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Russian language programmes
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Although a niche sector, Russian language courses appear to attract a consistent wave of students. We find out about some of the Russian language programmes available and the range of typical clients keen to learn this language.
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Students travel to Russian-speaking countries to study Russian among locals and discover the native culture – although in a vast country such as Russia, there is much diversity and choice, as well as countries such as Ukraine to consider. For example, Privet! Russian Language School is located in the Kaliningrad region, which, as Anton Domozhirov at the school explains, is totally separated from the rest of Russia. The region borders Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea.
Domozhirov details that the majority of their overseas students hail from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. As well as Russian being a popular second language among German university students, he explains, “We think [having many German-speaking students] is because of geographical and historical proximity – Kaliningrad (former Koenigsberg) was a German city from 1255 till 1945 and there is still a number of people in Germany who were born here and then were forced to move out from the city after the Second World War.”
Studying at this school certainly offers a unique insight into Russian life. Odessa in Ukraine is equally intriguing; with Mediterranean-style architecture, Elena Marakhovskaya at Odessa Language Study Centre details the city’s beaches and nightlife as a highlight. She too nods to many German and Swiss students. “This is doubtlessly due to a combination of political, cultural, and geographical factors; centrality chief among them.”
More typical destinations in Russia will be Moscow or St Petersburg, where there are of course a number of schools there for language students to consider. Liden & Denz Language Centre has a school in each city and Director, Walter Denz, points to growing interest in the Russian language from Asian clients, while also observing a predominance of German-speaking students.
“Russian is growing in popularity in Asia, especially Japan and Korea and for graduate students who are looking for internships and later paid work in Russia,” he says. “Russian for business and professional purposes is also on the increase, e.g. for diplomats, tourism, hospitality, humanitarian purposes etc.”
In Moscow, Galina Kriusheva of Moscow Linguistic Center actually states that nearly all of their clients are studying for professional reasons. “University students prefer cheaper places to Moscow, such as Kaliningrad, Odessa and other cities such as St Petersburg, Yaroslavl and Voronezh,” she says.
Yaroslavl is 250 kilometres northeast of Moscow, and schools here seem to point to a more diverse student nationality mix, with Japan, USA and Italy all mentioned as source countries. While Irina Kaznyshkina of the International University of Business and New Technologies says that Russian still seems to be popular in southeast Asia, Daina Raschepkina of International Training Centre InTC says it is Americans and Europeans who enrol at the school, “because of the specific liking for real Russian life and Russian people”.
At EducaCentre in St Petersburg, Anastasia Shutko divides students at their institution into four main types: young students, university students; business professionals and mature clients. This last category, not really mentioned by many other providers, tends to be mainly British, American and Australian students who are over 50 and “study the language for their own pleasure”, says Shutko.
Asked if the Russian language market is expanding or not, the reaction is mixed. Some feel it is a limited market, “not English”, as Kriusheva puts it. But Shutko is optimistic, pointing out that programmes need to evolve a little more. “Owing to Russia becoming more and more welcoming and open towards foreign nationals, we can see an increase in the number of tourists and students every year,” she says. “Today’s students want to explore the culture from the inside rather than simply learn the language,” and she notes an increase in the number of students opting for Russian plus internship programmes in particular.
Meanwhile, Alexander Mokhov at Derzhavin Institute, also in St Petersburg, sees growth potential. “I think the market will grow. Every year in Saint-Petersburg new language schools open. The Russian education system is becoming more open for European students because of the Bologna process. So I think more students will need to study Russian language,” he asserts.
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The following language schools, associations and accommodation providers advertised in the latest edition of Language Travel Magazine. If you would like more information on any of these advertisers, tick the relevant boxes, fill out your details and send.
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