Faculty of Philology, what kind of profession? Philologist - profession or vocation? As a translator
A philologist is a language specialist who professionally works with text (a general name for a profession that allows you to choose any specifics in the future). Educational programs and specialties in the “philology” profile can be different: from Romance-Germanic philology to journalism. Typically, there are two areas of activity among them: applied and research. The first deals with issues in the use of language, and the second deals with its research.
Personal qualities
First of all, philology is suitable for those who love to study and work with languages. This requires attentiveness, good memory, and the ability to quickly assimilate information. Well-developed abstract thinking is required in order to well assimilate theoretical information in the required volume.
Philologist - who is this?
Firstly, this is a person with a higher education, it is not necessary to graduate from the Faculty of Philology, you can graduate from the Faculty of Pedagogy or Cultural Studies in this profile. Secondly, this is someone who is ready to work with any text that does not always meet personal interests. Thirdly, the applicant needs to know that the program of the faculties where they teach to be a philologist includes the study of dead languages and an in-depth study of the history of literature. So, it turns out that a philologist not only studies a language and works with it, he speaks it professionally and expresses his qualified opinion on any issue.
The specialty of philology is available in large research, pedagogical and humanities universities. Training is carried out full-time according to the bachelor's program (4 years of study), after which you can enroll in a master's degree (2 years) or complete part-time (5 years) and also enroll in a master's degree.
Where to study
Faculty of Philology
Entrance exams: literature, Russian language, history - Unified State Examination, literature (intra-university written exam)
Passing score (2015, full-time): 375
Faculty of Humanities (School of Philology)
Entrance exams: literature, Russian, foreign language - Unified State Exam
Passing score (2015, full-time): 275
Institute of Philology and History
Entrance exams: literature, Russian language, foreign language - Unified State Examination
Passing score (2015, full-time): 263
Faculty of Philology
Entrance exams: literature, Russian language, foreign language - Unified State Exam, written exam (literature)
Passing score (2015, full-time): 271
Profession philologist
Pros and cons of professions
Career, places of employment
People with a philological education are most often required for the positions of “production editor”, “author of articles” and “copywriter”.
Where can you go to work with a philological education?
Since philology is a broad profile of training, it involves a variety of professional activities in the future. For example, a philologist can work in publishing houses, magazines, teach, work with archives, in libraries, engage in cultural and scientific activities, and write texts of various types. You can work as an editor, journalist, copywriter, translator, teacher or lecturer, librarian, archivist, speechwriter.
Each of the works in its degree implies applied and research activities. For example, the professions “editor” and “translator” are for those who are equally passionate about text research and its application; for those who like the scientific path, “teacher” and “author of articles” are suitable; for comparison, “journalist” and “speechwriter” are more suitable associated with the applied use of language.
Philology(from ancient Greek φιλολογ?α, “love of the word”) is the general name of several disciplines (literary criticism, textual criticism, linguistics, etc.) that study culture through text. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in Russian language and literature (see choosing a profession based on interest in school subjects).
Brief description
The importance of the philologist's profession is difficult to overestimate. “Language is more than blood,” wrote Victor Klemperer in “Notes of a Philologist.” 80% of a person's personality lies in his speech. Therefore, native language and literature are basic and compulsory subjects in schools. Teachers of these disciplines enrich our speech, shape our worldview, instilling a love for our native literature. Without knowledge of the language, the study of other sciences would be inaccessible. The history of a language is inseparable from the history of the people speaking it.
A philologist, as a duty of his profession, thoroughly knows the nature of language, its origin, historical development, functions, internal structure and classification. Linguistics is divided into general and specific, theoretical and applied.
General linguistics summarizes universal data for all languages.
Particular linguistics is the science of one language.
Applied linguistics is the application of linguistic knowledge in practice: teaching a language, creating textbooks and dictionaries, translating from one language to another. In recent years, the use of mathematical apparatus in describing language in order to create special computer programs has become promising.
Theoretical linguistics is a research activity that consists of creating scientific works, reviews, restoration and study of texts.
Specifics of the profession
The work of a philologist involves the following types of activities, depending on the organization in which he works:
- scientific research into the connections between ancient and modern groups of languages, the origin and evolution of words, grammatical and linguistic forms;
- consulting on linguistics issues;
- development, review and preparation for publication of scientific works, textbooks, methodological aids for the study of languages, dictionaries, grammars, language classification systems;
- written translations of fiction, scientific, technical and various specialized literature;
- work to unify terms, improve concepts and definitions in various branches of science and technology.
