The FSI Russian Language Course was developed to provide diplomats with the key skills, tools and terminology that they need in their work. NovaMova have been providing professional language skills for over a decade. This course is carefully tailored to the topics and skills required by US diplomats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this course for
The course is for anyone who needs to speak Russian as part of their job, or who has an interest in developing career options:
- Ambassadors, diplomats and other embassy officials;
- Individual civil servants who are not part of a department-wide language programme;
- Government officials or any employee of a government department or agency who has the desire to maintain and develop Russian language skills, for future career progression.
How is it delivered?
Courses are offered entirely online, using Live Online or other platforms, as required. NovaMova has invested in the latest technology to enable students to access materials, take part in live individual lessons and undertake online exercises.
How is the course designed?
Our well-balanced language course consists of four roughly equal strands:
- Understanding language through reading and listening;
- Communicating through speaking and writing;
- Focussing on linguistic forms;
- Developing fluency.
Our overall aim is to help you gain knowledge - and enjoy learning.
Our teachers
All of our 30+ teachers are native Russian speakers with professional qualifications and expertise. Many of them have extensive experience in a professional field - translating, interpreting or business. All staff who teach on this course have attended the US Embassy training seminar "FSI test training for teachers".
What are the course materials?
We work hard to find authentic materials that we know will motivate learners. Where necessary, we adapt them. Our customized materials include:
- textbooks,
- workbooks,
- worksheets,
- adapted and non-adapted audio and video materials,
- various applications,
- dictionaries.
What does the course cover?
The FSI test is a language proficiency test that measures language use in social and work-related situations.
The test for American diplomats consists of two parts:
- Speaking (Conversation, Speaking at length, Interview) and
- Reading (Reading in Gist and Reading In Depth).
FSI uses the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale, ranging from level 0 (no measurable language proficiency) to level 5 (similar to that of a highly articulate, well-educated native speaker's proficiency).
Our teachers evaluate students` knowledge at the start, which provides them with useful information on how to plan a balanced course. We find that self-assessment stimulates learning orientation in students and helps them to set realistic goals. We recommend the self-assessment tools on the same site.
