MSLU hosts 5th Congress of Hispanists

On October 20-21st MSLU hosted the 5th Congress of Hispanists. The event was organized by the Association of Russian Hispanists, University of Cadiz, along with co-organizers Higher School of Economics, Southern Federal University and the University of Granada.

The congress was held with the support of the Embassy of Spain in the Russian Federation and Cervantes Institute.

Irina Kraeva, the rector of Moscow State Linguistic University, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech at the opening of the Congress. The participants of the congress were greeted by the Director of the Latin American Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia A.V. Shchetinin, Chargé d'Affaires of the Kingdom of Spain to the Russian Federation, Mr. Agustin Nunez, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba to the Russian Federation, Mr. Julio Antonio Garmendia Peña, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay to the Russian Federation, Mr. Daniel Castillos Gomes , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Peru to the Russian Federation, Mr. Juan Genaro del Campo Rodriguez, Extraordinary Minister of the Embassy of the Republic of Ecuador in the Russian Federation, Mr. Jorge Patricio Palacios. Greetings to the guests and the participants of the Congress were sent by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mexico to the Russian Federation, Mrs. Norma Berta Pensado Moreno, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Chile to the Russian Federation, Mr. Eduardo Escobar, Rector of the Southern Federal University I.K. Shevchenko, prof. O.V. Volosyuk on behalf of Higher School of Economics Rector Anisimov, Rector of the University of Granada Ms. Pilar Aranda Ramirez, Vice-Rector of the University of Cadiz Mr. Rafael Jimenez Castaneda, Leading Advisor of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation A.V. Malakhov.

Since its establishment in 1994 the congress has greatly expanded its geography. Universities from Eastern Europe and Central Asia took part in the congress platform this time.

Representatives of partner universities with which MSLU has been cooperating for several decades (the University of Cadiz and the University of Granada) attended the conference.

During the plenary session the MSLU rector Irina Kraeva and the director of the Cervantes Institute in Moscow Juan Carlos Vidal Garcia signed an agreement on establishing the center for taking exams in Spanish as a foreign language DELE in MSLU.

About 200 people, representatives of 35 Russian and 25 foreign organizations, leading scientists from Spain and Latin American countries, ex-president of the Spanish Royal Academy of Language Academician Dario Villanueva and Academician of the Spanish Royal Academy of Language Guillermo Rojo, Director of the Cervantes Institute (Madrid) and the famous poet Luis García Montero.

Three educational and discussion platforms worked within the framework of the congress: the XVI Spanish-Russian Seminar on Translation, which MSLU has been conducting jointly with the University of Granada since 1996; a master class on teaching Spanish as a foreign language for teachers of language, secondary and special schools, organized by the University of Cadiz; student conference, where students showed their first scientific achievements in the field of Spanish studies and nominated the winners.

During the congress, leading scientists, university professors, and young researchers presented the results of their work in the field of the Spanish language and culture, history, economics and political science of Spanish-speaking countries, in the field of teaching Spanish as a foreign language.