Written by: Nida Qasim
Posted on: November 15, 2021 | 
| 中文
The staff and students of Zubaan's Karachi center.
Zubaan Training is a novel Urdu language teaching institute and intercultural hub which was founded by Michaela Bekaan, an experienced foreign language teacher and intercultural trainer from Germany. This institute was established in Karachi in 2017, and it has a branch in Islamabad since late 2019. Michaela, who has an M.A. in Teaching English as a Foreign language and Intercultural Studies, is a Certified Practitioner for Inter-Cultural Intelligence Training by KnowledgeWorkx. She has an extensive background in teaching German, English, and Urdu—as of late. Michaela has resided in Pakistan for the previous eleven years, nine of which were spent in Karachi. While in Karachi, she worked as an ESL coordinator at Habib University and as an English language teacher at Berlitz Corporation. During this time, she began to learn Urdu and observed the scarcity of available resources for learning Urdu as a foreign language in Pakistan. She also felt that the methodology of language instruction was less communication-centric, rather it focused on language as an academic pursuit, with the result that the end goal of learning a language was not to communicate with others, but something different.
The writer, Michaela Bekaan, with her book in a book store
During a conversation with Michaela, which was conducted entirely in Urdu, I learnt that there is a great demand and need for Urdu language instruction for foreigners in Pakistan. Michaela took note of the lack of Urdu language materials available for non-native speakers, and this led her to eventually publish her own Urdu coursebook titled Qadam. The curriculum for this coursebook has been designed using the common European framework, and it is the equivalent of the level ‘A-1’ for Urdu language learning. I saw this book in the language materials section at Saeed Book Bank and was initially pleasantly surprised by its design. When I went through the book, I found that it contained well broken-down modules for learning Urdu, which featured a simple to read yet appealing format. I was surprised when I found out that the writer was not Pakistani but German. After learning this fact, I became even more curious and searched Qadam’s website to learn that there is an entire institution behind this book, which has helped expats, diplomats, individuals running businesses, overseas Pakistanis, foreign students, individuals married into Pakistani families, tourists, and even local Pakistanis themselves become proficient in the Urdu language since 2017. As a Linguistics graduate myself, I found this to be the need of the hour, since increasing globalization in Pakistan has led to a requirement for accessible and communication-focused institutes providing Urdu language instruction.
A classroom in Zubaan's Karachi office
Michaela shared that it was an honor and privilege for her to be running an Urdu language institute as a foreigner in Pakistan, but also added that being a foreigner puts her in the unique position of acting like a bridge for other foreigners wanting to learn Urdu and the Pakistani culture by extension. I was surprised to learn that Zubaan Training has helped people from over 45 countries, including Norway, Japan, Spain, China, South Korea, Turkey and Morocco—to name a few, learn Urdu. I could not believe it since I was unaware of the fact that many foreigners aspired to learn Urdu. In my naivety, I asked Michaela about why foreigners felt the need to learn Urdu when they could manage by using English in Pakistan. She responded that many foreigners, expats, and diplomats residing in Pakistan felt held back due to their inablility to communicate in the local language in day-to-day situations. She added that many foreigners were not proficient in English since their native languages were different, so was often easier for them to directly learn Urdu instead of using English. Speaking of the methodology of language instruction used at Zubaan Training, Michaela shared that they usually have one-on-one or small group sessions with their students, based on the level of their Urdu proficiency. Though most classes are held on site, some are conducted online as well, such as those offered to overseas Pakistanis, and those held during the COVID-19 pandemic. Michaela emphasized that only a section of the learning happens in the classroom, and that the rest of the time she and her staff encourage students to become independent communicators by using context and cues in the real world. She mentioned that students often come and share their excitement over how they understood an Urdu word or a phrase, which motivates them to learn further.
Online classes
Besides language instruction, Zubaan Training also offers Inter-Cultural Intelligence Trainings, which allow people to understand each other’s cultures, sift out the good aspects of each culture and tackle the negative areas, to reduce the frustrations that arise from lack of understanding of each other’s cultures. Through intercultural education and communication, Michaela aspires to break barriers between people and help them appreciate, understand, and value other cultures.
While discussing the importance of language and identity, Michaela touched on the fact that people should value the Urdu language, which is beautifully expressive and is intrinsically tied to the identity of Pakistan, more. She felt that as a foreigner running an Urdu language institute, she was playing a small role in Urdu literacy and preservation, since her institute helps Pakistani students who can speak Urdu but are unable to read and write in the language. Thus, the institute acts as an adult training center. Finally, Michaela requested that if we encounter foreigners who are trying to learn Urdu, we should engage with them in Urdu rather than responding in English, since the latter can be very discouraging for Urdu language learners.
An instructor with her students
A list of Zubaan’s channels, which allow people to get in touch with the institute, is as follows: Website: www.zubaantraining.net
www.myqadam.com (which is a page for the book Qadam)
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zubaantraining
Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/zubaantrainingpk/
WhatsApp: +92-310-9777720
Email: info@zubaantraining.net
Michaela’s personal LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/in/michaela-bekaan
Zubaan Training’s Urdu videos:
https://www.facebook.com/zubaantraining/videos
The next Inter-Cultural Intelligence Training is scheduled for either November or December 2021. To register you need to either WhatsApp or email Michaela Bekaan.
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