Russia has always been active in international trade, but in recent years its integration into the world market has been taking place with such intensity that many business analysts predict that by 2020, literally every serious commercial company will not be able to operate effectively without a full-time linguist.
Knowledge of 1–2 foreign languages is a priori a competitive advantage in employment. Plus, the modern market for online collaboration opens up vast horizons for the independent activity of the linguist specification carrier.
All this determines the great interest of future specialists in linguistic education. The advantage of this choice is that the entrance examinations of most Moscow universities remain more than loyal to applicants.
Admission to the Faculty of Linguistics at our university is no exception. To enroll, a future student only needs to pass at least 3 exams:
- Russian language (basic exam determined by the Federal Supervision Service for Education, passing score – 36);
- specialized foreign language (the Ministry of Education offers a choice of 4 options - English, Spanish, French, German, minimum - 22 points);
- social studies (42 points).
In recent years, the average total score of prestigious universities that train linguists has remained within the minimum level established by State Standards, +10–20%. The average threshold score for the 2016 Unified State Exam for linguists was 100–114 points. The maximum threshold is 214–250 points (largest philological universities).
Our University offers favorable admission conditions. You can find out the updated minimum for admission to the Faculty of Linguistics from members of the admissions committee. There are admission programs without exams.
What exams to take when applying for linguistics after college?
College graduates (ours, other Moscow/Russian colleges) are in an advantageous position when entering. You can enroll in it after 9th grade (a fairly high average score on the certificate), and upon completion you can improve your level of education. What subjects should I take to become a linguist?
- The set is the same: English/Russian languages, social studies.
- The examination is internal, the passing score is determined annually.
Specialties at the Faculty of Linguistics
Bachelor's studies are available to our students in various forms - full-time, distance learning, weekend, evening. Specialties:
- Linguist (no profile) with in-depth study of two foreign languages.
- Translation and translation studies. Employment prospects - Russian/international large companies, publications, diplomatic services, consulates. Areas of work: business consulting, translator of a notary/lawyer's office, technical translator, journalist, business communications specialist.
Conditions for admission to the Faculty of Linguistics without admission
Opportunities for admission without an exam are determined by the university itself and State Standards. More often, preferential conditions for simplified enrollment apply to prize-winners of All-Russian Olympiads, graduates with honors, and holders of a college diploma in a related field (in-depth study of English).
We additionally offer simplified admission to students transferring from other universities, graduates of our college who have proven themselves in mastering foreign languages, and receiving a second education. The latter just need to pass an internal test/interview.
Profession linguist description
A linguist, in short, is a specialist in the field of foreign languages; he usually speaks English and one other foreign language.
But it is impossible to acquire the profession of simply a linguist, because this is a broad concept, its general name; usually, when entering a university, you need to make a choice in favor of a linguist-translator, linguist-teacher, English teacher or, in some universities, a guide-regional specialist. It is clear, yes, that a linguist differs from a translator in the same way as, for example, a fish differs from a carp - both fish, but the name carp is more specific)
Let's understand the pros and cons of these professions.
Since I am a certified linguist-teacher and I have practical experience in this profession, let’s start with it.
It is implied that linguist-teacher is a specialist who will teach a foreign language at a university.
What are the responsibilities? Firstly, it is clear that teaching a foreign language class, in addition, the teacher has a part of the work that is not yet very noticeable to students, this is the so-called “second half of the working day”. During this time, free from classroom teaching, the teacher must organize educational activities for students, write scientific articles, draw up various methodological documents, and, of course, prepare for his classes, as well as check various tests and other written works completed by students.
You need to keep in mind that if you choose this profession, your supervisor (head of the department) will constantly “push” you to go to graduate school and get a PhD, so you need to be ready for further scientific activity. Postgraduate study is inevitable because: only it can lead to a more or less normal salary, and, practically, it will “reserve” you a job at a university, which, due to the current policy of the Russian state to reduce the number of universities, will turn out to be even more precarious for those who are not candidates of sciences.
If you don’t want to go to graduate school at all, then you should think about teacher profession and subsequently go to work at school. They won't demand this from you.
What are the responsibilities of a teacher? Yes, you yourself studied at school and you know that the teacher conducts lessons, checks notebooks, fills out a register, and if he is a class teacher, then conducts extracurricular activities and parent-teacher meetings. What is hidden from your eyes is that the teacher must write a lesson plan for each lesson and show it to the leader; he must also attend teacher councils (where all teachers gather under the leadership of the head teacher), which in some organizations are held once or even twice a day. a week, and they last not half an hour, but two hours (it’s still so boring, but you can’t skip a walk!). Teachers, just like teachers, draw up various methodological documents and write articles. In order for the salary to be higher, you need to be certified for the category, I don’t really know the intricacies, but it’s quite difficult, you need to conduct an open lesson, pass a test in a foreign language, certificates of advanced training, and work experience are also important. There are several categories and you need to pass certification every time to get the next one.
