For the First Time, Linguists Describe the History of Russian Sign Language Interpreter Training
A team of researchers from Russia and the United Kingdom has, for the first time, provided a detailed account of the emergence and evolution of the Russian Sign Language (RSL) interpreter training system. This large-scale study spans from the 19th century to the present day, revealing both the achievements and challenges faced by the professional community. Results have been published in The Routledge Handbook of Sign Language Translation and Interpreting.
Today, at least 240,000 people across Russia use Russian Sign Language. However, a shortage of professional interpreters persists, especially in smaller towns and rural areas. This deficit poses serious obstacles to the full integration of deaf people into public life and limits their access to education. To better understand the causes of this problem and explore possible solutions, an international team of scholars examined the history of sign language interpreter training in Russia.
Until 2012, Russian Sign Language was not officially recognised as a language and was regarded merely as a means of interpersonal communication. Yet the history of sign language interpreting in Russia dates back to the 19th century, when the differences between Russian and Russian Sign Language were first described. The earliest training courses for sign language interpreters were organised in the 1930s, but the teaching methods and the status of these specialists changed repeatedly due to political and social factors. For a long time, interpreters were trained through short-term courses, often without the involvement of deaf instructors, which hindered the field’s professional development. Nevertheless, even this level of training helped deaf people take part in the life of the hearing community.
‘The collapse of the USSR led to a dramatic decline in the number of interpreters—from 5,500 to about 520 by 1998,’ the researchers note. Since then, major efforts have been made to restore and improve the quality of interpreter education.
The researchers traced the various stages in the development of sign language interpreter training—from short Soviet-era courses to modern university programmes. Particular attention was paid to the programmes at Moscow State Linguistic University and Novosibirsk State Technical University, which now offer full four-year bachelor’s degrees in the field.
During the study, the researchers examined archival documents, publications, and conference materials on sign language dating back to the 19th century. They also used data from questionnaires and follow-up surveys completed by members of the professional community. This allowed them to analyse first-hand accounts of the profession’s development and current state, assess the present situation, and identify the most effective approaches to interpreter training.
According to the authors, the official recognition of Russian Sign Language in 2012 was a turning point. It enabled the establishment of specialised university programmes, thereby improving the quality of interpreter training and expanding professional opportunities.
However, despite the progress achieved in large cities, the researchers identified serious regional disparities. While Moscow and Novosibirsk have the conditions necessary for comprehensive interpreter education, the situation in many other parts of the country remains far more difficult. There is still a shortage of qualified specialists, and existing programmes often consist of short-term or distance courses that fail to meet the real needs of deaf people.
An important outcome of the study was confirming the need for active participation of deaf instructors in interpreter training. Survey results showed that involving native signers significantly improves the quality of education and helps overcome outdated perceptions of sign language as a secondary means of communication.
‘Today, our main goal is to expand training beyond major cities and transform the prevailing view of sign language as a secondary means of communication. It is crucial not only to increase the number of qualified professionals but also to raise public awareness of sign language,’ emphasised Valeria Vinogradova, co-author of the study and a Research Fellow at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain.
The research began in the late 2010s under the supervision of Anna Komarova and Tatyana Davidenko, prominent figures in the deaf community who actively advocated for the education and promotion of sign language in Russia. After their passing, the study was continued and completed by their colleagues—linguist and cognitive neuroscientist Valeria Vinogradova (HSE Centre for Language and Brain) and British sign language specialist Bencie Woll (University College London).
See also:
HSE Develops App for Assessing Phonological Processing in Children
Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have developed a new digital tool for assessing children's phonological processing skills—the ZARYA (Sound Analysis of the Russian Language) test battery. It is the first standardised application in Russia designed to provide a fast and reliable assessment of children's ability to distinguish speech sounds, retain them in working memory, and perform phonemic analysis. The app runs on Android tablets and smartphones and is available for download from RuStore. Details of the test validation have been published in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.
