A month of Spanish was held at the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Tomsk State University. Students and faculty watched subtitled films, sang karaoke, danced bachata and mambo, and experienced the traditions and culture of Latin American countries. The events became part of the faculty’s tradition: each academic month at the Faculty of Foreign Languages is dedicated to a specific language.

The faculty building temporarily turned into a corner of Latin America decorated with a map and flags of the countries of the region, cacti, photographs of tourist  places, information posters about prominent Latin Americans.

Particular attention was drawn to the national Mexican craft – papel picado, or openwork paper flags. Students of the Faculty of Philology, who also study Spanish, held the papel picado master class and shared the history of this art.

— For the second year each academic month at the Faculty of Foreign Languages is devoted to a specific language. This year we have already ‘visited’ France, China, Italy, and in May we decided to plunge into the mysterious Latin America, – said Daria Koroleva, director of the Foreign Languages Department. – We put the perforated flags in the spirit of the national folk craft of Mexico – papel picado – in the halls of the faculty to create a special atmosphere.

The program of the month included movies in Spanish with subtitles, karaoke in Spanish and incendiary Latin American dances – bachata and mambo. Students also got acquainted with Argentina: Igor Rodikov, a graduate of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, who has been living in this country for a long time, gave a lecture to students.

This practice-based training is built into the logic of pilot educational programs. We shall remind that from September 2026, all TSU faculties will switch to new study format. The key values of this approach are close interaction with employers, involvement of partners in the educational process and maximum immersion in the professional environment.

Thus, students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages became participants in a large translation project from the publishing house “Eco-Vector”. They translated Russian-language medical articles into English so that domestic research would become available to a global scientific community.

Today, the Faculty of Foreign Languages has six pilot educational programs in two areas – Linguistics and Translation and Translation Studies. Graduates of the faculty are specialists who speak foreign languages fluently and know how to work at the intersection of cultures: translate, accompany international projects, help business and science enter foreign markets. Training lasts from 4 to 5 years.

TSU linguistic graduates are in demand in various fields: international companies, embassies, travel and transport companies, educational centers, IT corporations and government agencies. They can build a career in simultaneous translation, localization, teaching foreign languages, supporting translation and educational projects.

The main advantage of the graduates of TSU Faculty of Foreign Languages is the ability to adapt to any tasks of the employer and communication skills developed from the first year, which are mastered through practice, live dialogues and intercultural communication.