The Spanish Department at the Faculty of Translation and Interpretation offers courses in the Spanish language both as the first and as the second foreign language to students studying for a degree in “Translation / Interpretation and Translation Studies”. These include modules in “Theoretical Phonetics”, “Introduction into Special Philology and History of the Spanish Language”, “Theoretical Grammar”, “Lexicology”, “Stylistics” and “A Practical Course of Spanish” (covering the first two years of study), as well as “A Practical Course in Verbal Communication Culture” (covering the third, fourth and fifth years of study).
The Department is also responsible for teaching practical courses of Spanish to students of the Institute of International Relations and Socio-Political Studies at MSLU.

   The staff of the Department are authors of a number of major works in the fields of lexicology, lexicography and grammar of the Spanish language. For instance, “A Big Spanish-Russian Dictionary” (one of co-authors of which is Prof. N. Kurchatkina) has seen seven editions, an eighth being prepared for publication; a unique Spanish –Russian dictionary “Latin America” (among the co-authors of which are Prof. N. Kurchatkina and Associate Professor T. Bychkova) has seen two editions; “A Spanish-Russian Dictionary of Modern Usage” (one of co-authors of which is Prof. Y. Romanov) has seen six editions. Among books popular with those who specialize in Spanish studies are a book by Prof. N. Kurchatkina on the phraseology and lexicology of the Spanish language and “Prepositions in Modern Spanish” by Prof. M. Deyev.

   The Department offers post-graduate courses, too. Its post-graduates work at various universities in Moscow and other Russian cities and towns, as well as in Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan and the Republic of Cuba. Research conducted by the Department embraces a wide variety of subjects, such as the development and functioning of lexico-phraseological system of the Spanish language, problems of Spanish lexicography, and various aspects of intercultural communication.

   New methods of teaching are being developed within different spheres, including the development of new syllabi on practical and theoretical courses of Spanish, writing new textbooks and guides, and working out new test materials. The Department is also involved in the work of the Federal Expert Board on the Spanish Language at the RF Ministry of Education and Science.

   The Department maintains close ties with the Roman Languages Department at the Institute of General Linguistics, the Institute of Latin America at the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as with related departments at MSU, Russian University of Friendship among Nations, Moscow State Pedagogical University and other higher educational institutions in Moscow.

   The Department’s staff are involved in international cooperation within the framework of bilateral agreements between MSLU and Spanish universities, in line with which they regularly visit partner-universities, and take part in international forums. The Department has established especially close links with the University of Granada, Spain.

   The Department has been in existence since 1960. Since 1985, it has been headed by Cand. Sc. (Philology) Prof. N. Kurchatkina.