On the 250th anniversary of the founding of Lomonosov Moscow State University in 2005, the university president, in accordance with the decision of the Academic Council, created a new department: The Higher School of Translation and Interpreting
Already by the first round of graduates in 2010, according to expert assessments of higher education quality, the Higher School of Translation at MSU was listed among the 40 most prestigious institutes and faculties of university translation and interpreting programs in the world, becoming a member of the Permanent International Council of University Translation Training Institutes (CIUTI), along with the oldest translation and interpreting schools in Geneva, Paris, London, Vienna, Brussels, Monterey, and Shanghai.
In 2010 the Higher School of Translation at MSU became an associate member of the oldest and most authoritative international Association of professional translators – the international Federation of Translators (FIT), as well as a member of the Union of Russian Translators.
During the same year, based on a memorandum of mutual understanding between the United Nations and MSU, the Higher School of Translation and Interpreting started training translators based on programs developed in agreement with the UN language services.
The main goal of the Higher School of Translation and Interpreting is to educate and train professionals who are fully competent in the principles and practice of translation and interpreting. Furthermore, the department seeks to train researcher specialists in the field of translation theory, history and methodology to work both within the country and abroad.
In accordance with the curriculum, students will receive instruction in:
One of the specialties of the faculty is its training of professionally qualified interpreters in both simultaneous and consecutive interpretation as well as film, video, scientific and technical translation – all of which are a mandatory part of the curriculum.
The Higher School of Translation and Interpreting offers programs in the following language combinations:
Our students will gain, as a minimum, professional-level skills in the translation and interpreting of two of the above language combinations.
Furthermore, students may supplement their education with classes in Arabic, Greek, Italian, Korean, Turkish and Japanese.
The faculty also offers training in translation and interpreting of Russian for international students with a native language other than Russian.
Graduates of the department work across the political, economic, legal, cultural and educational sectors, particularly in leading international organizations, non-governmental intergovernmental structures and national and multinational corporations and companies.
Classes in the department are taught by MSU professors and teachers, as well as highly qualified specialists of translation theory and practice from other Moscow-based universities, who both have extensive experience in the fields of oral, written, scientific, technical, socio-political and artistic translation.
The Higher School of Translation and Interpreting offers a range of study and degree options:
Specialist program in Translation/Interpreting and Translation Studies
Duration: 6 years
Tuition fee: 430,000 RUB annually
Bachelor’s degree in linguistics
Duration: 4 years
Tuition fee: 430,000 RUB annually
Duration: 2 years
Tuition fee: 430,000 RUB annually
Those with a completed secondary school (high school) education are eligible to apply to the bachelor's and specialist’s degree programs. In order to apply to the master's degree program one must have completed either a bachelor's or specialist degree
Upon completion of their studies, graduates are awarded both a Russian and English diploma from Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Form of Study – full time, taught on campus
The Higher School of Translation and Interpreting collaborates with the language services of the UN, The Russian Foreign Ministry, Russian news outlets TASS and Russia Today and top translation agencies. Furthermore, the department works with a range of international associations such as the International Association of Translators, Translation Teachers and Researchers (FIT, CIUTI, AIIC, CEPTET, etc.) and also with universities specializing in the training of professional translators and interpreters including universities in: Russia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Britain, Germany, Greece, Spain, Kazakhstan, China, South Korea:, Lebanon, New Zealand, Poland, USA, France, Switzerland and Japan. These partnerships allow the department to provide successful students with training internships and wide employment opportunities after graduation.
The Higher School of Translation and Interpreting at Lomonosov Moscow State University considers hands-on practical training the most important part of its translation or interpreting education programs. The main goal of the practical training is to provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to be a successful translator and/or interpreter.
Students gain practical experience working in the translation departments of government agencies and commercial organizations, information agencies, film festivals, theaters, international conferences, travel agencies and translation agencies. Between the 2014-2017 academic terms students of the faculty had the opportunity to complete internships in Russian new outlets TASS and “Rossiya Sevognya”, television company Russia Today, translation agencies Neotek and “Janus”, and the Moscow Department of Culture.
For information about the department's partnerships with professional organizations, please visit this web page.
Graduates of the Higher School of Translation and Interpreting and graduates of other universities who are interested in scientific research in the areas of theory, history, the methodology of translation and comparative studies of languages and cultures, have the opportunity to continue their studies at the graduate school of translation in the specialty 45.06.01 — Linguistics and literary studies (with a main focus of "Comparative-historical, typological and comparative linguistics" (10.02.20)).
The Higher School of Translation and Interpreting offers an additional qualification program in translation and Interpretation in professional interactions Duration: up to 2 years. Students holding a bachelor's degree many apply for admission to the program. Form of Study – taught on campus (evening classes). Tuition fees apply.
As part of the ‘Translation and Interpretation in professional interactions’ program a short-term specialization course in interpretation at international conferences (simultaneous interpretation) is offered. The course duration is 3 months.
Form of Study – taught on campus (evening classes). Tuition fees apply.
The Higher School of Translation and Interpreting offers a an international program Didactics of translation and interpreting for teachers of translation and interpreting which is offered with the participation and patronage of the Permanent international Council of University Translation Training Institutes (CIUTI). Form of Study – taught on campus and available via distance-learning, Course duration: 72 hours
In addition to their diploma, students have the opportunity to gain additional education certificates in “teaching Russian as a foreign language” and “Conference-interpreter (simultaneous interpreter)”.