- development of methods for using computers and other equipment to increase the productivity and quality of translations;
- participation in the development of machine languages;
- preparation of scientific documentation and reports.
Pros and cons of the profession
Pros:
- Versatility: the profession of a philologist gives the opportunity to work in a wide variety of organizations as a teacher, researcher, literary editor or translator (see the Career section).
- The work of a philologist is creative.
Cons:
- low prestige of the profession in the modern world;
- small salary in the field of education and science.
Place of work
Research institutes, educational institutions (from schools to universities), media, publishing houses, editorial offices and libraries, public and cultural organizations.
Currently, philologists successfully work in the advertising business as copywriters, rewriters, and speechwriters.
Personal qualities
- competent oral and written speech;
- broad outlook;
- rich imagination;
- analytical thinking;
- good hearing and memory;
- patience;
- scrupulousness;
- perseverance;
- attentiveness.
Remuneration
Salary as of 11/18/2019
Russia 15000—60000 ₽
Moscow 38000—84000 ₽
Career
The career of a philologist develops along the path of obtaining scientific titles or rising through the ranks from a simple teacher to a senior teacher, head of department, dean, rector.
There are not many opportunities for career growth as a philologist. But this is compensated by the fact that a specialist with a philologist education can work in many fields and climb the career ladder in related professions:
- in the field of education as a tutor (Russian language, literature, foreign language), trainer (preparation for public speaking, negotiations), methodologist, specialist in writing term papers.
- in the field of media as a journalist, reporter, production editor, editor-in-chief, proofreader.
- in the field of IT and Internet technologies as a technical editor or writer, content manager, SEO specialist.
Education
Universities
You can study to become a philologist at universities that have a philological department:
- Moscow Pedagogical State University
- Russian State Humanitarian University
- Moscow Humanitarian Pedagogical Institute, etc.
How foreigners perceive Russian speech.
It seems to me that Russian speech is something between the roar of a walrus and the melody of Brahms.
(Abe, accountant, UK)
The most amazing thing is that the Russian language can sound completely different: it all depends on the speaker and on what exactly is being said. In principle, if you wish, you can make the Russian language sound angelic... The Russian language is plasticine from which you can mold whatever you want.
(Batyr, photographer, Mongolia)
A highly emotional language, Russians put a lot of feeling and passion into intonation. Example: “Wow!”
(Chris, consultant, Corsica)
Like the sound of sandpaper scraping across a rough surface covered with a thin layer of varnish. And if we talk about provincials, then their Russian is scraping sandpaper on a rough surface without any varnishing at all.
(Mark, teacher, UK)
It's like the roar of a bus stuck in a traffic jam. “Yes-yes-yessssssss.” And so - on an increasing scale.
(Israel)
The Russian language is like a poorly adjusted radio receiver: full of unnecessary rustles, crackles and creaks.
(Maria, translator, France)
Philology(from ancient Greek φιλολογ?α, “love of the word”) is the general name of several disciplines (literary criticism, textual criticism, linguistics, etc.) that study culture through text. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in Russian language and literature (see choosing a profession based on interest in school subjects).
Brief description
The importance of the philologist's profession is difficult to overestimate. “Language is more than blood,” wrote Victor Klemperer in “Notes of a Philologist.” 80% of a person's personality lies in his speech. Therefore, native language and literature are basic and compulsory subjects in schools. Teachers of these disciplines enrich our speech, shape our worldview, instilling a love for our native literature. Without knowledge of the language, the study of other sciences would be inaccessible. The history of a language is inseparable from the history of the people speaking it.
A philologist, as a duty of his profession, thoroughly knows the nature of language, its origin, historical development, functions, internal structure and classification. Linguistics is divided into general and specific, theoretical and applied.
General linguistics summarizes universal data for all languages.
Particular linguistics is the science of one language.
Applied linguistics is the application of linguistic knowledge in practice: teaching a language, creating textbooks and dictionaries, translating from one language to another. In recent years, the use of mathematical apparatus in describing language in order to create special computer programs has become promising.
