St Petersburg University opens Translation Practice Centre for Asian and African Languages

At the opening ceremony, Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, highlighted the importance of young specialists understanding real-world work processes even before starting their first job. "During their time at the University, students should acquire not only academic knowledge but also practical skills that will benefit both the University and society," she stressed. "This can be achieved by tackling real-world tasks set by employers in genuine work conditions."

Marina Lavrikova pointed out an additional benefit of internships in a clinical format: enhanced student motivation. Students who participate in these internship programmes tend to be more eager to study theoretical subjects, as they gain firsthand insight into their relevance and practical applications. 

Alexey Rodionov, Senior Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Asian and African Studies and Professor in the Department of Chinese Philology at St Petersburg University, said that 62 Asian and African languages are currently taught at the University. Two more languages, Somali and Kazakh, are soon to be added to this list. "The launch of the Translation Practice Centre will give our students practical translation experience under near-real-world conditions," said Professor Rodionov. "We anticipate strong demand from partner organisations, as students will offer their services at no cost to clients."

The Translation Practice Centre for Asian and African Languages opened in the year marking the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University and the 170th anniversary of the establishment of the Faculty of Oriental Languages. Previously, in 2017, the University established the St Petersburg University Social Translation Centre, which focuses on interpreting and translating European languages, including English, Spanish, German, French, Finnish, and Hungarian.

Inga Ibrakhim, Head of the Translation Practice Centre for Asian and African Languages and Associate Professor in the Department of Japanese Studies at St Petersburg University, shared that the pilot project for the translation practice clinic was implemented earlier this spring. "We started with our Japanese studies students, who demonstrated their ability to produce high-quality translations, complete orders, and serve as experts," she said. "Beginning this week, students in Chinese Studies programmes will commence their translation practice at the Museum of the Military Medical Academy. They want our interns to translate their catalogue into Chinese and create an audio guide." Ms Ibrakhim added, "Our centre’s mission is to help students find their place in the profession and determine if it is the right fit for them." 

According to Mariia Dorokhina, Head of the Placement and Career Services at St Petersburg University, internships in a clinical format enable students to build a comprehensive portfolio and craft a CV by graduation, which they can send directly to potential employers. She also mentioned that since 2022, the University has operated the St Petersburg University Career Centre that supports students’ professional development at all stages of their studies. 

The opening ceremony also featured the signing of agreements with representatives of employers who will offer the University students the chance to gain practical translation experience.

We are happy to help students secure meaningful and engaging internships, with top performers being recognised and rewarded with further cooperation opportunities. Translating a text is no longer a challenge, as modern technology has addressed this for us. However, ensuring that your message is accurately understood across the globe requires a true professional.

Igor Pavlov, Deputy CEO of the Roscongress Foundation, Director of the Eastern Economic Forum, graduate of St Petersburg University

Anastasiia Mikhalchenko, a St Petersburg University graduate and Director of the Economic Development Agency of the Leningrad Region, is willing to engage intern translators specialising in economics. "Given Russia’s current pivot to the East, many companies require specialists in Eastern languages," she said. ‘Beyond translation, understanding regional business cultures is of paramount importance to us. For instance, when negotiating with Chinese partners, business cards are exchanged at the end of meetings and should be held with both hands. Additionally, you should avoid using the colour green in product presentations. These details comprise the expert knowledge highly sought-after in today’s job market,’ Anastasiia Mikhalchenko told the students. 

Svetlana Koroleva, Director of the Pushkin Special Central Children’s Library in St Petersburg, is seeking translators of children’s literature. "Translators help us explore and better understand the world by translating literature into various languages and explaining their meanings," she said. "Our library houses a unique collection, 'The World’s Best Children’s Books', featuring publications in 60 languages, including rare African dialects. There are only seven such book collections in the world. We would be delighted if intern translators from St Petersburg University could help our young readers dive into this world."

The clinical approach in education is a distinctive methodology that prepares specialists highly sought-after on the labour market. Every year, around 3,000 students work on over 200 cases and process more than 5,000 queries.

Sergei Smolyakov, Director of Hyperion Publishing House, shared that the publishing house has specialised in translating literary fiction from Eastern languages into Russian for approximately 30 years and is keen to collaborate with aspiring literary translators.