Advantages of teaching professions
Part-time work (classroom classes/lessons are conducted in the first or second shift, the remaining time, if there is no meeting of the department or teacher council, the teacher/teacher can distribute himself: he decides for himself - where, when, what extracurricular work he should do)
The creative nature of the work (the teacher can approach the teaching process creatively, use various methods and techniques so that both he and his students/students find it interesting)
Work with your favorite foreign language (now a foreign language will always be in your life, six to seven (don’t forget about checking students’ written work) days a week, and even if you didn’t learn something while studying at a university, while teaching you will definitely learn it )
Work with young people: children or youth (maybe you don’t quite understand what the advantage is here, then imagine that at work you are forced to communicate with the elderly, they come to you and constantly complain about their health, their lack of demand, disrespect from young people, you, for example , a local doctor or a social worker. And if you are a teacher, then you deal with young people for whom everything is fun, everything is interesting and they have the attitude that their whole life is ahead and everything will work out. Did you feel the difference?)
Disadvantages of teaching professions
A lot of paperwork, uninteresting work (methodological documents, reports, journaling, etc.)
There will always be a feeling that you have homework (it’s like you’ve already graduated from university, but you still need to prepare for classes and check written work, and so on all your life, and people of other professions, having graduated from university and got a job, are free at the end of the working day from official duties)
Discipline (it is very difficult for a young specialist to establish discipline, especially at school, do you remember how your class “stood on ears” if the teacher was not a vixen? At a university, discipline is better, but still, students will not take a young teacher seriously for a long time, and there is no way to solve this, you can only wait, because, as they say, youth is the most quickly passing flaw)
The next disadvantage, which is a disadvantage at school and an advantage at a university: the need to communicate with the students’ parents (parents, as it turns out, can be inadequate and may simply not understand why the teacher gave their child a bad grade and calmly “attack” the teacher about this! The children got into a fight , again, the teacher is to blame! Fortunately, at a university, the teacher practically does not have such a component as “communication with parents”)
For a teacher, entering graduate school and defending a dissertation can be a disadvantage of the profession, because it is a really complex and difficult matter.
It is also necessary to note that all the achievements of a teacher at a university will not be taken into account if he gets a job at a school (position, degree, candidate, for example, work experience), so a candidate of sciences, upon coming to school, will be considered a “young specialist” and occupy the lowest position and receive the smallest salary.
Linguist-translator is a specialist who speaks one or more foreign languages and is engaged in translation from native to foreign or from foreign to native languages. In this case, it can be divided into: translation of oral speech and written texts.
Translate spoken language very difficult, you need to have not only a high level of foreign language proficiency, but even more important - experience in performing this type of work. Yesterday's graduate, a translator with honors, is unlikely to successfully cope with the responsibilities that befall her the first time. In addition, I would classify this profession as temporary; it is more like a part-time job, because not every city has organizations that need such a unit, and there is a full workload.
WITH translator the situation is simpler, on the one hand. Any production facility has a translator department for translating documents from foreign languages and conducting business correspondence with foreign partners. But imagine that you got a job, for example, at a machine-building plant, and in the texts you will always find some bearings and gears, do you understand them in Russian? And in order to translate correctly you will have to figure it out.
Pros and cons of the profession of linguist-translator:
Working with foreigners, in the case of interpreting (it’s always interesting to communicate with representatives of other cultures)
No problems with discipline (which the teacher and teacher have)
No need to engage in scientific activities, unlike a teacher
Full time in the case of a translator, temporary work in the case of an interpreter
Monotonous, monotonous, painstaking work (imagine that all day you need to translate texts, documentation, constantly referring to the dictionary, choosing the right word, having difficulty understanding the content of what is written, and which translation word out of a dozen presented in the dictionary will be correct in this particular context ?)
Extensive experience is required to perform interpreting.
What are the opportunities for part-time work as a linguist?
tutoring
Well paid
You can choose a time convenient for you to study
Students do not always want to study English (it is common to think that if money is paid for classes, then they are very important for the student, and he will listen carefully and complete all the teacher’s tasks; in fact, this is not always the case. Often, studying English is a desire parents, not the child, they want him to know English, but no one asked the child, so he does everything without enthusiasm, it’s very psychologically difficult with this).
part-time job at a private language school
You can choose the most convenient time for classes and load volume
Compared to working at school, there are a lot of advantages: there is no paperwork, no scientific activity, better discipline, no checking of notebooks, etc.
