Innovation in Language Learning

Today one of the most important and discussed issues in the higher education environment worldwide is the search for effective and productive interaction between universities and employers. The existing gap between training students at universities and the actual demands of the language service providing (LSP) industry more and more often becomes the subject of discussion at LSP industry events of various scales and levels (GALA, Elia Exchange, Translation Forum Russia, UTICamp, etc.). The statement that universities and the industry should train future specialists in collaboration has already become axiomatic. However, the issue of possible ways of the collaboration, development of new effective ways of interaction between the educational community and the LSP industry still remains subject to discussion. The paper is based on the study of the experience of leading Russian universities that teach future LSP professionals, as well as on the survey of major Russian LSP companies conducted by the Association of Translator and Interpreter Trainers in 2019. The speakers will share the experience of the traditional ways of interaction between universities and industry, and new practice-oriented ways of collaboration. The paper also provides examples of those innovative ways of interaction: on-the-job training of students, master classes by LSP industry representatives at universities, involvement of LSP professionals in curricular development and in the students’ final assessment, and others.