Theoretical linguistics is a research activity that consists of creating scientific works, reviews, restoration and study of texts.
Specifics of the profession
The work of a philologist involves the following types of activities, depending on the organization in which he works:
- scientific research into the connections between ancient and modern groups of languages, the origin and evolution of words, grammatical and linguistic forms;
- consulting on linguistics issues;
- development, review and preparation for publication of scientific works, textbooks, methodological aids for the study of languages, dictionaries, grammars, language classification systems;
- written translations of fiction, scientific, technical and various specialized literature;
- work to unify terms, improve concepts and definitions in various branches of science and technology.
- development of methods for using computers and other equipment to increase the productivity and quality of translations;
- participation in the development of machine languages;
- preparation of scientific documentation and reports.
Pros and cons of the profession
Pros:
- Versatility: the profession of a philologist gives the opportunity to work in a wide variety of organizations as a teacher, researcher, literary editor or translator (see the Career section).
- The work of a philologist is creative.
Cons:
- low prestige of the profession in the modern world;
- small salary in the field of education and science.
Place of work
Research institutes, educational institutions (from schools to universities), media, publishing houses, editorial offices and libraries, public and cultural organizations.
Currently, philologists successfully work in the advertising business as copywriters, rewriters, and speechwriters.
Personal qualities
- competent oral and written speech;
- broad outlook;
- rich imagination;
- analytical thinking;
- good hearing and memory;
- patience;
- scrupulousness;
- perseverance;
- attentiveness.
Remuneration
Salary as of 11/18/2019
Russia 15000—60000 ₽
Moscow 38000—84000 ₽
Career
The career of a philologist develops along the path of obtaining scientific titles or rising through the ranks from a simple teacher to a senior teacher, head of department, dean, rector.
There are not many opportunities for career growth as a philologist. But this is compensated by the fact that a specialist with a philologist education can work in many fields and climb the career ladder in related professions:
- in the field of education as a tutor (Russian language, literature, foreign language), trainer (preparation for public speaking, negotiations), methodologist, specialist in writing term papers.
- in the field of media as a journalist, reporter, production editor, editor-in-chief, proofreader.
- in the field of IT and Internet technologies as a technical editor or writer, content manager, SEO specialist.
Education
Universities
You can study to become a philologist at universities that have a philological department:
- Moscow Pedagogical State University
- Russian State Humanitarian University
- Moscow Humanitarian Pedagogical Institute, etc.
How foreigners perceive Russian speech.
It seems to me that Russian speech is something between the roar of a walrus and the melody of Brahms.
(Abe, accountant, UK)
The most amazing thing is that the Russian language can sound completely different: it all depends on the speaker and on what exactly is being said. In principle, if you wish, you can make the Russian language sound angelic... The Russian language is plasticine from which you can mold whatever you want.
(Batyr, photographer, Mongolia)
A highly emotional language, Russians put a lot of feeling and passion into intonation. Example: “Wow!”
(Chris, consultant, Corsica)
Like the sound of sandpaper scraping across a rough surface covered with a thin layer of varnish. And if we talk about provincials, then their Russian is scraping sandpaper on a rough surface without any varnishing at all.
(Mark, teacher, UK)
It's like the roar of a bus stuck in a traffic jam. “Yes-yes-yessssssss.” And so - on an increasing scale.
(Israel)
The Russian language is like a poorly adjusted radio receiver: full of unnecessary rustles, crackles and creaks.
(Maria, translator, France)
Philology is the science of language. Taking this term literally, its essence can be revealed as follows: “I love the word.” A specialist in the field of literature is called a philologist. If we take into account that the word is a universal means of communication, then it becomes clear that a person who has a meticulous command of the word is a universal specialist, and the scope of his knowledge is quite extensive.
Philologist ─ what kind of profession is this?
You can become a specialist in philology by receiving an education at a higher educational institution with a humanitarian orientation. Training takes place at the Faculty of Philology. Specialization is carried out in the following areas of humanitarian knowledge:
- Teachers.
- Translators.
- Scientific activity.
- Publishing activities.
According to the specialization, the graduate’s functionality may be in demand in these areas.
Very often, humanitarian competence for career growth and entrepreneurial activity is insufficient. And philologists receive additional higher education in the field of exact knowledge - in technical, natural and social sciences.
