansion of the Spanish language throughout the world were addressed. Thus, Spanish was considered "a gateway even to the US market (…) The economic importance of Spanish for Indian society not only includes Spain, but also all of Latin America, including parts of the United States. We should strive to present Spanish in India as what it is: a global language not only in cultural and musical terms, but above all in economic terms."

One of the participants in the Spanish as a Foreign Language course, a professor at a university in Tamil Nadu, noted that “at my university, there are more than 2,000 Spanish students each semester. What's their motivation? It's economic. They know that if they know Spanish, they'll have an advantage in interviews with multinational companies. I recognize that there's more interest in French and German. But now, at my university, the number of Spanish students is increasing every year, and I think that's good news for us.”

Another Indian teacher, this time from a school in Hyderabad, emphasized that Spanish is a very popular language and they currently need more teachers: “Spanish is very popular, and the first reason is that many students want to go to the United States. That's why they want to learn Spanish, to get a head start. There are also many students who are passionate about Spanish culture, and that's why they want to learn Spanish.”

The importance of the economic relationship between India and Spain is another reason for the increase in Spanish students in the Asian country. As noted during the meeting, Spain ranks 19th in imports from India, with trade between the two countries amounting to €5.5 billion in 2021. Spain ranks 16th as an investor in India, with around 230 companies across all sectors. Likewise, India ranks 49th as an investor in Spain, with around 60 companies and an investment capital of around €320 million. This makes it more attractive for Indian employers to hire bilingual people.

There are two main needs to continue this drive toward learning Spanish in India: first, "we have to work hard to grant visas. If we put up many barriers and impediments to people coming to work or study, that represents a big problem." In this regard, the importance of cooperation between institutions was highlighted.

Second, transportation is of great importance. "The more direct flights there are, the greater the employment and cultural impact. We have already experienced this with other Asian countries like Japan."

Furthermore, both Spain and the rest of the Spanish-speaking countries have a pending issue: knowledge of India and its languages. "We need professionals from Spanish and Latin American universities trained in Hindi, in the languages ​​of India," the experts point out, "with a solid understanding of Indian culture and society."

The possibility was even raised that the universities of Valladolid and Salamanca, both sponsors of the Spain-India Council Foundation, might promote a master's degree in Indian studies to train professionals with knowledge of the country's languages ​​and culture. "People capable of doing business in India in the future, understanding the Indian mentality, and working in its companies."

Universities also have another task ahead of them: "Universities have never had the option to study Indian languages ​​from a philological perspective. And that hasn't happened in the rest of Europe. It's a deficit we're suffering from. If we're truly interested in Indian culture, we must begin to develop studies."

The day concluded with the recognition that "there is a challenge, an opportunity for progress and opportunities for improvement," and to achieve this, the effort must be joint, as both a drive from Spain and support from Indian institutions are necessary: ​​"We need India's support, because otherwise, we will always stagnate."

Meeting attendees:

▪️ Pedro Álvarez Mosquera, professor at the University of Salamanca

▪️ Pilar Garcés, Director of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Valladolid

▪️ Guillermo López Gallego, Deputy Director General for the Promotion of Spanish in the World - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation

▪️ Raúl Sánchez Prieto, Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Cooperation at the University of Salamanca

▪️ Mariola Sánchez, Technical Teaching Advisor at SEPIE

▪️ Susana Azpiazu, Director of the International Center at the University of Salamanca

VIII edition activity summary