St Petersburg University and partners to open Centre for Intercultural Adaptation and Industry-Specific Translation
Partnership agreements with Gazprom Corporate Institute and the Centre for Intercultural Communications signed at the St Petersburg International Scientific and Educational Salon enable the University to launch a new educational clinic. This clinic will provide students with hands-on opportunities to improve their translation and interpreting skills.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, emphasised the University’s commitment to expanding its educational collaborations. Notably, St Petersburg University has a long-standing partnership with Gazprom, through which they have developed and implemented numerous projects across various fields. In 2024, this collaboration led to the establishment of the Advanced Engineering School "Interdisciplinary Research, Technologies and Business Processes for the Mineral Resources and Raw Materials Sector of Russia" at St Petersburg University. The School, created in conjunction with Gazprom Neft and other partners, aims to train highly qualified engineers whose achievements will contribute to Russia’s technological sovereignty. By partnering with high-tech companies, they will develop new products and solutions for the mineral sector.
The University’s interests and activities are vast and varied, and we rely on active, reliable partners to implement our wide range of academic programmes. Today, we are delighted to sign an agreement with Gazprom Corporate Institute. We anticipate that this collaboration will span numerous areas and provide our students with real-world assignments from our partners during their clinical internships.
Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University
Signing this agreement marks a significant step towards establishing the Centre for Intercultural Adaptation and Industry-Specific Translation at our University. The new clinic will enable students to gain practical skills in translation and interpreting, said Svetlana Rubtsova, Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at St Petersburg University.
"During the Economic Congress of the 6th International Municipal BRICS Forum, I participated in the roundtable held by the Union of Translators of Russia, where I shared some insights on the current landscape of translator training," said Svetlana Rubtsova. "A crucial aspect of this training is collaboration with businesses and employers. Aspiring translators should commence practical work while still studying. We are confident that through collaboration with our partners our plans to establish a new educational clinic for translators and interpreters will come to fruition."
The agreement with Gazprom Corporate Institute — a private educational institution implementing a wide range of continuing professional development programmes — encompasses collaboration in research, education, and consulting.
Master’s students from St Petersburg University will gain access to internship programmes at the company. In turn, experts from Gazprom Corporate Institute will be able to participate in the work of teaching methodology committees, methodology councils and councils of academic programmes implemented at St Petersburg University. Additionally, the partners will collaborate to organise conferences, seminars, and roundtables, as well as launch joint projects.
"The year 2024 has been a significant milestone for both our institutions: St Petersburg University celebrates its 300th anniversary, while Gazprom Corporate Institute marks three decades of operation. For over five years, we have been headquartered in this magnificent city on the Neva River. Since 2016, we have been addressing the critical need to train employees in foreign languages here in St Petersburg. Our primary and most valued partner in this endeavour has been St Petersburg University, which has shouldered the substantial task of language training for hundreds of our employees. We are extremely pleased with this collaboration," said Alexander Pechenkin, Director of Gazprom Corporate Institute.
St Petersburg University’s partners also include the Centre for Intercultural Communications, which supplies simultaneous interpreters and protocol translators for Russia’s largest international forums and events hosted by various governmental ministries and committees. Viktoriia Shantora, the Centre’s Director General, noted that their collaboration with the University began prior to the official contract signing. For example, this year, St Petersburg University’s master’s students worked at the St Petersburg International Gas Forum. Viktoriia Shantora shared her pride in formalising their partnership with the University, renowned for its world-class education, and looked forward to welcoming St Petersburg University interns at all major Russian forums.
In collaboration with the Centre for Intercultural Communications, St Petersburg University will develop new academic programmes, courses, and disciplines designed for employer-sponsored, practice-oriented training of specialists for work in various professional fields. Representatives from the Centre will serve on state examination committees, propose topics for term projects and graduation projects, and offer academic supervision and peer review. Additionally, the Centre’s experts will help to review St Petersburg University’s academic and methodological documentation to ensure it meets professional standards, qualification requirements, and labour market needs, providing recommendations for improvement.