IN THE SPIRIT OF BAKHTIN: LANGUAGES, CULTURES, AND CONNECTION

On April 21, the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language and the M.M. Bakhtin Center hosted the International Olympiad «Russian Language in the Interaction of Languages and Cultures», honoring the 130th anniversary of the great thinker Mikhail M. Bakhtin.

Finalists from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and China came together in celebration of language and intercultural dialogue. They presented moving tour speeches about meaningful places in Bakhtin’s life and demonstrated their skills in a challenging grammar and vocabulary test.

Every participant left with more than memories — each received a finalist certificate and a precious gift from the Bakhtin Center: a unique edition of the Bakhtin Encyclopedia.

In a world of many voices, this event reminded us that understanding begins with dialogue — and dialogue begins with language.