Teaching activities
Philologist, what kind of profession is this? The most common answer would be a teacher of Russian language and literature. And this is true.
Russian language and literature is one of the main disciplines and is subject to mandatory certification upon completion of the cycle of incomplete and secondary education. The results are taken into account upon admission to higher educational institutions.
A teacher of Russian language and literature can always find a job in secondary educational institutions, in the system of higher and additional education - everywhere the profession of philologist is needed. A teacher’s salary depends on the rate and level of the educational institution, length of experience, and hourly workload. Corresponds to the average statistical income for a Russian resident, in the range from twenty to forty thousand rubles, depending on the region. Teachers in Moscow have the highest level of income.
Philologist - translator
Philologist in scientific activity
To study the history of its formation and for the depth of knowledge of phenomena in the ontology of language, a profession is needed - a philologist.
Describing the phenomenology of literature is only one facet of scientific research. To a reasonable question, what is the practical significance of research in this area, one can answer that a word is a way of being, imprinted in word form. Philological studies of the patterns of word formation make discoveries in the methods of historical and modern thinking, which, in turn, helps to understand a person more deeply.
Publishing activities
Covers many areas, everything related to the organization, production and distribution of printed materials in any form. It is in this area that a philologist is in full demand. What kind of profession this is becomes clear at each stage of publishing activity.
- Authorship of materials. Journalist, copywriter, blogger - producer of original texts. This is the direct vocation of a person with a philological education.
- Editing and preparing materials for publication.
- Promotion of materials and release.
The profession of a philologist can manifest itself in such many ways. The features and degree of its demand lie in the very subject of specialization - in the word. There are other ways of communication and social interactions. But, you must agree that language is the universal way of communication. And if you master these methods perfectly, the demand for the service will manifest itself in any area of society.
Famous representatives of the profession
In order to understand what kind of profession a philologist is, it is enough to recall the world-famous names of figures with a philological education. And everything becomes clear.
Mikhail Bakhtin is a great Russian thinker, philologist, and researcher. He gave rise to many schools and scientific directions. It was he who asked the scientific community a question about the criterion for the truth of humanitarian knowledge. His fundamental work “The Work of François Rabelais and the Medieval Culture of the Renaissance” is a classic of philology and reveals the origins of literature in folk culture. Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev is the personification of a consistent civic position in defending his views. In his professional philological environment, he was able to show the power of speech in the struggle for freedom. For him, it was the word that became the strongest weapon in the fight against hypocrisy and official lies.
This series can be continued endlessly. Due to the power of the word and its meaning in the information environment, journalism is often called the fourth power of society.
Philology is a science that studies culture through writing. She studies several humanities disciplines: Russian language, literary criticism, textual criticism. Many people wonder who a philologist is and what kind of profession is it? In a broad sense, this is the name given to a specialist in the field of literacy and speech culture.
On the Wikipedia website (an online encyclopedia), the term stands for “loving the word.” In Dahl's dictionary, philology is interpreted as “philology” and is defined as the science that studies ancient languages. According to Dahl, it is linguistics that deals with living languages, since it does not always examine texts from the cultural side.
This profession is extremely important. After all, a person’s individuality is mainly his speech. Compulsory subjects at school are the native language and literature.
Without knowing the language in which scientific works and literary texts are written, it is impossible to study other sciences and formulate one’s worldview.
A philologist is engaged in studying the origin, historical development, structure and functions of native speech. Analyzes the division into classes and types (applied science deals with this).
Linguistics can be private (information about one language) and general (data about all living and disappeared). As well as theoretical (writing scientific papers, text analysis) and applied (practical use of knowledge in teaching, writing dictionaries, literary and scientific translations, creating computer programs).
Occupations of a specialist in this profile:
- consultations on linguistic issues;
- publication of various literature, including scientific, special, technical;
- definition and development of terms and concepts in various fields of science and technology, writing texts and other necessary documentation.
The difference between linguistics and philology
A linguist deals mainly with the study of language, for a philologist it is only a subject for processing texts, he studies the science of literary expression, and also studies linguistics. These are two different types of professions with one common focus.
Unfortunately, philologists are in no hurry to go to work in schools, where there are not enough teachers, so there is a great demand for these specialists. The diploma indicates the specialty: “Philologist, teacher of Russian language and literature.”
