News

Master class by Liam Long, interpreter, Directorate General for Interpretation, European Commission

7 December 2015|

From 11 – 13 November, SCIT hosted Liam Long, an experienced interpreter and trainer from the Directorate General for Interpretation, European Commission. The master-classes were timed to coincide with the introduction of simultaneous interpretation at SCIT and aimed at developing basic skills in simultaneous interpreting. Each day was filled with intensive practice, the students spending up to five hours in class either interpreting or undertaking  other tasks, such as making presentations, learning to evaluate and give constructive feedback on their peers’ performances. No doubt, working under the supervision of an accomplished SCIC interpreter has given the students new impetus to master the interpreting profession.

Master classes of Mikhail Kuzmenko, Senior Reviser of RTS/UNOG

2 December 2015|

On 26 October – 13 November a series of master classes by Mikhail Kuzmenko, Senior Reviser of the Russian Translation Section, UN Office at Geneva, took place at the SCIT. His mission was to acquaint the students with the specifics of work at the United Nations, help them acquire hands-on experience of translating UN documents and prepare them for national competitive examinations for translators and editors. For three weeks the students translated and analyzed UN texts and studied institutional terminology. At the end of the training the students translated two official UN documents taken from the current workflow followed by feedback on mistakes and inaccuracies.

SCIT participates in the Translating Europe Forum 2015

11 November 2015|

On 29-30 October, SCIT Deputy Director Angelique Antonova took part in the Translating Europe Forum 2015.

This annual event was organized by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Translation and brought together all sides of the European family of translation. This year’s Forum was all about young people in translation. It brought forward ideas, projects, experiences and new approaches in translation. The Forum covered a range of translation-related areas, from localization at Google, translation of videogames, subtitling online courses, multilingual app development and much more.

It also offered plenty opportunities for networking.

https://www.facebook.com/translatingforeurope/

First VC with the European Parliament

9 November 2015|

On 23 October SCIT had the first virtual conference with the European Parliament. The working languages were Russian, English and French. The students interpreted speeches about dieting and opinion polls in the consecutive mode with notetaking. The students coped well with the challenge. Observers from the European Parliament were satisfied with the result and did not point to any serious shortcomings in accuracy or completeness. The students are unanimous that the conference was useful – it was a good chance to test their ability under stress and a good challenge.

Master classes of Brian Gentle, EC interpreter

19 October 2015|

On 7 – 9 October SCIT hosted Brian Gentle, EC interpreter.  The objective of his mission was to introduce the basics of interpreting note-taking. With a month of active memory training behind, the trainees are now allowed to use notes. Guided by the expert, the students set to develop their own system of note-taking. Despite a voice problem, Brian Gentle managed to actively engage the students in work and conduct a series of English master-classes for each group, and a German class. Our guest’s professionalism and friendly attitude inspired the trainees in their determined efforts to improve their interpretation skills.

 

International Translation Day at SCIT

2 October 2015|

On 30 September SCIT trainers and students celebrated their professional day – the International Translation Day. A meeting with Yuri Lebedev, a retired lieutenant-colonel, historian and translator of military memoirs, set the festive mood for the day. Students and trainers from the Institute of Foreign Languages and SCIT came together at the Plenary Hall of the Herzen University Club to meet with the guest. Dmitry Boikov, Vice Rector for International Affairs, congratulated the participants on the occasion and spoke about the important role of language mediators in achieving cultural understanding. Vladimir Khodyrev, President of the North-West Transport Union and a member of the SCIT Board of Gaurdians speaking at the meeting stressed the national flagship role of language mediators at international gatherings. Tatiana Yudina, Head of IFL Translation Department, greeted the students and wished them professional achievements.

Yuri Lebedev told the participants about his professional evolution, from a sailor in the Baltic Fleet to a member of the Soviet Military Mission at the Soviet Embassy in Poland. He elaborated on his interest in the military history and memoirs, spoke about his public work. A vivid life story speckled with humour and illustrated by photos generated keen interest and questions from the audience.

