News

SCIT strengthens ties with MGIMO

17 April 2023|

From 12 to 15 April SCIT trainers, represented by Deputy Director Angelique Antonova and  Professor Liang Cuizhen, gave a sewres of master classes in consecutive interpreting from Chinese and English for the students of the MGIMO Department of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Laotian languages.  SCIT specialists spoke about the methods of teaching consecutive interpreting practiced at SCIT. The Department Chair Olga Maslovets noted that such exchange of good practices and training tips is very useful and contributes immensely to boosting the trainers’ professional expertise.

Also Angelique Antonova and Liang Cuizhen held a meeting with Kirill Barsky, Chair of the Department of Diplomacy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, MFA Ambassador at large (2018 till present),  Russia’s Ambassador in Thailand and Russia’s Representative in ESCAP in Bangkok (2014-2018). Mr. Barsky confirmed  that the efforts to increase the number of language specialists with Chinese are very well-timed. Today, when the vector of political activities slants to the East, securing effective communication between nations becomes of primary importance.

We hope that the master classes from SCIT trainers in MGIMO will become a good tradition, and the ranks of interpreters with Chinese will effectively grow!

SCIT aptitude tests for 2023-2024 are over

24 March 2023|

From 13 to 23 March SCIT  held aptitude tests for the next academic year. To enable larger numbers of potential applicants to participate the tests were held in the distant mode via Herzen’s Moodle learning platform and Examus proctoring system. All participants could choose a convenient time slot depending on their time zone. The examination borad included SCIT trainers and observers from international organizations. We thank Kirill Kasyanov, Head of the Russian interpretation section in UNON, for his expertise and substantial contribution to our joint work.

We are happy that the applicants with Chinese showed good results, and we will have a group with the Chinese language next year! Also, the training will be done for the language combinations EN-FR, EN-SP, EN-DE.

Our congratulations to the successful applicants!

Master-classes of interpreter Andrey Falaleyev

9 March 2023|

On 9 March  SCIT students had a master-class with Andrey Falaleyev, a renown interpreter and trainer. Andrey enjoys an impeccable reputation in the professional circles, he is a professional with 30 years of experience, active AIIC member, he has worked with famous global companies, international organizations, state authorities in Russia and the USA, interpreted at all the Olympics starting from 1984.  Andrey is an experienced trainer for sim and consec (DLI, MIIS) and author of many interpretation manuals.

Andrey Falaleyev’s master class consisted of two parts: the first part was acquaintance. Our guest told the students about his professional way, about the personal qualities neccessary for an interpreter, and peppered his stories with anecdotes from his professional life. His own example illustrated some strategies and know-hows for handling potentially difficult professional situations.  The second part of the master class was given to exercise. The students in the booths practiced simultaneous interpreting and in the same breath received feedback. Andrey also described some effective techniques of interpreter (self)training and explained how his manuals can be used for this purpose.

Students from Herzen’s T&I Department also attended the master class.

We thank Andrey for the master-class and hope to have more meetings soon!

SCIT students meet Kirill Kazakov

1 March 2023|

On 1 March SCIT students met Kirill Kazakov, an experienced interpreter, former MFA staff interpreter1 and SCIT graduate. Kirill had a full-fledged class with the students: he shared some useful interpretation strategies, gave examples of dealing with difficulties in interpretation, gave exercises to practice interpreting from English into Russian and retour.   On the whole, it was a productive and efficient meeting, and we thank Kirill for making it happen.

Стажировка слушателей и выпускников ВШП в Отделении ООН в Вене

13 February 2023|

For three years the UN offices around the world ceased to offer internship programs due to the covid-19 restrictions.  Now we are happy to announce that the internships have been resumed, and seven SCIT students and graduates gathered in the heart of Europe in Vienna to study at UNOV. The internship was carried out within the 60th session of the COPOUS Scientific and Technical subcommittee.

The intensive internship program kept the students busy since dawn till dusk: they had lectures and master-classes, worked in dumb booths, interpreted the speeches of the subcommittee members, took relay from other interpreters, prepared and learnt glossaries. Noteworthy that all of the students were very enthusiastic and full of desire to grow.

We are immensely thankful to all colleagues in the interpretation and translation sections at UNOV, who gave a lot of their time and energy to teach the interns: Marianna Matakova, Head of the UNOV Interpretation Section, Igor Soloviev, Head of the Russian booth at UNOV,  and interpreter Nikolay Telnov, gave a series of master-classes and seminars in institutional interpretation and generously shared their experience. They gave valuable feedback on the students’ performance and practical advice on preparation for the UN competitive language exams which are scheduled for this coming July.  Master classes were also given by Sergey Tyurin, Russian translator at UNOV, and interpreters Sergey Nagradov and Olga Mostinskaya. We are glad that foreign colleages also took part in the training: Alice Rickmans, interpeter from the French booth, gave a class in French interpretation. The interns did some distant work, too – the teaching program was complemented by the master-classes of Anna Chevrieux, interpreter from UNON and UN coodinator for  Herzen University within MoU Agreement.

