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It is impossible to imagine a real University without knowing the language of Goethe, Kant and Hegel. At the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology of the FEFU Oriental Institute–School of Regional and International Studies (OI-SRIS) we found out how the German language is taught in FEFU and how FEFU German Culture Center works.

Currently, English is recognized as the language of international communication, and it is English that usually sounds on official business meetings. But when specialists from Germany are invited to install German equipment at some enterprise, that cannot be done without an interpreter," says Associate Professor of the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology at the OI-SRIS, the Head of the German Language Subject Group Lyudmila Kornilova. "That is why the German language specialists are quite sought after in the practical sphere. As you know, Germany is one of the most developed and influential countries in the world, and cooperation with it is of great importance.

Now FEFU educational programs offer two options in the study of the German language: Major in German with English as a second foreign language, and German with English as the Major. Lyudmila Kornilova points out that the first option, in which German is a first, and English is a second foreign language, is more efficient. With such option a graduate will be able to achieve a high level of proficiency in both German and English.  More than 100 students study German at FEFU in the current academic year.

High-quality language learning can only be achieved in close connection with the original cultural environment. Therefore, there is the Center of German Culture under the FEFU Department of Romance and Germanic Philology. It was established in 1999 as the center of teaching and learning aids of the Goethe Institute, it received literature from Germany. Subsequently its management structure has been changed, but the main goal—to popularize the German language and culture—remained the same.

As Lyudmila Kornilova says, currently, the Department and the German Culture Center cooperate with two foundations from Germany. These are the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the Robert Bosch Foundation. They support a variety of projects aimed at promoting the German language and culture around the world.

The DAAD has increasingly focused on the development of science and education. It allocates scholarships for students and scholars. Every year FEFU students win summer language course scholarships in one of the German universities. Such scholarship allows to pay for travel expenses, training and travel in Germany for a month. These scholarships are awarded not only to students in Philology, but also to historians, engineers, and philosophers, i.e. all those who are most successful in learning German. Last year, for example, six FEFU students visited Germany under this program, and five students received the scholarships this year.

DAAD Foundation helps to develop partnership between universities of Germany and FEFU. In 2014 FEFU signed a memorandum of cooperation with the University of Duisburg-Essen (Essen, Germany), and within the framework of cooperation with this university, the international conferences, seminars, and internships for students and scholars are arranged for with the financial support of the DAAD Foundation. In 2014 FEFU hosted the international forum on Germanic Philology, and this year the international conference will be held at the University of Duisburg-Essen, where three academics of our department will make their presentations. The seminars by German professors are also planned at our University this year.

Additional opportunities are provided by the Robert Bosch Foundation. Robert Bosch lectureship was opened at our University in 2003. Now we have a young academic from Germany Danny Lenz. He teaches those academic subjects which can be presented by a native language speaker: Germany, Austria and Switzerland Country Studies, Business German, Practical Course of the German Language. In addition to lessons, Danny also promotes German culture: he holds meetings of the German Club in Vladivostok, celebrates traditional German holidays with the students—Christmas and Fasching (Spring Carnival).

Robert Bosch Foundation supports student competitions and cooperation with Chinese universities in the field of German Studies. In 2014 FEFU Department of Romance and Germanic Philology, together with Chinese colleagues conducted Russian-Chinese summer school at Northeastern University in Shenyang, where students could communicate only in German, and the workshops were held by native German speakers. This year such school will be held with the students of Dalian University. The Foundation also holds refresher courses for academics, organizes visits of German writers and artists. In February 2015 the writer Katarina Poladian visited us, and in autumn 2015 we held a meeting with the artist Barbara Schönian. This cooperation provides an opportunity to improve the German language proficiency being far away from Germany.

"I would like to point out that our teachers truly care about our education, strive to make language learning interesting," said Tatyana Sharygina, the first-year student in German Language, Translation and Translation Studies at the OI-SRIS. "Last Autumn Danny Lenz organized with us the 'Getting  Acquainted with Berlin' interactive game. They constantly invite Germans, who are visiting Vladivostok, for us to communicate with native speakers. 

I am surprised, but not many know that we teach German at FEFU and train professional translators from German. But we are the University and need to know the language of Goethe, Kant and Hegel. Everything we do contributes to the rapprochement of our countries. But not only this. So we show openness to the world and the commitment to cooperate, the opportunity to learn and to understand other cultures. Knowledge of the German language helps to cooperate even with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, allows us to explore them by using the experience of German culture," emphasizes Lyudmila Kornilova.