Abstract:

Multilingualism has become a contemporary reality across continents and embraces business, industry, research, and education.
Multilingualism is one of paramount EU language learning policy [1] that aims “to promote a healthy multilingual economy; to give citizens access to European Union legislation, procedures and information in their own languages”[2].

The multilingual education is promoted in the USA [3,4] and is gaining its popularity in Asia [5].
The above trends take place in the Russian Federation, as well. The state is enhancing its international collaboration that requires foreign languages mastery. Thus, higher education is supposed to train professionals who are efficient actors within the multilingual professional activities environment.

Russian universities also aim to enhance their multilingual educational environment. This is expected to be achieved through increasing the percentage of disciplines, BA and MA programmes that are taught in foreign languages, English goes first. To this ends teachers are doing CPD language courses; course packages are designed in foreign languages; MA entrance exams for non-language programmes include modules of English or other foreign language.

Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia has long experience in providing foreign language for specific purposes (LSP) training within the vocational and professional conversion training for students of all specialties.

Nevertheless, the current task of training competitive specialists for global international market is turning the university to another task that is content and language integrated learning (CLIL) .

There are a huge number of publications regarding scholars, university managers, job market analysts’ views on multilingual university-based education strategies and techniques. Nonetheless, students’ opinions have not become the subject of the analysis so far.

The report will provide the results of the experiment that was conducted at Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (Moscow). The university is 56 years old, it is truly international as annually it enrolls students from over 150 countries.

The experiment included students’ survey regarding multilingual higher education. The survey took into account the students’ year of studies, their nationality (from over 100 countries), social background (from low income, average income, wealthy families), geographical origin ( metropolitan, industrial, small town, rural areas), gender, specialization field, formats of learning (full time, part-time).Apart from the survey results the report will focus on its discussion and further recommendations

References:
[1] EU Multilingualism. http://europa.eu/pol/mult/index_en.htm
[2] Framework strategy for multilingualism http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:c11084
[3] Hornberger, N. H. (2003) Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 40 ed. Buffalo: Multilingual
Matters LTD/ 159-196-198, 301-303.
[4] Kumei, Teruko I. (2001) “Making ‘A Bridge Over the Pacific’: Japanese Language Schools in the
United States, 1900-1941.” In Not English Only: Redefining “American” in American
Studies. Amsterdam: VU Press, pp. 96-111.
[5] Bax, S. (2010) Powell-Davies , Ph. (2010) Researching English Bilingual Education in Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea. British Council.

Keywords:

Multilingualism, higher education, language policy.