The traditional recruitment for foreign language courses for the current academic year continues at the Department of foreign languages and linguistics of the Volga region Academy of sports and tourism. This year's innovations have not only expanded the list of languages studied: Spanish has been added to English, French and German. "We proceed from the request of the students themselves, - comments the head of the Department, Ph. D., associate Professor Venera Volchkova. – Each year is different, however, the General trend towards additional foreign language learning among students of the Academy is clearly visible. Last year, the Department released eight groups of students, one of them consisted entirely of University employees. We are also ready to provide an opportunity for everyone to learn Chinese, Arabic,and Italian. We only need a steady interest of students, since the course program differs from the main educational program that students take at the University."
Nine people were trained by teachers of the Department and passed international exams for internships at foreign universities. Recently, student-athletes who expect or have already signed contracts with foreign clubs or want to earn extra money during the holidays at foreign resort sites have also become more active. Due to the pandemic, most of these trips did not take place this year, but learning a language is a long – term investment in your own future. Today's students understand this very well.
As part of the author's course by Venera Volchkova, those who wish have the opportunity to master a business English course for ambitious undergraduates and postgraduates who want to negotiate with foreign partners, participate in international conferences,and conduct research, which today is impossible without international sources. A new direction in the Department is the training of volunteer translators. This is a great experience for beginners who, after completing the courses, can become part of an international team of major sporting events.
If we talk about studying the Tatar language, the teachers of the Department try to diversify their approaches and focus on ethno-cultural traditions. Students from other regions of Russia, more than half of whom are in the Academy, get acquainted with the language through the variable part and creative events organized at the Department and at the Academy.
Students of the Volga region Academy of sports and tourism from foreign countries also successfully master Russian as a foreign language. Traditionally, they are among the best in the Russian language Olympiad among foreign students. This year, despite the remote format of the Olympiad, senior lecturer of the Department, PhD Angela Latypova, together with the international Department of the University, organized and prepared 10 participants in the category "Near abroad". The winner of the Olympiad, despite the high competition, was a first-year student of the Academy, a representative of Uzbekistan Malik Yangurazov.