Cooperation

Cooperation with international educational organizations has become an integral part of the academic development for the Faculty of Foreign Languages. International cooperation allows teachers and students of the faculty to enjoy the best achievements of philology and translation studies abroad as well as to be involved in the integration of foreign language specialists into the world community.

International cooperation is realized through various programs and directions. Among the centers and establishments actively cooperating with the departments of the Faculty of Foreign Languages are:

• British Council and British Information Centre;
• American Councils in Ukraine;
• Goethe-Institut Ukraine;
• French Cultural Center.

Among significant research and academic units that the faculty cooperates with are:

• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD);
• Association of Ukrainian Germanists (AUG).

Cooperation with Inter Nationes and Deutsche Welle is of great importance for the faculty. In the centers you can get modern literature, tutorial-, audio- and video- materials and become acquainted with the latest technical means for learning foreign languages. International relations have a positive impact on research activities of the departments. The Department of English Philology constantly keeps in touch with the Language Department of the British Embassy in Ukraine, the British Council and its branch, the Information Center of the US Embassy in Kyiv. The Department of Roman Philology and World Literature has close ties with the French Embassy in Ukraine, the French Institute of Ukraine in Kyiv and the French Cultural Center. Instructors and lecturers of the departments exchange experience with the representatives of the institutions, participate in seminars and conferences on the challenges of teaching foreign languages and using various software for these purposes.

Cooperation with the German Research Institute (Institut für Deutschlandforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum) has been one of the most significant achievements in international relations of the Department of Germanic Philology. As a part of a joint international project funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, monographs and textbooks that meet international standards have been published and found recognition of colleagues and students.

Since 1994 cooperation with Robert Bosch Foundation (Robert-Bosch-Stiftung) for the NCAO (DAAD) has been playing a vital role in improving language skills of the Department of German Philology staff. Grant-aided students of the foundation develop speaking and translation skills, give lectures on German Country Studies, organize seminars on German Cinematography. The motto of the German Academic Exchange Service is “DAAD unites people and science”. The service is one of the most important organizations for promoting international exchanges. Since October 2020 DAAD lecturer L. Scheid has been working at the Department of German Philology providing training on the German language, advising on scholarship and exchange programs in Germany.

The aim of cooperation with the Association of Ukrainian Germanists (AUG) is to promote high quality teaching and learning of German, training of the Department of German Philology staff for teaching German in Ukraine, promoting intercultural contacts, etc.

Close ties with the Embassy of Germany and Austria in Ukraine, including participation in the international program ‘Tempus’ are equally important. In 2020 the faculty began to participate in a state project initiated by the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany in cooperation with the Berlin Museum of Nature, aiding in proofreading the Ukrainian translations of German texts for Ukrainian audio guide.

Starting from January 2009 the Faculty of Foreign Languages and the Center for Language Studies (Sprachenzentrum) of the University of Münster (Germany) have been working together to ensure joint development of textbooks for students in translation studies, internships of graduate and doctoral students for research work in German libraries, student exchanges, etc. The cooperation is primary aimed at introduction of the latest teaching methods of German as a second foreign language.

International internships have a positive impact on the content and methodology of the educational process as well as the improvement of professional skills of the faculty members, most of whom have already completed internship programs at the educational establishments of Germany, the UK, the USA, France, etc. Students also have ample opportunities to participate in interstate cooperation programs. Students with perfect command of a foreign language and high learning progress have a chance to get scholarships for international internships. The students’ selection for the programs is competitive. With new economic conditions students can do fee-paying individual internships for one or two semesters in the Center for Language Studies (Sprachenzentrum) of the University of Münster. These internships help deepen students’ communicative and linguistic competence.

Recently students of the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation have also got an opportunity to try themselves as translators of literary texts. In 2019 David Greenslade, a visiting professor from Cardiff University and a consummate man of letters, encouraged students of the faculty to translate his surreal collection “Lyrical Diagrams” introduced at “Godoneddus Ych-a-Fi Glorious Disgust” in Wales. Some of the students have already enjoyed the results of their first translation experience.