Researchers Discover How Spelling Errors Slow Down Reading in Russian
Psycholinguists from the Centre for Language and Brain at HSE University–St Petersburg have shown that words that are frequently misspelled are processed more slowly by readers, even when presented with the correct spelling. The researchers confirmed this effect for the first time using Russian-language materials and found that response speed is most strongly linked to how confidently individuals can distinguish the correct spelling of a word from an incorrect one. The study has been published in The Mental Lexicon.
Scientists Discover Why Europium 'Misbehaves'
Europium is a rare-earth metal responsible for the pure red glow in displays and other luminescent materials. For a long time, however, it refused to emit light when surrounded by certain organic molecules known as acylpyrazolone ligands. Chemists have now uncovered the reason: in europium complexes with these ligands, a 'black window' appears—a charge-transfer state in which the energy absorbed by the ligand is dissipated as heat rather than emitted as light. Understanding this mechanism opens the way to designing more efficient red-emitting materials for displays, fluorescent thermometers, and chemical sensors. The results have been published in Dalton Transactions.
HSE Economists Reveal How the Wage Gap Emerges Among Vocational School Graduates
HSE researchers examined the careers of 600,000 graduates of Russian secondary vocational education programmes and found that at the start of their careers, the gender wage gap reaches 23%, doubling after three years. This disparity is largely due to male and female students choosing different occupations when enrolling in vocational schools. These were the findings made by Sergey Roshchin, Natalya Yemelina, and Ksenia Rozhkova from of the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences. The article has been published in Educational Studies.
HSE Researchers Make Aldehydes Perform Dual Function
Chemists from HSE University have discovered a way to carry out a reductive addition reaction without using an external reducing agent. Instead, the required 'resource' is supplied by the aldehyde itself, one of the reaction participants. This approach helps prevent unwanted side reactions, reduces toxicity, and simplifies the production and synthesis of organic molecules, including those used in the manufacture of medicines. The study has been published in Journal of Catalysis.
HSE Scientists Explain Why Findings in Autism Research Differ
Researchers from the Cognitive Health and Intelligence Centre at HSE University conducted the first-ever systematic review of studies on the specifics of emotion-from-motion perception in autism. The review showed that differences found between autistic and non-autistic individuals are largely associated with the experimental design and the types of tasks given to study participants. The review findings have been published in Research in Autism.
Tremors: Scientists Develop Method for Real-Time Tracking of Hazardous Underground Vibrations
Researchers from HSE MIEM and IPKON RAS have developed a new mathematical monitoring model that can identify the source of hazardous underground vibrations in real time. The technology could help reduce the risk of damage to buildings, roads, and other infrastructure located near quarries and mining sites. The paper has been published in Russian Mining Industry.
‘In Science, You Are Your Own Boss’
Polina Nasledskova is interested in identifying gaps in linguistics and topics that have been overlooked by other researchers. In an interview for the Young Scientists of HSE University project, she spoke about rare ordinal numerals in Nakh-Daghestanian languages, the benefits of knitting for concentration, and the beauty of the Patriarshy Bridge.
HSE Researchers Determine Which Internet Users Are More Likely to Fact-Check
Researchers at HSE University examined the strategies employed by Russian internet users to verify unreliable information and the factors that motivate them to do so. The study found that more than half of users who encounter potentially false information online attempt to verify it by locating the original source. The likelihood of fact-checking is influenced by several factors, including age, place of residence, social status, information literacy skills, and the use of AI. The findings have been published in Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes.
Tabular Data Anonymisation Solution for Safe Use in AI Systems Developed at HSE University
The AI and Digital Science Institute at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science has developed a tabular data anonymisation service designed to prepare corporate datasets for use in analytics and AI applications. The solution can identify personal data in structured datasets, apply consistent and reproducible anonymisation rules, and generate the artifacts required for quality control, auditing, and subsequent use of data in secure environments.