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General characteristic:
The profession of a guide-interpreter appeared with the spread of international tourism, when people began to travel to foreign countries not only on a diplomatic or trade mission, but to communicate with other national cultures.
The guide interpreter is always with the tour group. Even before the arrival of the group, he finds out the preparedness of seats in the hotel, the provision of transport, orders a menu in the restaurant. Upon arrival of tourists, the guide interpreter ensures timely loading of luggage, and on the way to the hotel introduces them to the program of stay in the country. After accommodation in the hotel, the group usually goes on a sightseeing tour of the city, and the guide-interpreter continues to act as an intermediary between tourists and all that is to be met. He also accompanies the group for lunch and evening cultural events.
There is an opinion that for successful mastering this profession, a good knowledge of a foreign language is enough. But that is far from the case. In the process of work, the guide-interpreter has to deal with many people: representatives of border control, employees of the service bureau, hotel, restaurant. One of the most important qualities is the ability to communicate with people.
The work of the guide-interpreter is seasonal (May-October), the working day is not standardized. Payment depending on qualification.
Requirements for individual characteristics of a specialist
Medical contraindications
Ways of obtaining a profession
You can get this profession at philological faculties of universities, educational institutions, foreign language institutes.
In the courses of guides-interpreters do not teach a foreign language. Perfect knowledge of a foreign language is one of the mandatory requirements when recruiting a group.
We welcome about 4 million foreigners every year. The government is doing everything to make Russian cities even more attractive for tourists: they are building hotels, organizing comfortable and safe stays. But in order to acquaint everyone with architectural monuments, museums, galleries, temples, specialists with knowledge of English, Spanish, Italian, French, Korean languages are required. Heads of prestigious courses claim: each graduate is offered about 5 vacancies. If employers are satisfied with the level of foreign and personal qualities, consider the work found: accompanying tourists abroad, conducting bus and walking tours in the capital.
Initially, travel work is offered: cruises in the Russian North and the Volga, escorting foreign tourists along the Golden Ring of Russia. Olga Mukhina, a guide-interpreter, says: After the institute she worked as an English teacher at school. I quickly realized that this was not what I had dreamed of all my life. I wanted to see other cities and countries... I decided to change my life, went to the courses of guides-interpreters. The training was difficult, but I succeeded. And then I got an internship at a travel agency. Now I conduct bus tours around Moscow and the Golden Ring of Russia - much more interesting checks of school notebooks.
Being a guide is not for everyone. As experts say themselves: " A guide can "make" a tour, and can "kill" it with his attitude to tourists, poor knowledge of a foreign language, not punctuality. Every day he has to deal with people who come to the country as if they were on another planet and are interested in everything. You need to be able to answer any question, it is interesting to talk with enthusiasm about the same objects for the hundredth time. This is possible only if you study the history of the country and the city with enthusiasm, understand art and architecture. Very important for the guide are such “little things” as goodwill, a sense of humor and... the ability to find a way out of any situation. The tourist lost his luggage, twisted his leg, confused the group - anything can happen. The guide is addressed with a variety of requests: to conduct an aerobics lesson on the ship during a cruise, dance at a disco, drink a beer. The answer “No, I can’t, I don’t know, I don’t want” does not exist in the professional lexicon. Politely refusing is another thing, but you also need to be able to do that. Sociability, suspended language, the ability to interest - his credo. Can we learn all this?
There are many courses for the preparation of guides-interpreters in Russia. They are usually organized as an additional program that completes training in a foreign language. For example, in the School of guides-interpreters, it is proposed to study for 4 years in general language courses, pass a complex exam, and only then, wishing to find practical application of their knowledge, go to a specialized program of guides-interpreters.
In a similar way, training is built at the courses at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Learning inyazu is not necessary only if you already know it perfectly. Then you can try to pass the entrance test, and enter a separate program of guides-interpreters, bypassing the language education. In some courses, for example, "Extrem", beginners are offered to attend the first lesson in the guide training program for free to assess their strength. If the knowledge of the language is not enough - you have to replenish them externally, and only then go to a special program. After all, all classes for guides are held in a foreign language in which they will work. Moreover, in most cases, the courses can make a choice between English, Spanish, German, French or Italian. “We do not teach students the language,” says Jozhef Schneidgen, General Director of the Training and Coordination Center “Guides-guides”, “perfect knowledge of inyaz is a prerequisite for admission to courses.” We conduct entrance testing, let you translate the text from Russian, for example, into English and vice versa. Evaluate the vocabulary of the applicant. Then - an interview in a foreign language, ask questions on general erudition, see how a person orients himself in the city, whether he knows the main monuments of architecture, etc. We pay attention to the appearance, sociability, and most importantly - the presence of leadership qualities. For your tour guide, you should be a leader. Sometimes girls come - knowledge of the language is excellent, but they are shy, afraid to once again show initiative - such are not good for us.
