1. The Department of Foreign Languages: General Information;

2. I want to become a linguist;

3. The Main Tasks of the Department of Foreign Languages.

Exercise3. Study the resource http://esti.msu.ru/ devoted to translation school at Moscow State University and say what kind of organizations they cooperate with (organize meetings and conferences).

    Exercise 4. Answer the questions on the text.

1. What is the main educational program of the department of foreign languages?

2. How long do the students study to get bachelor’s degree?

3. In what languages is the educational process conducted?

4. What kind of universities is the department linked with?

5. What are the main areas of its activity?

6. Where can the graduates work?

7. Name the basic disciplines of the department.

8. What kind of organizations are considered to be its partners?

9.  What is included in its publishing activity?

10. Do you think it might be interesting and useful to study at the Department of Foreign Languages? Do you know someone who studies there?

Exercise 5.  Act out the following situation. You are a student of the Department of Foreign Languages. Say 10-15 sentences that illustrate the reasons why you chose this sphere or make up a dialogue with one of the students of your group.

Exercise 6.  Match the Synonyms.

department                        publishing company

organization                                faculty

publishing house               academic

potentially                         institution

full-time                             research in translation

duration                             to be closely connected

to focus on                        possibly

specialist                           continuance

potentially                         all day long

to have close ties with       to concentrate

translation studies                      professional

Exercise 7.  Match the words, denoting different spheres of science, with their definitions.

1. theory                      

2. linguistics

3. methodology

4. intercultural communication

5. culture study

a) a collection of methods, practices, procedures and rules used by those who work in some field;

b) the study of beliefs, values, behavior and material objects that constitute a people’s way of life;

c) the scientific study of language;

d) a coherent statement or set of ideas that explains observed facts or phenomena, or which sets out laws and principles of smth known or observed; a hypothesis confirmed by observation, experiment etc.;

e) the sphere of science that studies concepts or state of exchanging data or information between representatives of different cultures.

Exercise 8. Find Russian equivalents to the English words and phrases:

An educational space; a primary purpose; a language environment; a nameplate a signpost; to apply; to release; teaching staff; residents; student exchange programs; to administer international exams; initial knowledge.

табличка; подать заявку; жители; проводить международные экзамены; образовательное пространство; указатель; начальные знания; программы студенческого обмена; основная цель; выпускать; преподавательский состав; языковая среда.

Exercise 9. Read and translate the text, give it a title.

Text II

“Are You an active, young and purposeful person?! Do You love travelling and learning something new?! Then welcome to the language center «Clever» that gives unique opportunities to make new friends, discover other countries, and the most importantly – to learn a variety of languages!”

(From the Language Centre webpage)

The Language Centre "Clever" was opened in September 25, 2014 on the initiative of Tatyana Karminskaya, the Rector of Yugra State University. In connection with the growing importance of foreign languages, the role of the center is providing the language courses not only for students and university staff but also for all residents of Khanty-Mansiysk.

Its primary purpose is to offer foreign language courses. English, Chinese, Czech, Korean, French are taught now in the Language Centre but you can also choose studying German, Hungarian and Finish languages if you want to. Each separate course will start as soon as the necessary number of people for the group is collected.

The teachers of the Centre are people with higher education in Linguistics and International Studies, fluent in one of the languages offered for studying. They frequently increase their level abroad and know how the language of a country is developing and changing. The current teaching staff consists of seven people, including foreign teachers (native speakers): Ivana Vrajova (the Czech language), Marjorie Tolsdorf (Spoken English).

In addition to educational activities, the Language Center regularly hosts cultural events. For example, the Centre organizes parties devoted to studying different countries and cultures. Students take an active part in celebrating national holidays of different countries: New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, New Year according to the Eastern calendar, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, etc.

The Language Centre is making plans to create more language environment at the university by presenting the English versions of the menu in the café, nameplates, signposts, organizing “English Week”, Open lectures, etc.

Besides the educational purpose, the "Clever" advertises and gives necessary information about international student exchange programs; helps students prepare for travelling abroad, improving language skills to the required basic level. Students can choose one of the partner universities in Finland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Latvia, China, South Korea and the near abroad countries: Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine.

YuSU students take an active part in international exchange programs (China, Korea, the USA) and in English Language Summer Schools (Malta).

The center is planning to get a license to administer international exams, for example, TOEFL. Currently, the nearest test center is in Surgut where the TOEFL test is administered twice a year.

According to the head of the center, Elena Zakirova, “the best way to learn a language is to go to the country where the language is spoken: to live there, to study, to communicate; and what is even more important, to do it alone. It will help you overcome the language and psychological barriers”. Therefore, the priority focus of the Center's work is the participation of YuSU students in exchange programs: students will receive initial academic knowledge within the walls of their home university, and then study at courses in another country.

The Language Center "Clever" has an official page on the website of the YuSU (http://lingua.ugrasu.ru/). The web page provides information about the Centre, its teaching staff, schedules, prices, etc. You can even apply online. Besides, you can find the Language Center on social networks VKontakte (http://vk.com/lingua.ugrasu) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/clever_ugrasu/). Since 2018, “Clever” has been releasing informative and educational videos, which you can watch on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N00l0mJjl38).