Control of the administration (not everyone will be able to get a job in a language school; before admission, they are often required to successfully write a test in a foreign language and attend an interview. After being hired, the administrator will be present at the lesson and monitor the quality of the lesson by the teacher - this is psychologically difficult, especially for young professionals)
Payment is less than for private individual lessons (tutoring found on your own)
There is no social package (this is important if working at a language school will be your main job. If you get sick, sick leave will not be paid, if you go on maternity leave, you will not receive any maternity money, etc.).
part-time job as a guide
In cities where tourists come, there is an opportunity to work as a guide. This type of training is available in some universities, and you can also take guide courses if you already have a higher education. Like a translator, work for a guide is not available in every city, so I would classify it more as a part-time job. To be in demand, you need to have a good level of knowledge of a foreign language, be sociable, polite, and friendly. It is very important to establish yourself well and get into the contact database of travel companies; if everyone is happy with you, they will invite you, and this work is well paid.
Working with foreigners
Good earnings
Temporary, seasonal nature of work
It takes time to get into the contact database of travel companies and get a large number of orders, which will allow you to have good earnings and a constant workload during the tourist season.
What should you take into account when choosing a profession as a linguist-teacher, teacher, translator or guide?
I described the pros and cons of these professions, and if you have a passion for foreign languages, and you want to focus on the profession of a linguist, think about what exactly you would like to do more. If you like working with children, then a teacher, if you are close to scientific work, then a teacher, if you don’t mind working full time and don’t want to work with people, then a translator, if you feel that you have a talent for foreign languages, and If it is in your power to learn how to interpret simultaneously, then you are an oral translator. In addition to what is close to your spirit, it is very important to take into account what city you live in or in which you plan to work: is there a job there for a translator, a guide, or is it a university town? It is very important to choose a profession immediately, before entering a university, so that later you do not have to get a second higher education, because in many cases the organization avoids, for a number of reasons, hiring a specialist with a non-core education.
Where to study to become a linguist?
Higher linguistic education can be obtained at philological faculties or at institutes of linguistics. There you usually have the opportunity to take courses or complete a second higher education if you want to get a diploma as a translator or guide.
Despite the seeming unattractiveness of a purely humanitarian field, education in linguistics is in incredibly high demand. For example, in the ranking of the quality of admission to Russian state universities, the field of “Theoretical and Applied Linguistics” consistently falls into the top ten with an average Unified State Exam score above 70. First of all, this situation arises due to the fact that in this field, as a rule, The best universities in Russia provide training, studying in which is prestigious in itself.
Which linguistic universities in Moscow should excellent students prefer?
We have compiled a list of universities in Moscow (TOP-3) that you should try to enroll in if your Unified State Exam results make you envious. A linguist diploma issued by such an educational institution will always be valuable, and good work will not be long in coming.
Best of the best: Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov
At Moscow State University, you can study to become a linguist at two faculties: at the Faculty of Philology in the direction of “fundamental and applied linguistics” and at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Regional Studies in the direction of “linguistics” (in the department of linguistics and intercultural communication).
Please note that the required Unified State Examination results differ for these MSU faculties. If at the Faculty of Philology, in addition to the Unified State Examination results in Russian and foreign languages, the applicant is asked for results in mathematics (!), but at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, good results in history are useful, which may turn out to be much easier for “pure humanities students.” An additional entrance test, mandatory for all faculties of Moscow State University, is a written exam in a specialized foreign language.
However, the competition at the Faculty of Foreign Languages is much higher - 374 points out of 400 possible. Whereas at the Faculty of Philology, for admission to “Fundamental and Applied Linguistics” in 2011, it was necessary to score “only” 348 points out of 400 (on average, 200-300 applications are submitted for 20 budget places). The competition for “Foreign Philology” turned out to be slightly higher - 353 points.
Prices for contract training in the field of "Linguistics" at Moscow State University are almost the same: at the Faculty of Philology you will have to pay 270,500 rubles per year, and at the Faculty of Foreign Languages - 275,000 rubles.
Fashionable: Russian State University for the Humanities
A linguist diploma issued by the Russian State University for the Humanities can also be called very prestigious. In addition, this linguistic university in Moscow trains both in the direction of “Linguistics” (5 budget places) and in the direction of “Fundamental and Applied Linguistics” (12 budget places). The only problem, as it was easy to notice, was the number of budget places and the resulting competition. In order to study at the Russian State University for the Humanities as a linguist in 2011, applicants needed to score 330 points out of 400 possible, and in the direction of “Fundamental and Applied Linguistics” - 231 points.
