psulinguistics

International Conference in Digital Didactics: Applications Start (due to 20 October)

05.09.2022 / , , ,

On 24-26 November, 2022, the II International Scientific Conference “Digital Didactics” will take place at Perm State University (PSU). The event is initiated by the Department of Linguodidactics and the Office for Innovative Pedagogical Resources, Faculty of Modern Foreign Languages and Literature, (PSU).  

The Conference participants include speakers from the following European and Northern American institutions: University of Rostock (Germany), University of Louisville (USA), Coventry University (UK), Delta State University (USA), Central Michigan University (USA), Oxford-Brookes University (UK).

The Conference will cover the following research fields:

  • Global and national contexts of modern online education: trends, development scenarios, strategic goals;
  • Digital educational environment: technologies, methods, tools, EdTech;
  • Digital teaching methods and digital didactics standards;
  • Technical components / digital media: App tools, social networks and educational platforms;
  • Design of distance-learning programs and online courses;
  • Digital educational and methodological complexes, modern educational platforms and services;
  • Gamification of teaching process in digital educational environment;
  • Discourses in digital didactics;
  • Media literacy / artificial intelligence;
  • Teacher’s competencies in digital age;
  • Migration and digital education / multilingualism;
  • Analog into digital transfer, and vice versa.

The Сonference is interdisciplinary in nature. Invited to participate are students and teachers of various fields of expertise and specialty, showing interest in digital education and methods of teaching, and ready to share their relevant experience.  

Working languages of the Conference: Russian, German, English.

Forms of participation:

  • online presenter;
  • attendee.

Application dates: due to 20 October, included.

Conference Dates: 24-26 November, 2022

Location: ZOOM platform

For participation, please, register here.

For further information, please, see info letter.

Please, address further questions to: Ekaterina Kupriyanicheva, Executive Secretary, tel.: +7 (902) 804-52-39; e-mail: katya_bukreeva@mail.ru

Step Into Chinese New Year – Singing Song About a Snowflake!

02.02.2022 / , , , , , , , ,

Song Tianyao (China), a graduate of Perm State University has recorded an unusual congratulation on the Chinese New Year. (As a sleeve note: Song Tianyao has recently defended her PhD (candidate of sciences) thesis in philology at PSU, congratulations!). Today, singing the famous Snowflake Song, she addressed all those Chinese and international students interested in East Asian culture – wishing everyone a happy holiday:

“… The New Year’s on the way,

Will make your dream come true:

As long as snowflakes are not melting,

Don’t let the snowflakes keep on melting –

Until the clock tower ends the tune,

Until the clock tower ends the tune…”

For the Chinese people, the New Year is not just a change of dates, as it marks the start of spring and so blossoming of nature. The astrological sign of 2022 is the Tiger, who shows respect to beauty and people following it. While the Tiger prefers the red color, the tradition in general supports fires and loud noises, believed to scare evil forces away. On the night of 31 January to 1 February, fireworks were around the University campus – the Chinese students celebrating the entry into a new life cycle.

“I would like to congratulate all those Chinese students currently studying in Russia on the Spring Festival,” says Song Tianyao. “We all know the severe virus situation makes us hard to follow it. Yet, I believe together we can overcome this challenge.”

The holiday begins a week before the event itself – started with a general cleaning, for the Tiger loves clean houses and hardworking people. Despite the distance from their homeland, each student strives to decorate a hostel space with bright colors – using lanterns and symbols of the year as decor. Students call their parents, yet refrain from communal celebrations around a broad dinner table with dumplings:

“For me, this New Year is quite unusual, as I am celebrating it alone, trying to stay safe and escape the potential illness. With the completion of my studies, I am planning to get back to China, so I have to limit my social contacts,” Song Tianyao admits.

The Snowflake Song was first performed in “The Magicians” Soviet film in 1982 by Olga Rozhdestvenskaya and the Good Fellows band. Although not a holiday hit, it became a favorite choice among many later artists, from pop to punk – seeing several remakes in 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2016.

“I came into this song completely by accident. Immediately since I heard it, I liked it. Our New Year’s songs are not related to winter, as we have a different climate all across China. And, in some parts, like the South, we don’t have snow at all,” the Chinese graduate shares.

On her arrival back home, not only Song Tianyao will be able to chat with her family at a holiday dinner, set fireworks and make a traditional family photo; she will also launch a paper lantern, lifting a card with her wishes up into the skies. Meanwhile, Perm State University will remain in touch with her and other alumni, waiting for new students and hoping for a brighter new year.

For reference:

For three years, Song Tianyao has been working as an assistant for the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, PSU and teaching Chinese language to students of three faculties – Philology, Geography and Modern Foreign Languages and Literature. In December 2021, Song Tianyao defended her PhD (candidate of sciences) thesis on Artistic Reception of B. Vasiliev’s Military Prose in China.

In the academic year 2021-2022 at PSU, 28 people, including 22 foreigners (21 students from China and 1 native of Japan), are enrolled in the 1st year postgraduate course in Linguistics and Literary Studies – mostly due to another PSU alumnus from China, who currently teaches at the Chengdu Institute of the Sichuan University of Foreign Studies.

