On 4 April  a virtual mock conference was organized by three Russian universities which offer T&I training programs aligned with international quality standards. These universities are Herzen’s  St. Petersburg School of Conferene Interpreting and Translation, Caspian Interpreting and Translation School from Astrakhan university, and Moscow State Linguistic University. The cooperation among these univerities started as a part of a broader program  of cooperation within international consortia  – CIUTI and MoU (Memorandum of Understanding with the UN), and we are glad that the cooperation is constatntly growing.

The conference on 4 April was devoted to the topic of child labour in the 21 century. The students were offered speeches addressing various aspects of this serious social issue. The students practised consecutive interpreting both into Russian and English. Those willing to pactise simultaneous interpreting went to the “dumb” booths. The trainers from three universities gave feedback, and it was a rare opportunty to get recommendations from other teachers than your own.

By and large, the participants were quite happy with this exchange and are resolved to continue this fruitful cooperation.