La Vie Est Belle! Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication

Creativity, enthusiasm and, of course, a love for foreign languages are what make the bachelor’s and master’s students of Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication (FLaIC) so special. Polina Kochina graduated from the FLaIC bachelor's programme and is now working towards her master's degree. We asked her about her studies and how she spends her free time. 

— Why did you choose our bachelor's programme? Did you have any expectations for studying in FLaIC, and to what extent were they met?

— From a young age, I’ve wanted to pursue a career that involves English and people. On the opening day of our programme, I listened to Elena Solovova and was impressed by her enthusiasm, so I decided to choose “Theory and Methods of Foreign Language Teaching” as my qualification. I started teaching English when I was an undergraduate student, and I have been doing it ever since. It’s not easy, but it’s a lot of fun. I am glad that my time at FLaIC enabled me to pursue this path.

— What did you enjoy most about your studies?
— The warm and friendly atmosphere of our programme. In classes we would often play games, engage in debates, discuss current events, or even watch movies, and during breaks we would crack jokes in all the languages we knew. As for the classes, I most enjoyed oral communication and French – they gave the opportunity not only to learn something new, but also to be creative.

— You were one of the organizers of the French club. What was interesting and valuable about this club for students and for you personally? What club activities that you did are you most proud of?

— HSE has a great number of student clubs to suit all tastes! As for someone who loves French language and culture, Le Club Français was perfect for me. I recommend it to everyone who studies French; it will give you a great opportunity to practice the language, to learn something new about the French-speaking community, and to meet interesting people. I was able to organize more than 20 different events, and I can't choose a favourite – they were all a lot of fun, and I put my heart and soul into organizing each and every one of them.

— Tell us about what it was like to participate in the School of Foreign Languages Conference.

— The annual FLaIC Conference is an important event for our programme. It is about real-life communication and exchanging ideas. I've taken part in the conference three times, and this year it was in online format. I'm looking forward to the conference next year, and I hope to serve as a presenter on a translation panel.

— Was it difficult transitioning from your undergraduate programme to the master’s programme? Why did you decide to choose translation as your field of study?

— I was able to smoothly transition into the master’s programme without any problems. I received an early acceptance letter; a mere month after graduating I already knew for sure that I was welcome to enter the master's programme. I decided to change my field of study and chose translation; I wanted to try working with languages in a different way, but I'm still learning about methods of teaching through practice.

— What second foreign language did you choose for your master's programme and why?

— You can choose between German, Spanish, and Italian as a second foreign language for your master's programme. I've travelled to Italy multiple times, and I love the culture, so the choice of the language was obvious. And having a knowledge of French can make it much easier to learn Italian: Romance languages have a lot in common. Compare la vie est belle and la vita è bella :)