Indian Minister Advocates Minimizing Language Barriers Between Indians, Chinese

11:40 GMT, 23 April 2018

India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, while speaking at a program in Beijing, urged the audience that to “talk our hearts out to each other, share what we feel, it is essential to learn each other’s languages.”

Sputnik

New Delhi (Sputnik) — India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said that more Chinese nationals should learn Indian languages and vice versa so that emotions are not lost in interpretation.

"If there is an interpreter sitting between two friends, he may be able to translate the words but not the feelings with which I say something. So, it is essential that we learn a language and understand it," Swaraj remarked during a program, titled 'Contribution of Hindi in India-China Friendship', organized by the Indian Embassy in Beijing.

With this appeal, Sushma Swaraj also announced a sponsored trip of 25 Chinese students to learn the Hindi language in India.

"I want to say that the way India and China's relation are strengthening, trade is increasing, we are working together on international forums, it has become increasingly important that you learn Hindi and we learn Chinese. So that when Indians visit China they don't face difficulty, and when Chinese visit India, you don't require an interpreter," Swaraj said.

Indian Film Dangal Scripts New History In Chinese Cinema

1 June 2017, 08:04 GMT

On Sunday, India and China had announced an informal summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping from April 27 to 28. This is a major turnaround in the relationship between the two countries; intense tension persisted over nine months last year due to the military stand-off at Doklam, the point where the borders of India, China and Bhutan meet. Swaraj said during her meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday, that people are the biggest strength for any Foreign Minister and when the people of two countries love each other, it only strengthens their respective governments, according to local news reports.

Swaraj also cited the success of Indian films like "Dangal", "Secret Superstar" and "Hindi Medium" in China, which reflects the growing connection between the people of the nations. The minister stressed that Hindi films are gaining popularity in China, but said an understanding of the language instead of subtitles could improve their experiences watching such films.

It is worth mentioning that ‘Hindi Medium' has grossed over $31 million and remains in Chinese theaters right now. Aamir Khan Dangal brought in over $290 million in China, making it one of China's top-20 highest-grossing movies in history.