However, studying at the Russian State University for the Humanities costs much less than at Moscow State University - 179,800 rubles per year, and if you need to save money, you can try your hand at Philology, where training, depending on the profile, costs from 123,200 to 139,200 rubles per year . In addition, the competition for “Philology” at this linguistic institute in Moscow is also much smaller: in order to be admitted to one of the 42 budget places, an applicant in 2011 needed to score at least 222 points.
Profile: Moscow State Linguistic University
For many years, the most popular university in Russia where they “teach languages” has been and remains the Moscow State Linguistic University - the leader of linguistic education in Russia. The quality of training of specialists at this linguistic institute in Moscow has been tested over the years, and the choice of language specialties and languages themselves will satisfy even the most demanding needs of the future linguist. For example, only within the framework of the “Linguistics” direction can one obtain many specializations: translation and translation studies, theory and methods of teaching foreign languages and cultures, theoretical and applied linguistics, etc.
The only problem is that getting into MSLU is not much easier than entering MSU - the average passing score for the Unified State Exam across faculties is 79.4. In the direction of "Linguistics", a total of 285 budget places were allocated across faculties in 2011 (average competition 8.61 people per place), and in the direction "Translation and Translation Studies" - 54 budget places (average competition 7.46 people per place) . The cost of training per year is 244,750 rubles.
The average passing score for various faculties of MSLU in the direction of “Linguistics” differs slightly:
Institute of Foreign Languages named after. Maurice Thorez - 298 points
International Institute of CIS Languages - 307 points
Translation Faculty - 307 points
Faculty of Humanities and Applied Sciences - 282 points
To be admitted to MSLU in the “Linguistics” major, an applicant will have to present excellent Unified State Examination results in three subjects: Russian language, foreign language and history, as well as pass an additional test in English, German, French or Spanish (depending on the chosen major). With rare exceptions, additional tests are not conducted at MSLU for other areas, and you can be enrolled as a student directly based on the results of the Unified State Exam. But those who enroll in the specialty “Translation and Translation Studies” will have to undergo an assessment of their level of physical fitness - pull themselves up and run for different distances.
What to do if the Unified State Exam results do not allow you to enter the TOP-3 linguistic universities in Moscow?
You can study to become a linguist or philologist at less prestigious universities. For example, at the Moscow State Humanitarian University. M.A. Sholokhov, Moscow Pedagogical State University or Moscow State Regional University. At MGOU, training in the direction of “Linguistics” is carried out at the Faculty of Linguistics and the Faculty of Romance-Germanic Languages. Here you can qualify as a teacher (English, German or French) or as a translator (English only).
The competition and passing grade at MGOU are noticeably lower than at more renowned educational institutions (from 143 points on the Unified State Exam out of 300 possible for a German language teacher to 231 for a translator). In addition, the applicant will not have to undergo additional entrance tests: admission to Moscow State University is based on the results of the Unified State Examination in three subjects - Russian language, history and a specialized foreign language. Paid training costs about 50,000 rubles per year.
What to do with a linguist degree?
A diploma from a prestigious linguistic university in Moscow opens many doors for a graduate. Excellent Russian language and knowledge of at least two foreign languages, as well as deep knowledge of world culture and history make such a specialist truly indispensable in many fields of activity.
Few remain in science, since it is much more profitable to use impeccable knowledge of languages in business. Experts in rare languages are sought after for positions as representatives and managers of external activities in international companies. Graduates of linguistic universities with more common languages become translators, teach in language centers or work as guides for foreign tourists. Even a novice linguist with excellent knowledge of two foreign languages can count on 70,000 rubles per month. Starting from the third or fourth year, many linguistic students work as tutors. The income of students who have gained a clientele can also approach 70,000 rubles per month.
In addition, paid linguistic education can be an excellent alternative to language courses, since if you wisely choose a linguistic university in Moscow, it can be even cheaper, and upon completion of training the student will receive not a certificate from some school, but a state diploma in linguist.
Veronica Gebrial
Candidate of Sociological Sciences
The profession of a linguist is considered widespread. Although his activities are not related to the production of a specific product, the importance of this specialty should not be underestimated. Linguistics is a science with a long history, its roots going back to Ancient Greece and China, Arab countries and India. People with a thirst for knowledge, perseverance and an inquisitive mind can truly study it deeply.
