During the spring semester, seven students of the Department of Germanic Philology of the Faculty FPSC, SumDU, are participating in the academic mobility program at the Institute of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of E-Learning Technologies, Riga Technical University, Latvia. The program is implemented within the project Erasmus+ and the Cooperation Agreement between SumDU and RTU.
The program participants told us about their motivation and studying specifics and shared their impressions of their study in Latvia.
For example, translator student Yana Herzhan was interested in studying offline in a new country with new culture and traditions.
– The primary motivation for me was the potential opportunity to get more specialized knowledge of the translation profession. They fully justified my expectations. I was pleasantly impressed by RTU's teaching methods, approach, and homework format. Besides, I am delighted with the student life and the various events organized here for students of the Erasmus program: a city tour, parties with games, volleyball, dancing, – said the future translator.
– Academic mobility is a regular unpredictable adventure with many new meetings, and most importantly, it is an excellent experience in intercultural communication, development of personal socialization skills, and adaptation to new conditions. Of course, studying offline is something I haven't done for a long time, and it feels like a completely new experience. In less than a month, we could visit many places and meet other students of the Erasmus+ program, – said student Andrii Hrebeniuk.
The young man admitted that at first, it was pretty challenging to adapt to the new conditions, to understand how the public transport runs, how long it takes to get to the suitable building, and in general to understand in which building you have lectures... Nevertheless, the feeling of live communication, and regular feedback from lecturers, is precisely what is lacking online.
Student Yuliia Reva applied for the program at the invitation of a groupmate:
– At first, I was a bit scared: a new country, new people. But I decided to do it because, first of all, it's an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone. My studies, lecturers, and the events organized for the Erasmus program students impressed me. I met many foreigners, which also allowed me to improve my spoken English (and it helps). I am delighted that I used this opportunity, and I have not regretted it once this month!
However, for Daria Medved, the academic mobility program immediately seemed like a significant step forward, with many new opportunities and new experiences. But, like many others, she was scared – to leave home, her parents and friends, and to go abroad for the first time and for so long:
– But I decided to take a risk and go despite my fear. I was afraid I wouldn't have time to prepare my documents and worried that all my studying would be in English, but I was wrong – everything worked out, and everything was simple and clear. Studying at RTU is enjoyable, intense, and effective for me. The lecturers are friendly and open-minded. Although studying in a new country and university is always challenging, it is an essential experience.
– Philology students were able to develop professional and transversal competencies while studying in the Technical Translation program at RTU. Without exaggeration, this is a unique opportunity for future translators to learn professional disciplines from the lecturers of the host faculty who have great experience in this field. Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Department GPh and the Faculty FPSC of SumDU, I would like to thank the Dean of the Faculty of the partner university, Professor Marina Platonova, who is a stakeholder of the Department GPh; all colleagues of the Institute of Applied Linguistics, in particular Zane Senko, Coordinator of Professional Study Programs, and the Department of International Mobility of RTU headed by Evita Miscuka for the organizational and methodological support of our students. We hope for further productive and mutually beneficial cooperation in the following semesters. I invite students of 1-3 years of study of the Department GPh to apply for mobility in the following semester. By the way, the call for the winter semester has already been launched, – concluded Alla Krasulia, Vice Dean for International Relations of the Faculty FPSC.