Known Robot-Builders Offer Student Internships

30.11.2021 / , , , , ,

Imagine a situation when it is a robot doctor, who helps in a hospital or public place with assistance and navigation – greeting visitors, providing first health diagnostics, reducing coronavirus’ spread and other safety risks. Fantasy? Well, a reality, already. Besides doctor’s task, having offered such a service, the team needs to perform programming, address different audiences and language groups, as well as stay keen in hi-tech. May you take part in that? Find out more for yourself!

The Department of Linguistics and Translation, PSU, in cooperation with the Promobot are inviting students for a multilingual project to adapt robot interaction scenarios for foreigners. For students of Perm State University, this will be an officially approved internship. Invited are students with a passion for new technologies and language analysis, open- and nimble-minded.  The activity will be run in four language directions – English, German, French and Spanish. This is a long-term project, starting in December, 2021 and continuing throughout the winter and spring, 2022.

Founded in 2013 by Perm-based graduate students, the Promobot today claims to be the largest manufacturer of autonomous service robots in Russia and Europe – conducting research and production in mechatronics, electronics, artificial intelligence and neural networks, autonomous navigation, speech recognition, artificial skin and muscles, as well as human-machine interaction.

The company offers several products in a shape of a robot – an info desk manager, a promoter, a receptionist, a tour guide, an administrator, a scanner, and many more – providing connection to external systems and services. The geography of Promobot has recently expanded to 40 countries, including Armenia, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Oman, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, USA and UK.

The Faculty of Modern Foreign Languages and Literature at PSU traditionally acts as a link between young translators/interpreters and city enterprises, government institutions, social and cultural initiatives looking for international cooperation. “Not does internship in translation help students to master their profession, but also connects them with a variety of experts, allowing them to sharpen skills and see prospects for future research,” emphasizes Natalya Khorosheva, Head of the Department of Linguistics and Translation, PSU. “In turn, we feel our students are in demand at the city’s venues, contributing to international cultural agenda.”

Picture source.

PSU Linguist Announced Professor of the Year, Nationally

06.10.2021 / , , , , ,

Dr. Svetlana Mishlanova, teaching professor and head of the Department of Linguodidactics, Perm State University, has been given the national award Professor of the Year 2021 in Philology.

Dr. Svetlana Mishlanova has spent more than two decades of educational, research and teaching activity at PSU and beyond. Her research interests include cognitive linguistics, terminology and modeling of terminological systems, discourse analysis, intercultural communication and computational linguodidactics. Her number of publications exceeds 120, plus a dozen monographs and teaching and research manuals.

Dr. Svetlana Mishlanova has been contributing to collaborations with known national and international scholars, including those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Romania, UK and USA, and more. Her partnership ties involve Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Lüneburg, Germany), National Communication Association (Chicago, USA), European Symposium on Languages for Special Purposes (Vaasa, Finland, 2001; Hamburg, Germany, 2007; Aarhus, Denmark, 2009); the project “Cognitive Modeling in Linguistics” (Sofia, Bulgaria, 2007; Constanta, Romania, 2009; Dubrovnik, Croatia, 2010), plus constant contribution to twinning relations with Louisville (USA) and Oxford (UK).

The Professor of the Year award celebrates notable scholars showing results in education and science. The recent nomination has taken place at the national Professors Forum ‘2021, contributing to the Year of Science and Technology in Russia. The Forum titled “21st Century: Trends and Prospects” brought together participants from more than 80 Russian universities.

PSU Students about to Start Academic Year in France

09.09.2021 / , , ,

Five students of Perm State University will enjoy the included education program at the University of Grenoble-Alpes, France. Four undergraduates in Translation and related sciences, and a graduate in Linguistics will spend 6-10 months there, studying according to their individual academic plans.

“This is the 10th year of our collaboration with the University of Grenoble-Alpes. Surely, a lot has changed both on our side, and the French one. Most of the documentary support has become digital and is run online, which makes the entire preparation much easier,”

Natalia Khorosheva, Head of the Department of Linguistics and Translation, PSU, states.

“We even managed to maintain our exchange pace regardless of the pandemic, with no breaks. Over the years, a dozen students continued their graduate studies in Grenoble having finished their courses, choosing France and nearby countries as a place to build their career and personal life,”

Natalia Khorosheva confirms.

At the present moment, the students’ quarantine isolation is coming to an end, and they will soon start their studies. Notably, PSU students choose the disciplines upon their personal plans, corresponding to the topics studied at PSU. Their marks in France will be credited back home in Perm.

“Despite the quarantine, we have already managed to try the local flavours, a bit,” Maria Erypalova, 4th year undergraduate, shares. “It’s still summer here, warm, incredibly beautiful and so extremely expensive (cucumbers for €0.50 a piece, not to mention prices on milk!). Still, French people are sweethearts, at least those with whom we have already managed to communicate”.

“Besides our location, we have seen the city of Grenoble twice: narrow streets typical of an old small European city. The parks, the summer cafes and life around seem to belong to a movie, which I fell in love for instantly, and am waiting impatiently for a chance to see more! The campus – I found it crowded: it’s a wide space with buildings, a large area. I didn’t expect it to be so beautiful! ”

The teachers of the Department of Linguistics and Translation at PSU wish our exchange students a successful and safe academic year, full of unforgettable impressions, useful experience and upgrade of language skills!
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