A linguist is a person who is more involved in the exact sciences than in the humanities. General linguistics and linguistics in our country is a subject of study at the Faculty of Philology; in Europe and America, linguistics is considered a separate discipline.
Useful video: who are philologists?
Employment
University applicants are often interested in where and with whom philologists can work, besides the teaching field. The choice is great: in editorial offices, libraries, research institutes. This means they can work not only as teachers, but also as editors, journalists, copywriters, librarians, specialists from scientific institutes, and modern agencies. People with such a fundamental education can get a job anywhere. A philologist is, first of all, a specialist in the analysis, design, editing, and creation of texts. Therefore, he is engaged in advertising, journalism, and pedagogy.
This profession is universal. You can work in the following areas:
- Research activities. What philologists do in science: create reviews, study historical data about literature, restore and explain old manuscripts. In order to further engage in science, applicants choose educational institutions where there are conditions for such work. Upon graduation, they enter graduate school and defend dissertations (doctoral, candidate's).
- Pedagogy. Specialists in this profile can work as teachers, literature and Russian language teachers at school, in secondary specialized educational institutions, and universities. To become a good teacher, you must have such qualities as excellent memory, hearing, an analytical mind, and a broad outlook. And also competent speech, patience, resistance to stress, energy, initiative. Naturally, do not have nervous or mental disorders.
- Media. Graduates of humanitarian universities in this specialty can safely choose a job in journalism in their specialty: proofreader, reporter, editor of any direction (chief, ordinary, publishing). The main requirement of the media is to clearly and accurately express your thoughts both orally and in writing. Anyone who chooses this direction to realize their knowledge and talent should be able to write an interesting article or speak on radio or television. You must be able to show creativity, be prepared for business trips and traveling. If you are satisfied with quiet work in the office, a philologist can work as an editor or proofreader. Their duty is to correct finished texts.
- The Internet is a place for modern, competent specialists to work. New sites are appearing on the Internet that need unique texts for high-quality content. Philologists on the Internet are engaged in adapting already written text to marketing requirements. Technical writers and editors for describing products and services, rewriters and copywriters are also required. They create content for websites.
Specialists in this profession have few opportunities for career growth. You can master related professions: journalist, tutor, methodologist. Moscow requires specialists in writing term papers, content managers, and SEO specialists in Internet technologies.
Philologist is a popular specialty
Education
You can get the appropriate education at any university that has a philological department. In Moscow there are the following institutes: Humanitarian Pedagogical Institute, Pedagogical University, Russian State University for the Humanities. In every city where there is a university or pedagogical institute, you can study to become a philologist.
To enter, you must pass the Unified State Exam (USE) in subjects that vary at each university. There you can find out the established passing score. The certificate, medical certificate and photo must be taken to the admissions committee, write an application and wait for admission.
Pay attention! Many universities hold open days, consultations (free), and have budget departments.
Students
For admission to the Russian Philology major, Unified State Examination results in the following subjects are taken into account:
- literature;
- Russian language;
- history or ;
- creative essay on literature, interview.
For foreign studies, instead of social studies, you need to take the Unified State Exam in a foreign language. For theoretical applied linguistics - in mathematics.
The Faculty of Philology teaches the following specialties: translator, researcher, publishing worker, teacher. Teachers are in demand.
Important! When passing the Unified State Exam, modern graduates must take the Russian language test; the test results are counted when entering universities.
Therefore, a Russian specialist can always find a job. Teachers' salaries depend on the level of the educational institution, length of service, and workload. Its highest level is in Moscow - from 50 thousand rubles.
Publishing needs, like no other, specialists who can work as a journalist, blogger, or copywriter. Editing materials and preparing for printing is impossible without a competent, erudite specialist. Sometimes in modern entrepreneurial activity it is necessary to obtain additional higher education in order to have a good understanding of the social, natural, and technical sciences.
Specialists who are proficient in simultaneous translation of technical and literary texts must have this education. The salary level is quite high. A translator must not only know the language, but also be competent in the field in which he works.
Useful video: professions of the future for philologists
Conclusion
The profession of a philologist is universal and creative. Undeservedly considered unprestigious in the modern world. The salary is small, but this does not stop people devoted to this profession. They devote their lives to it, doing what they love, without regret and without wanting to look for anything else.