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.