Training in courses usually begins with local studies in a foreign language. Students are taught to conduct sightseeing tours around the city (including the Moscow Kremlin, Novodevichy Monastery, Red Square, Pokrovsky Cathedral, Lenin Mausoleum, Boulevard Ring, Novy Arbat, Embankments of the Moscow River and even the Metropolitan). Much attention is paid to the history of Moscow. Future guides learn to talk interestingly about the sights of the city. Further, regardless of the courses, students must master the art of special translation. Develop a quick reaction, enrich synonymous series in both Russian and foreign languages, learn special terms, master the specifics of communication with representatives of different cultures. Travel groups from Japan or the United States require very different behaviors. The guide-interpreter should be a professional in translation into art and historical topics - all special vocabulary for this is also given in the classroom. In some courses, for example, in the Training and Coordination Center "guides-guides", a separate unit of training are special programs organized at the Historical Museum and its branches. Here they study first in Russian, and then in a foreign language.
The final block of disciplines in any courses is tourism management or the basics of guide activity. In the classes, they talk about the organization of cruises, auto tours, hiking routes, learn to work with the necessary documentation, solve non-standard problems that arise on the way. Listeners will learn the subtleties of meetings and wires at airports and railway stations, placing a group in a hotel, communicating with serviced personnel in restaurants, customs, porters at railway stations, maids in hotels.
All this can be learned only in practice. And most of the classes taking place in the courses are away (50-70%). Bus or walking tours are regularly held on these topics. In the role of guides in turn are students of courses. Here you can really understand what it is like: it is fascinating and competent to talk about the architectural style or the royal dynasty, and at the same time still answer the most unexpected questions, successfully joke.
At the end of training, an exam. In the Extrem training center, for example, the first task is to prepare an oral story on a given topic. The second is the interpretation of the finished text. And on the "dessert" listeners are waiting for questions on tourism management, methodology and organization of the tourist business. What is a tour day, tourist voucher, checking hour at the hotel, etc. Often, representatives of travel companies come to exams to personally see the most capable and knowledgeable and invite them to work.
For successful work as a guide-interpreter, it is desirable to additionally undergo accreditation of the expert council under the Government of Moscow, confirming the high qualification of the specialist. This automatically increases the chances of getting a job in a major travel company. The names of accredited guides are recorded in a special register. To date, it has included 1,200 people.
However, to pass accreditation, you need to pass a serious exam. First, to provide the expert council with documents on the completion of specialized courses for guides-interpreters and the passage of specialized programs at museums in Moscow (the Kremlin, the Pushkin Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Historical Museum).
Secondly, to interview the members of the Expert Council and answer all their tricky questions. The unspoken advantage is enjoyed by graduates of the Training and Coordination Center "Guide guides", organized directly at the Association of guides-interpreters. It is taught by teachers who are also members of the expert council. About 80% of accredited guides went through these courses. It’s no surprise that the competition reaches 5 people per place. (500 applicants for 100 seats). After graduation, students have all the necessary documents and can immediately apply for accreditation. It can be of two types: temporary (for a year), which allows you to conduct excursions only around the city, in the Kremlin, the historical museum and its branches, and a single one - first for 3 years, then for 5 years (the range of objects is much wider).
Today in Russia there are several companies specializing in providing services of guides-interpreters. Most travel companies are also interested in these professionals. The salary of a guide-interpreter depends on many factors: the specifics of the tour or excursion (a tour of Russia or a trip to the Kremlin), the tourist route, the number of people in the group, the qualification of a specialist, etc. The minimum earnings are 100-350 dollars per day. Experienced guides have prices much higher. The sphere is quite closed, recommendations and reputation are of great importance.
(Published by "Where to Go to Study")
