Russian language day 2021: International dimension
On 4 June, the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation and the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to FAO and other UN agencies in Rome conducted a webinar dedicated to the Russian Language Day.
Mr Oleg Kobiakov, Director, FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation, who acted as moderator, joined the event via live broadcast from the Catherine Palace, Saint Petersburg, from that very Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo where Aleksandr Pushkin, the renowned and glorified Russian poet, studied. He called the Russian language a phenomenon embedded in “culture, history, science, politics, society and life.”
The head of the FAO Office in Moscow underscored Aleksandr Pushkin’s role in developing the norms of the literary Russian language, noting that the poet “significantly influenced the development of the country, age, culture and language”, highlighting not only the national, but the universal nature of his legacy. “I am proud to speak Russian, to be able to share my thoughts, feelings, emotions, my love to our homeland and to the humanity, my passion and dedication to the FAO common cause with my colleagues and friends in Russian,” Mr Oleg Kobiakov concluded.
Mr Vladimir Rakhmanin, Assistant Director-General, Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, stated, “the Russian language is most widely spread” throughout Europe and Central Asia (the ECA Region). “We hope and we try to actively use it to introduce the work done by FAO to the ever-increasing number of countries and people, as well as to enrich FAO with knowledge in agriculture, fishery, forestry, that have been generated in the Russian language, and there is a plethora of such knowledge.”
However, much has to be done to promote the effective use of Russian language in the Organization. Mr Vladimir Rakhmanin noted that FAO terminology portal has “3 times fewer terms in Russian than in English – 53,000 and 130,000 respectively. 55 percent of the FAO publications are presented in English and just 4 percent in Russian,” which may negatively affect the Organization’s efficiency.
“There should be no competition among languages,” the Assistant Director-General noted. “There should be no favouritism. We must promote multilingualism at FAO in all directions.” He noted that this does not apply solely to the FAO languages, but also to other national languages, and expressed his gratitude to the Member Countries for their financial support of multilingualism.
Mr Otabek Akbarov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Italy, Permanent Representative to FAO in Rome, noted that the legacy of the great Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin was carefully preserved in Uzbekistan, where schools provide education in both Uzbek and Russian language. Moreover, there are affiliates of some Russian universities in Uzbekistan. Mr Otabek Akbarov underscored the importance of Russian as a language of diplomacy: “Russian plays a special role in the context of world diplomacy and international relations. As well as other widely spread languages, we actively use Russian in our diplomatic affairs, in particular, in communication with the CIS countries and in the framework of our work within the UN and its structures, undoubtedly including FAO.”
The presentation by Ms Dariya Pushkova, Head of the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Rome, was dedicated to learning and teaching Russian in Italy, where the language is included into school and higher education programmes, taught at weekend schools and at private educational centres, as well as used for everyday communication in many bilingual families. “The number of schools where Russian is taught is growing continuously. For example, in the 2018–2019 school year, their number reached 106, whereas in 2009–2010 Russian was only offered in 36 schools. That is, over 10 years, the number of schools teaching Russian has tripled,” Ms Dariya Pushkova noted. In Italy, she said, there was high demand for thematic educational programmes, and the surge of online learning led to a significant increase in the number of Italians learning Russian.
Mr Victor Vasiliev, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the FAO and other UN agencies in Rome, delivered a statement on the place and role of the Russian language in the work of FAO and thanked the Organization’s leaders “…for upholding the principle of multilingualism that promotes active use of the Russian language in international cooperation, first and foremost in dealing with the mandate of the international organizations based in Rome that includes agriculture, fishery, forestry and support for agricultural activities in general, as well as food production and nutrition.”
As Mr Victor Vasiliev noted, the ability to speak Russian provides countries and their representatives with an opportunity to “actively take part in various international cooperation programmes, in the development of guidelines and in documentary work” as well as to “participate in high-level and highest-level events.” He expressed his gratitude to FAO for taking into account the perspectives of the ECA Region and using knowledge provided by Russian-speaking experts around the world.
The Russian Ambassador also highlighted the role played by the Russian language in the preparation for the upcoming Food Systems Summit. “Here in Rome we are working to encourage other UN agencies based in Italy, that is the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, to follow the FAO’s example in using Russian.”
Mr Sergio Ferraro, Deputy Director, Governing Bodies Servicing (CSG), Head of the Language Services branch (CSGL), thanked the Russian Federation for productive cooperation in promoting the Russian language. “As you know, languages are an essential component of diplomacy and international cooperation”, he said, highlighting the role of multilingualism in preserving cultural heritage and disseminating knowledge for sustainable development.
