The Faculty of Foreign Languages of Tomsk State University, together with Wuhan University (China), held a series of events for students. They were dedicated to the traditions of China: students made videos, listened to open lectures, participated in language games and master classes. Such kind of training helps to immerse in the language environment fr om the first year of studies.
The events became part of the Faculty’s tradition. Each academic month at the Faculty of Foreign Languages is dedicated to the language of a particular country. As part of the immersion in the culture of China, the educational program was organized jointly with the Institute of Foreign Languages and Literature of Wuhan University. Students participated in a video competition, listened to open lectures, made thematic posters, and competed in language and board games tournaments.
— We believe an important component of the learning process is the creation of a foreign language environment, wh ere students learn all the subtleties of the culture of the studied languages and learn to broadcast the values of the Russian-speaking culture, – said Olga Nagel, dean of TSU Faculty of Foreign Languages. – Language is revealed through activities and cultural artifacts, so such aspects should be regularly present in educational practices. 250 students of the Faculty took part in the video competition. In their stories, they shared stories about Tomsk State University, their faculty and about Tomsk in Chinese language. We selected the 25 best works, sent them to Wuhan University and received a response video from China.
According to Olga Nagel, such training is built into the logic of pilot educational programs, which TSU is constantly improving to meet the real needs of the market. The key priority is practice-based learning, close interaction with employers and the involvement of partners in the study process. Partnership with foreign universities is an important step in the development of international cooperation.
— Due to training in pilot programs, students have more practice: they begin to take it from the first year, – explained Olga Nagel. – Chinese students, and there are about 60 of them at the Faculty, can act as language consultants and teaching assistants: help Russian students master phonetics and vocabulary, remove the psychological barrier and make speech more natural. This is a bilateral mutually beneficial learning format: Russian students get access to living speech, and Chinese students get the opportunity to leave their group and establish contacts with the representatives of the culture of the language they study.
The TSU Faculty of Foreign Languages is implementing six pilot programs in two areas: Linguistics and Translation and Translation Studies. The Faculty trains specialists who are fluent in languages and know how to work at the intersection of cultures: translate, manage projects, help business and science enter foreign markets. Training terms – from 4 to 5 years.
The geography and employment opportunities of the Faculty’s graduates are quite wide: they are in demand in international companies, embassies, travel and transport companies, academic centers, IT corporations and government agencies. The professional trajectory of the Faculty’s graduates may be applied in such areas as simultaneous translation, localization, teaching foreign languages, managing translation and educational projects.
The key advantage of the Faculty’s graduates is the ability to adapt to any request of the employer and strong communication skills that student develop from the first year through practice, live dialogues and intercultural communication.
— The translation market is very competitive, – added Irina Temnikova, program manager for Translation and Translation Studies. – Students receive fundamental linguistic education, due to which they can solve professional problems of different levels and in different locations. We prepare mobile students, because when you work with a language, it is always a thirst for a new culture, new sensations, travel.
The Faculty is actively developing partnerships with universities in China, including Shenyang, Wuhan and Harbin. Together, the universities plan to expand cooperation both online and offline, as well as organize preparatory courses for future students from China and immersion courses for Russian students in China.
Currently, a group of students of the program Technological Planning and Implementation of Translation Projects of TSU Faculty of Foreign Languages is preparing for an annual trip to China within a network training program with Shenyang Polytechnic University.
— The partnership with Shenyang University was another step in the development of international cooperation and a practice-based approach to teaching the language and translation profession. We are serious about the interaction of our universities and are constantly looking for opportunities for the integration of educational formats and practices, – said Tatyana Antonova, head of the network program.