As the tradition goes, the day ended with a party and potpourris of songs, jokes and quizzes.

Day of Knowledge at SCIT

2 September 2015|

On 1 September the St Petersburg School of Conference Interpreting and Translation opened its door to the new students. The Day of Knowledge was full of events: a lecture of SCIT Director Irina Alexeeva was followed by a meeting with Vladimir Yakunin. Vladimir Yakunin holds a Doctor’s degree in Political Science, and he is Chairman of the Board of Guardians for the National Glory Center and St. Andrew Pervozvany Fund, and  President of the World Public Forum “Dialogue of Civilizations”.  In Herzen’s Armour Hall he gave a lecture on Modern Russia: Looking for its Own Way and Development Strategies and took questions from the audience.

At SCIT First Vice-Rector Sergey Goncharov and Vice-Rector for International Affairs Dmitry Boikov welcomed the trainees. The ceremony was also attended by the School administration, faculty and graduates. Happy School Year, dear Students!

“A Practicum in Simultaneous Interpretation”, seminar by Andrei Falaleyev

22 July 2015|

From July 6-17, 2015, the St. Petersburg School of Conference Interpreting and Translation in St. Petersburg hosted a seminar led by Mr. Andrei Falaleyev titled, “A Practicum in Simultaneous Interpretation”. The seminar lasted two weeks, during which time two groups of students each worked with Mr. Falaleyev for four hours per day. As an instructor, Andrei set himself apart in his utmost professionalism, in his eagerness to help, and in both his desire and his ability to share his vast professional experience with his colleagues. These qualities, in combination with one-on-one interactions with Mr. Falaleyev, left the participants feeling that the course was an extremely rewarding experience, both personally and professionally. The skills and abilities which Andrei develops in his students will, without a doubt, play a key role in students’ further confident growth in the profession, helping to overcome difficulties and fears, and broadening the horizons of professional growth.

We sincerely hope that the School and Andrei will continue to maintain close ties, both professionally and personally, for years to come.

Diploma Awarding Ceremony at SCIT

7 July 2015|

On 1 July 2015 a diploma awarding ceremony to the 2015 SCIT graduates took place in the Mariinsky Hall, Herzen University. It was attended by Evgeniy Grigoriev, Chaiman of the Committee for External Relations in the Government of St. Petersburg, Clade Durand, Head of Unit for Multilingualism and Interpreter Training Support at DG SCIC, European Commission, Noël Muylle, Honorary Director General of the European Commission, Alexander Gorelik, Director of the UN Information Center in Moscow, and other distinguished guests. Irina Alexeeva, SCIT director, gave a report on the results of 2014-2015 academic year. Rector Valery Solomin addressed the graduates with a valedictory speech, Vice-Rector Sergey Goncharov and SCIT Director Irina Alexeeva also wished the graduates success in professional and personal life. Partners from international organizations and business circles greeted the graduates.

Thanks to the help from the Board of Guardians, the festivities continued with a boat trip along the Neva River and the graduates’ sketch performance at SCIT.

Final Exams at SCIT

7 July 2015|

From 22 to 26 June 2015 SCIT held a week of final examinations. Traditionally, the final exams were attended by observers from international organizations and partner-universities: Brian Gentle, a most experienced interpreter, represented DG SCIC, EC, a translator Jowita Gogolewska represented DGT EC, and Ian Newton, FTI trainer and interpreter for ILO, acted as an observer from Geneva University. Over five days the strict examination board assessed the students’ performance in translation and interpreting. Overall, one graduate earned the category «B» with English; the rest earned the combination «А»-«С»-«С» in their respective languages. Fourteen students received Herzen university diplomas, five of them were students from Kazakhstan, who studied under the Intergovernmental Foundation for Educational, Scientific and Cultural Cooperation (IFESCCO) grant agreement. Our congratulations to the graduates!