Students and teachers of St Petersburg University are among the winners of the first season of the League of Lecturers contest
Among the winners of the first season of the League of Lecturers contest are: Nikolai Andreev, Assistant Lecturer in the Department of German Philology at St Petersburg University teacher; and Iulia Iankina, a second-year master's student in the Linguistic Fundamentals of Editing and Criticism programme. The contest is organised by the Russian Society ‘Znanie’.
Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Society ‘Znanie’, presented the winners with awards – symbolic cubes made of shungite – and thanked all participants for their teaching work. In his speech, he also specified that the winner will receive a grant of half a million roubles for education and development of their educational activities.
'I think that everyone in this room is well aware that in order to really engage young people, children, the younger generation, in something you need to be passionate about it yourself. It is not about imparting a set of knowledge – it is about imparting emotions, your own commitment and passion', said Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Society ‘Znanie’.
Over 2,500 applicants from all over the country applied for the competition. 500 reached the semi-finals and 100 lecturers became finalists. Only 50 people received the title of winner. Among them were the University lecturers: Nikolai Andreev, a teacher and simultaneous interpreter; and Iulia Iankina, a master's student.
All my lectures within the 'League of Lecturers' were dedicated to the topic that I am most concerned about – the future of translation and the translation profession. It seems to me that the conversation on this topic should not be just between colleagues: our often invisible profession needs to be shown to the world in order to dispel misconceptions, shape the right expectations and explain why it is too early to write off living translators and interpreters.
Nikolai Andreev, Assistant Lecturer at St Petersburg University
The 'League of Lecturers' is a contest for educators in which anyone can try their hand as a lecturer, improve their public speaking skills and find their audience. The contest consists of four stages. Passing through them, one can gain: the title of ‘Znanie’ lecturer; a hundred of bespoke tours to unique places; and the opportunity to make regular appearances at the best venues in the country as part of the activities of the ‘Znanie’ Society.
A recording of the awards ceremony is available here.