We are sure that such internship programs give valuable experienec and serve as a strong motivating factor for interpreters in the making. Now SCIT students know first hand that employment at international organizations is a real possibility for the ambitious and hardworking youth.

SCIT resumes cooperation with WIPO

13 January 2023|

For several years now SCIT maintains close ties with WIPO. Our graduates work full-time in the WIPO Translation section and TErminology section, and for two years our interns  have joined the WIPO team on the terminological base WIPO Pearl as a part of their translation project. In 2021, for example, they contributed to the terminological base on orthodonty and stomatology, and in 2022the project was devoted to the terminology of geochemistry.

The projects are supervised by SCIT trainers and graduated employed by WIPO either permanently or temporarily. WIPO published the results of the project work for the last year, and cooperation with Herzen university was duly mentioned: https://www.wipo.int/reference/ru/wipopearl/news/2023/news_0001.html

The example of the term description for the terminological base can be viewed here: https://wipopearl.wipo.int/ru/fullrecord/34798.

We hope that the joint projects of SCIT students and WIPO terminological service will continue. The agreement of cooperation in 2023 has been reached, and now the project supervisors choose the subject area for work.  Still, regardless of the choice, the terminological practice in the international organization will be very useful for the SCIT students and will equip them with necessary skills.

SCIT takes part in the meeting of the MoU members at the UN Information Centre in Moscow

17 December 2022|

UN Information Center in Moscow organized a traditional meeting of the universities – memebrs of the MoU network.  25 representatives of various organizations – MFA of Russia, UNHQ, UNOV, UNOG, FAO, ESCAP and representatives of partner universities took part in this mixed format meeting. SCIT was represented by Director Irina Alexeeva and Deputy Director Angelique Antonova.

The guests were welcomed by Vladimir Kuznetsov, UN Center Director. Mikhail Barilovich, Deputy Director of the MFA Department of Linguistic Support, spoke about the new tendencies and prospects in interpreters’ work in the Russian MFA. Heads of the UN linguistic services and representaties of FAO and ESCAP joined the discussion and shared their vision of how to maximize the effectiveness of MoU, what forms of work need fostering in the cooperation of the MoU universities and international organizations. University representatives presented their reports of the activities carried under the MoU in 2020-2022. All present were genuinely involved in  the discussions and took an active part in planning the activities for the next year.

SCIT graduates’ success at Cosines Pi

15 December 2022|

On 12 December the final stage of the  Cosines Pi International Contest of Conference Interpreters was held. SCIT graduates took part in three nominations, and the results are quite satisfying: 1 place in the nomination Consecutive. Professional (English) was awarded to Anastasia Shchepetkova. 2 place in the nomination Simultaneous. Potential (English) was awarded to Elvira Kurmasheva, and 1 place in the nomination Simultaneous. Potential (Spanish) was awarded to Valentina Bobacheva.  They all graduated from SCIT in 2022. We are happy to congratulate the winners and wish them a successful and gratifying professional life!

7-9 December: SCIT takes part in the MSLU conference

7 December 2022|

From  7 to 9 December Moscow State Linguistic University holds a scientific and research conference with the international participation on Translation as profession, science and art. The conference is organized to mark the 80-th  anniversary of the Translation and Interpreting department.  Mounting such a big-scale academic event proves the topicality and popularity of the T&I topic in Russia and provides a furum for a fruitful exchange of valuable academic experiences among the T&I professionals, which eventually contributes to the high level of T&I training in all universities across the country. SCIT is represented by Angelique Antonova, deputy director. On 8 December she gives her presentation on the Continuous quality assurance in the process of T&I training .

SCIT continues cooperation with UN

6 December 2022|

SCIT continues to organize master-classes and meetings within the frame of its cooperation with the UN language services. On 1 November SCIT students had a meeting with Anastasia Gavrilina, a former SCIT trainer and graduate, and currently a staff translator at the Russian translation section at UNOG. Anastasia is well aware of the topics which present interest for the SCIT students, and she specifically addressed those issues in her talk. Thus, she spoke about the specificity of the UN translation, her work experience at this organization, the content of the UN  competitive exams for translation services and possible pitfalls. Also, Anastasia held a training session with the students.

On 14 November the series continued with Anna Brechalova, SCIT graduate and a contracted interpreter at the UN Scretariat at UNHQ in New York.  Anna gave valuable advice regarding the organization and paperwork for the UN competitive exams for interpretation services, gave clues about the training techniques. Also she shared her experiences of working as a top interpreter at the Russian MFA. The meeting was held via Zoom.