Valeria Mikhaleva, a 3rd year student of the Department of French Philology of the Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology, won 2nd place in the annual all-Russian phonetic competition “Reading French Poetry and Prose” organised by Moscow State Linguistic University (MSLU). The competition focused on the work of the writer Victor Hugo, whose 220th birthday is celebrated this year.
The contest aims to form the key professional competencies of a linguist: the art of elegant pronunciation and speaking in public. The event brought together students from different cities and universities of Russia and Belarus. They were invited to demonstrate their creativity and try their hand at the art of reciting works of fiction.
Valeria Mikhaleva read Victor Hugo’s poem “À quoi songaient les deux cavaliers dans la forêt”. The student noted the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the competition, the sense of joy and creative freedom.
I am grateful to Alexandra Chvirova and Elena Malakhova, my teachers from the Department of French Philology, who supported my intention to participate in the competition, helped me to prepare for the performance, and gave me confidence in my abilities. A lot of help came from my fellow students from the French department, who were my first audience and helped me overcome my anxiety. I was very pleased to take second place in such a prestigious competition. I owe it not to luck, but to the qualified teachers and their strong support. It was a pleasure to represent my university and to show that our training is in line with the most prestigious universities in Moscow. I gained valuable experience and positive emotions. I believe that taking part in the competition is a great incentive to improve professional pronunciation and public speaking skills,” said Valeria Mikhaleva.