Linguistic base
Even during the times of the Soviet Union, a serious linguistic “backbone” was formed, concentrated mainly in the capitals of its largest republics. Now these are linguistic universities of the CIS, closely interacting with each other and regularly taking part in the international scientific conference “Language, Society, Word”.
So, the list of these friendly universities is presented:
1. In Russia:
- Moscow Institute of Foreign Languages;
- Nizhny Novgorod Linguistic University named after. ON THE. Dobrolyubova;
- Pyatigorsk Linguistic State University;
- Irkutsk State Linguistic University.
2. In Ukraine - KNLU.
3. In Belarus - MinSlu.
4. In Uzbekistan - UGML and SIYA (Samarkand).
5. In Armenia - Yerevan University. Bryusova.
Let's take a closer look at the largest linguistic universities.
MSLU
Created in 1930, it received its current name in 1990.
MSLU specializes in the study of thirty-six foreign languages, 75% of the teaching staff are holders of academic degrees. Every year the university publishes a large number of scientific monographs and textbooks for secondary and higher schools in the Russian Federation. The university maintains partnerships with many leading universities in 35 countries, thanks to which students have a wide choice of internships, as well as the opportunity to receive a second diploma from a “partner” university of MSLU.
Moscow State Linguistic University provides multi-level education: primary higher (lyceum), higher (university) and postgraduate. The university graduates bachelors (4 years) and masters (2 years) in accordance with the provisions of the Bologna Convention.
No other linguistic universities can boast as many specialized specialties as MSLU. Here, 13 large faculties offer a choice of training in 70 areas of training.
Admission conditions
MSLU conducts admission to study:
1) For the Bachelor and Specialist programs:
- on the basis of secondary school education - based on the results of the Unified State Exam;
- on the basis of secondary vocational education - based on the results of entrance exams.
2) For the Master's program - based on the results of entrance exams, which the university sets and conducts independently.
Nizhny Novgorod Linguistic State University named after. ON THE. Dobrolyubova
The history of this university dates back to 1917 after the opening of provincial courses in foreign languages and literature in Nizhny Novgorod. And today this institution is one of the largest in the country in this area: more than three thousand students, three dozen educational programs, a teaching staff of 250 people, two thirds of whom have a candidate or doctorate degree. The university provides the opportunity to study nine languages, maintains international partnerships with major universities in Europe, Asia and America, and is famous for its large research projects.
The Linguistic University (Nizhny Novgorod) provides admission to three forms of study (full-time, evening and correspondence).
The “Linguistics” direction includes the following profiles:
- Theory and methods of teaching foreign languages and cultures.
- Translation.
- Theory and practice of intercultural communication.
Admission to these specialties is based on the results of entrance exams. For bachelor's and specialist's degrees, these are exams in foreign, Russian languages and literature; for master's degree - the first foreign language.
Ukrainian alma mater of linguists
Kyiv Linguistic University was created in 1948. Today, at seven faculties, the university prepares full-time graduates in the following areas:
- secondary education - includes 6 languages;
- philology (language and literature) - 8 languages;
- philology (translation) - 15;
- psychology;
- marketing;
- management;
- right;
- tourism.
The correspondence course involves studying only English in the specified specialties.
Competitive selection to KNLU is carried out based on the results of entrance exams:
1) To obtain a Bachelor's degree (based on complete secondary education) - in the form of an external independent assessment, entrance exams or interviews in individual cases.
2) For admission to a master's program (based on the degree of higher education obtained) - in the form of an exam in a foreign language and specialized entrance tests.
Minsk Linguistic University
The formation of the MinSLU dates back to 1948, when the Faculty of Foreign Languages was expanded into a pedagogical institute, and the university received its current name already in 1993.
During its operation, the university has graduated more than 25 thousand teachers and two and a half thousand translators from foreign languages. MSLU collaborates with leading domestic scientists, as well as with colleagues from Russia, Canada, Belgium, Germany and Spain.
Minsk Linguistic University is represented by 8 faculties, one of which (the Faculty of Spanish) is unique; it remains in a single copy in the vastness of the former Union.
Admission to the university is carried out based on the results of centralized testing.
Sixteen foreign languages are taught at MSLU. Any full-time student is required to study two of them. Once every 5 years, enrollment is carried out for the Asian group of languages. If desired, students can learn additional languages, for which the Department of the 3rd Foreign Language operates on a paid basis.
Conclusion
Linguistic universities are widely represented in the CIS. The variety of faculties with a large number of foreign languages, as well as developed forms of international cooperation, provide a wide choice for future linguists. When choosing a university in this category, the decisive factor will probably be geographic proximity to the applicant’s place of residence, since the educational programs of each of the universities described are equally worthy and diverse.
