The study of foreign languages has become for a specialist of the XXI century urgent need. Knowledge of one or two languages is a sign not only of education, but also of professionalism, deep knowledge of one's business.

The role of a foreign language in the framework of professional competence is connected not least with the re-focus of the educational process from the reproduction of knowledge acquired by mankind to self-education, the search for new types of knowledge and new information, making this search international. The main goal of mastering the discipline "Foreign language" in a non-linguistic university is the acquisition by students of general cultural competencies in the field of a foreign language, which are necessary for successful professional activity.

The following disciplines are studied at the SPbGASU Department of Intercultural Communication: foreign language, business foreign language, foreign language of professional communication and foreign language in the field of jurisprudence (English, German, French). All these disciplines are closely interconnected and aimed at:

• improving the initial level of foreign language proficiency achieved at the previous stage of education;
• mastering by students, master's degree and postgraduate students the necessary and sufficient level of communicative competence for solving social and communicative problems in various areas of everyday, cultural, professional and scientific activities when communicating with foreign partners, in preparing scientific papers, as well as for further self-education.

In this regard, students are offered various methods of teaching a foreign language, textbooks and study guides (including electronic ones), created by the staff of the department, as well as well-known foreign publishing houses. The department has a rich film library, enabling bachelors, master's degree and postgraduate students to improve their knowledge in a foreign language, using authentic sources, listening to the speech of native speakers.

Foreign teachers are invited to the department who give lectures on various specialties of the university in the studied languages, as well as practicing teachers who share their methods of teaching foreign languages.

Distance learning is provided by a large amount of assignments, tests, films and other educational and methodological materials in the Moodle learning environment, as well as usage of the Microsoft Teams corporate platform.

The department provides students with the opportunity to obtain a second specialty "Translator in the field of professional activity" with the defense of a diploma project in a foreign language.

Conferences and seminars are held at the department, in which bachelors, undergraduates, postgraduate students take part. In addition, students participate in various methodological experiments (creating films, presentations, discussions, classes on topics of interest to students (for example, “Architecture - frozen music” with the performance of songs), writing serious and humorous essays (“Issues of technospheric safety in a cartoon "Shrek"), etc. Photos and videos of the most successful classes are posted on the website chir-sreda.ru.

Another discipline studied at the Department of Intercultural Communication is business foreign language. This is a training course covering the main types of written and oral business communication: business correspondence, preparation of CVs, presentations and speeches, telephone conversations, etc.

The "Business Foreign Language" discipline is an obligatory component of the professional training of a student of any profile. Indeed, in the context of extensive international relations, practical knowledge of a foreign language is an integral component of training specialists at a technical university.

The department provides students with materials related to the specifics of the discipline: textbooks and teaching aids, a large number of audio materials that help to carry out the communicative orientation of education, develop students' social interaction skills, help broaden their horizons, improve general culture and education, as well as the culture of thinking and everyday and business communication, education of tolerance and respect for the spiritual values of other countries and peoples.

Education under the program "Foreign language of professional communication" at the Department of Intercultural Communication gives students the opportunity to acquire the skills of:

• oral and written professional and business communication in foreign languages;
• specialized translation (translation of business documents, translation and interpretation of special texts, mastery of specialized vocabulary, etc.), and also allows you to do without the mediation of an invited translator, which significantly increases the market value of an employee.

The program is based on modern scientific and methodological developments in the field of a foreign language for special purposes, domestic and foreign translation studies, necessary for the training of modern highly qualified personnel.

Students learn to solve social and communicative tasks in various areas of professional and scientific activities when communicating with foreign partners, as well as for further self-education. The task of practical mastery of the language includes the formation of skills and abilities to independently work with documents and special literature in a foreign language in order to obtain professional information, maintain professional contacts and conduct research work.

The course program is designed to enable students to solve interdisciplinary and research problems, make presentations at scientific seminars and conferences, and conduct research in their professional field. The results of training in this discipline can be seen during student conferences held at the department, when participants express their views in a foreign language, share their professional scientific experience, having the opportunity to show the result of their work with the compilation and presentation of the main ideas in the form of presentations.

The Russian language section provides an opportunity to study the following disciplines:

• Russian as a foreign language - for foreign citizens;
• culture of speech and basics of business communication;
• basics of scientific and professional communication – for master's degree students.