“Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.”
Linguist Edward Sapir was right in stating that language is not only a vehicle for the expression of thoughts, perceptions, sentiments, and values of the characteristics of a community, but also the representation of fundamental expression of social identity. He said: "The mere fact of a common speech serves as a peculiar potent symbol of the social solidarity of those who speak the language." In a nutshell, language harnesses solidarity.
Since its conception, language has been philosophized upon by many. For instance, the scholar Benjamin Whorf has noted that language shapes thoughts and emotions, determining one's perception of reality. John Stuart Mill said that "Language is the light of the mind." Lionel Groulx, a Quebec historian, stated that, "Chacun retient toutefois que la suprême révélation du génie national, la clef magique qui donne accès aux plus hautes richesses de la culture, c'est la langue." (The magic key which gives access to the highest level of richness of a culture, and with which each [person] retains supreme revelations of national genius, is language).
Given the perpetual amalgamation of nations and cultures globally, the importance of English goes without a need for explicit articulation. The journey of BRAC University's English Language Programme began with the intention of honoring this importance. The purpose of the Programme was not only to enhance the students' English language skills to facilitate learning in their chosen fields, but also to enhance understanding and execution of the language itself so as to enable effective oral and written communication.
Having tasted success with the undergraduate student body, we accumulated the confidence to try and make a difference in other groups as well. In this light, we ventured into training programmes, focused on report writing and presentation skills with Aarong sales personnel, bankers, etc. We have also successfully established Dev-Pro, a training programme for BRAC's mid-level managers. A testimonial to our success came in the form of others approaching us to conduct similar training programs for them.
Admittedly, we don't want to concentrate our involvement in the academic and professional arenas solely; we want to make a difference on a large scale. We want to be able to plan and implement programs to help people of all walks of life because we believe that language should not be a monopoly of a few groups, rather a communication mechanism for all. A sound knowledge of English holds promises of prosperity within national and international borders; and we want to catalyze the materialization of these possibilities for members from various sectors of our society.
Someone once pointed out that, "English is a funny language that explains why we park our car on the driveway and drive our car on the parkway." Despite their sporadic traces of comedy, through their ambiguities and seeming contradictions, every language functions as a cognitive lens for acquiring a clearer perception of our reality. For this reason, we had introduced Thai and Spanish at our Savar Campus, which went very well-received by the students. Having gathered assurance of demand for other languages, coupled with our appreciation for language teaching, we decided to morph into Centre for Languages (CfL) from EL-Pro. Fortunately for us, this disposition of ours is complemented by BRAC's expansion around the world.
True that language is an obvious tool for communicating thoughts and ideas, but it is also an apparent potion for establishing friendships, cultural ties, and economic relationships with people across our national border. Respecting the power of language in terms of harboring relationships, and cradling all dynamics and components of the world, vis-à-vis CfL, we want to discover, nurture, and customize our reality.