Added: 12/13/2005 |
The idea of learning Turkish is strange for most American and even European students; but it is rapidly replaced by a sense of excitement as soon as the career opportunities and adventure of Turkey are discovered. The country's central connections to Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East make doing business in Turkey a necessity.
Since pre-historic times, Turkey has been the vital bridge between Europe and the Middle East. Its mighty Ottoman Empire consolidated much of Eastern Europe and the Middle East into one great civilization until the early 20th century. The flavor of Turkish culture is richly cosmopolitan, a sophisticated mix of ancient traditions in a contemporary Geist.
Turkish language study gives access to many new opportunities for business, scientific and technological research, and for scholarship and journalism. Currently, students in Turkey are learning English at a record rate, while few Americans learn Turkish: to offset that imbalance of skill and opportunity, there is great need for Americans to meet the creative challenge of learning Turkish.
Turkish language study at the University of Arizona makes you a member of a selected group of individuals in the US who speak a less-commonly-taught foreign language - Turkish! Turkish skills also make you a highly sought after employee for Turkish businesses in both America and Turkey. For example, the 1990 U.S. Census Bureau report indicates that less than 0,1% of the American public understands Turkish, while much larger numbers of Turks are competent in English.
Students who have taken Turkish language program in conjunction with another major, report that they immediately get asked about their Turkish language study during job interviews. Graduates from the program have jobs in government agencies, research in Middle East history, businesses, marketing, banking, accounting, teaching, journalism, archaeology, linguistics, international affairs, engineering, and the sciences. An increasing number of Turkish language students are making direct use of their Turkish language skills, and some are even employed in Turkey.
With the powerful tools of the World Wide Web, students of Turkish at the University of Arizona now have an unprecedented opportunity for "learning through applying". Their website not only facilitates rapid development of Turkish language skills, but offers immediate opportunities for employing them: click on an area of interest - be it history, politics, discovery of 9000 years of Anatolian cultures, or just having fun with modern Turkish music videos and entertainment. This website dynamically connects you to ongoing living activities concerning Turkish language, instantly taking you half the way around the world to Turkey as often as you dare to immerse yourself in the subject!
Turkish language study immerses you in Turkish cultural heritage - fine and performing arts, music, the Muslim religion - and provides a depth of understanding far surpassing the shallow stereotypes. Such understanding makes you a valuable assett to corporations, government and other organizations promoting productive alliances with the Middle East.
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