“Indeed, international cooperation requires that deliberations in the international organizations be conducted in a transparent manner to the benefit of stakeholders, increasing direct access to information. Languages play a vital role in strengthening cooperation,” noted Mr Sergio Ferraro. He also drew attention to the fact that multilingualism was the defining characteristic of FAO and it “promotes diversity, strong bonds of solidarity and friendship” between its Member Nations.
Ms Sharon Lee Cowan, FAO veteran, ex-head of communication, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, shared her personal experience on how the Russian language was introduced into the communication work of FAO. She studied Russian at university and never really had the opportunity to use it on the regular basis. “I am a Russophile,” she admitted, emphasizing that “from 1990 and till 2006 it was a period when everyone always talked about that someday Russia activates its membership in FAO. When a letter would arrive in Russian at the legal office, they would send it to me because someone had heard that I studied Russian at university. French and Spanish versions of the website came along quickly but the general consensus was that it would be too difficult to make a Russian one.”
It was not always easy, recalled Ms Sharon Lee Cowan, “there were times when errors were committed, but the heart was in the right place: we were working with media, issuing publications, participating in development of flagship publications, and there was a feeling of a more complete international organization.”
Dr Shiroma Sathyapala, FAO Forestry Officer, graduate of a Russian university, congratulated all the participants of the webinar on the Russian Language Day and shared a story about how the knowledge of Russian helped her in life and work. She is a native of Sri Lanka, and as a child she read Valentin Katayev’s “Rainbow-Flower”, and the fairytale awakened her love for Russian literature. Her ability to speak Russian helped her to get a position in the FAO Forestry Division and become one of the many wonderful specialists, who studied in the Russian Federation and now work successfully in many countries around the world.
Dr Maksim Samorodov, PhD in Philology, teacher at Lyceum 1535 (Moscow), spoke about the connection between the Russian literature and learning Russian in the current conditions. “Our whole culture is Pushkin-centric,” he concluded. Aleksandr Pushkin, indeed, is our “contemporary.” It is enough to recall his quotes from the quarantine during the cholera epidemic in Russia in the 19th century, his arguments and advice, which have recently turned out to be extremely relevant for all of us. Pushkin, in Dr Samorodov’s opinion, “is a motivator in the most difficult situations and sad occurrences that life burdens us with.”
Mr Kaviza Nyiasha John, post-graduate student, Agrarian and Technological Institute, The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), made a speech on how learning Russian helped him in his career, opened the path towards partnerships with Russian colleagues and ensured access to databases, including publications on new technologies and best practices. “The Russian language gave me the opportunity to look at the world in a new way and interact with many interesting people.” “Knowledge of Russian allows you to work effectively around the world,” he concluded.
Mr Gerard Gbagidi, graduate of the Russian university, Moscow Institute of Civil Engineering named after V.V. Kuybyshev (MISI), Director, Vereshchagin Higher School of Engineering in Kotonu (Benin), described his experience of learning Russian back in the Soviet times. “We lived in a dormitory with Russian students, so we had the opportunity to constantly communicate in Russian with them. Soviet textbooks in the Russian language are my main treasure. I still use them after opening a school of engineering in my country with the opportunity to learn Russian for those who cannot afford to study in Russia.”
In conclusion, the Moscow poetess Ms Galina Balebanova addressed the participants of the online forum. She spoke about her creative experience and the phenomenon of how translators into French and Francophones perceive Russian poetry. One of the most emotional moments of her speech was a personal observation, “How many people abroad, even those who do not know the Russian language, are ready to listen with pleasure and admiration to Russian poetry, the very melody of Russian speech!”
“I always thought that poetry is difficult for foreign-speaking listeners to perceive but no, even a poetic word in Russian is very popular all over the world… The Russian language resonates everywhere,” concluded Ms Balebanova.
Background:
Russian Language Day, annually celebrated on June 6, the birthday of the great Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin, appeared on the international calendar in 2010, when the UN Department of Global Communications proposed to establish holidays dedicated to the six official languages of the Organization in order to support and promote multilingualism and cultural diversity. The corresponding decision was made on the eve of the International Mother Language Day, which is celebrated annually on February 21 at the initiative of UNESCO.
Maintaining multilingualism as an important factor in harmonious communication between peoples is of particular importance in FAO. It considers all six UN languages “languages of the Organization” and does not separate them into official and working languages. After the Russian Federation joined FAO in 2006, the language of Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky was used in its work on equal terms with English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, and French. The use of the Russian language in FAO contributes to greater involvement of Member Nations in the work of the Organization, an active exchange of best practices and, ultimately, the solution of the problem of eliminating hunger and ensuring food security of the world's population.
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You could watch the participants’ speeches of the webinar dedicated to the Russian Language Day here.