Greece learns Russian
Russian is stirring more and more interest among Greek. Those who are eager to take TORFL during SPbU sessions in Greece have increased several times.
“Last year there were 133 test-takers, while there are 261 test-takers only in the first half of the year, — said Acting Director of the SPbU Language testing Centre Dmitrii Ptiushkin. — TORFL is on the rise: this year we had an additional winter testing session in Salonika, the first one in history. There were 68 test-takers in winter, while in summer 193 from 13 regions in Greece”.
“From one hand, no wonder: Greek has always been interested in studying foreign languages, and Russian is not an exception, — said Acting Director of the SPbU Language testing Centre Dmitrii Ptiushkin. — On the other hand, during the last 10 years the test was not properly organized in Greece. The test-takers were satisfied how we organized the test. They told about it to their friends, and the number of the test-takers consequently increased by two and a half times this summer. Many of them have already taken other international tests, Cambridge English or TOEIC, an told that how SPbU holds TORFL is on a par with them”.
SPbU has partners to hold the test in Greece: Athens, Corinth, Alexandroupolis, and Heraklion. The Language Testing Centre regularly holds seminars and webinars for those who teach Russian as a foreign language.
Studying Russian is gaining momentum in Greece — and the tourism is not the only sphere where it is popular. If you have TORFL certificate, you have a bonus when applying for a job or studying at any Greek university. Besides, you must get the TORFL certificate, if you are planning to study in Russia, for short-term courses as well.
SPbU also held a test of Russian in everyday communication for pupils. The test is developed by SPbU and designed for bilingual children in various countries. “We want children who have basic knowledge of Russian to master their Russian. So, the test is a great help. You get a certificate which prove your level of Russian and you are more inclined to know it in depth”, — said Dmitrii Ptuishkin. This test has been already taken by as many as 200 children and teenagers around the world: Greece, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Poland, and Italy.