Head of the Department – Naboka Olena, PhD in Linguistics, associate professor

Department Staff

• Naboka Olena - Head of the Department, PhD in Linguistics, associate professor
• Dimova Larysa - PhD in Pedagogy, associate professor
• Karavayeva Tatyana - PhD in Linguistics, associate professor 
• Mikava Nana - PhD in Linguistics, associate professor
• Neklesova Valeriia  - PhD in Linguistics, associate professor
• Onyshchuk Iryna - PhD in Linguistics, associate professor
• Rudik Iryna - PhD in Linguistics, associate professor
• Sarzhan Yuliia - PhD in Linguistics, associate professor
• Ter-Grigoryan Maryna  - PhD in Linguistics, associate professor
• Matovych Olha - PhD in Linguistics, lecturer
• Orlov Vitalii - senior lecturer
• Potapova Iryna - lecturer
• Borysovska Tatyana- Senior assistant ONYSHCHUK

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES FOR PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

The Department of Foreign Languages for Professional Purposes is one of the largest academic units of Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University, comprising 32 members of staff: 18 candidates of science (PhD), 6 senior lecturers and 8 lecturers. In its current form the Department has been operating since 2023, when the former Department of Foreign Languages for the Humanities and the Department of Foreign Languages for the Natural Sciences were merged into a single unit.

The Department's mission is to create a modern educational and research environment in which foreign language training becomes an instrument of professional development for future specialists across a wide range of disciplines. The Department provides high-quality teaching of foreign languages for professional purposes and promotes academic culture, critical thinking, intercultural communication, international cooperation and the University's integration into the European educational and research area.

History and Traditions

The Department was established in 1985 as a result of the division of the University's General Foreign Languages Department, when the teaching of students in the humanities and the natural sciences required a differentiated approach. It has been headed by outstanding educators and scholars: Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor E. O. Nushykian (1985–1987); Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor V. L. Skalkin (1987–1993); Candidate of Philological Sciences, Professor L. M. Holubenko (1994–1998).

From 1998 to 2020 the Department was led by Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor N. P. Vit, author of more than 70 scholarly and methodological works, a graduate of the research school of Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor V. A. Kukharenko, and a follower of the academic ideas of Professor V. L. Skalkin.

In September 2020 the Department was headed by Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor N. O. Bihunova , author of more than 100 scholarly works, including the monograph "Positive Evaluation: From Cognitive Judgement to Communicative Utterance".

Since September 2023 the Department has been led by Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Olena Naboka.

A special place in the Department's history belongs to Professor Volodymyr Lvovych Skalkin - a classic figure in Ukrainian foreign language teaching methodology, the author of more than 140 scholarly works whose textbooks and manuals on the teaching of oral speech were published in large editions and influenced several generations of teachers in Ukraine and abroad. The communicative approach, grounded in psycholinguistics in the works of V. L. Skalkin, remains the methodological foundation of the Department's work today, and the academic community honours his memory through an international scholarly conference held in his name.

Educational Activity

The Department's specialists provide foreign language training for first- and second-cycle degree students at all faculties of the University, combining the rigour of academic tradition with contemporary communicative methods. The Department's work is carried out by five language sections: English, French, German, Spanish and Latin.

Core courses offered by the Department include:

• Foreign Language for Professional Purposes
• Academic English
• Academic Writing
• Business Foreign Language
• English in International Documents and Diplomatic Correspondence
• Theory and Practice of Translating Diplomatic Correspondence and International Documents
• Second Foreign Language

The Department also offers elective courses tailored to students' fields of study:

• Latin Language
• Preparation for the Unified Foreign Language Entrance Examination (EVI)
• Linguocultural Studies
• Special Translation
• English Grammar: Practice and Testing
• Phonetics of the English Language
• Public Speaking
• Diplomacy and Arts
• English Speaking Countries
• Conversational English
• English for Cybersecurity
• English and American Literature of the 20th Century
• Intercultural Communication in Global Context
• Trade Negotiations and Economic Diplomacy

Syllabi are developed in cooperation with subject-specialist departments, so that foreign language training is linked to students' future professions from the very first class.

Research Activity

The Department's current research topic is "A Study of Foreign-Language and Academic-Professional Discourse" (unfunded); state registration number: R&D 0124U002642 (Order No. 504-19, dated 02.04.2024). The project runs from 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2028. The research supervisor is Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor I. Yu. Onyshchuk; the responsible executor is Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor M. H. Ter-Hryhorian.

Within the framework of this research topic, the Department's staff investigate discursive practices of professional communication, in particular the genre and stylistic features of academic, business and technical texts in foreign languages, as well as the specifics of terminological formation across various fields of knowledge. The findings contribute to the improvement of teaching methods for professionally oriented communication and to the integration of authentic materials into the educational process. Research results are published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at academic conferences and implemented in the educational process to enhance the quality of foreign language teaching for professional purposes.

The Department holds annual student research conferences and faculty reporting conferences devoted to current issues in linguistics and language teaching methodology.

Contact Information

Room 25, 24/26 Frantsuzkyi Boulevard, Odesa, 65058, Ukraine.
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