The history of the Department of Romance Philology and Translation dates back to the establishment of Kharkiv Institute of Linguistic Education in the 1930s. Associate Professor, PhD, Oleh Davydov has been the head of the department since 1985.

The department stuff includes 7 Associate Professors (Oleh I. Davidov, Natalya G. Dvortseva, Polina V. Dzhandoeva, Adrianna O.Ivanchenko, Igor O. Orzhytskyi, Ivan I.Usov), 2 teachers with PhD degrees (Diana L. Bilenko, Maryna U.Voronina) and other highly professional teachers of French, Spanish, Italian and also Japanese who underwent professional training in foreign Universities.

The department research focuses on the problems of Intercultural Communication, Linguistics, Translation Studies, Literature Studies, Psychology, Philosophy.

The department offers Majors in French Language and Literature, as well as in Spanish Language and Literature. Graduates obtain a good command of two foreign languages: French and English or Spanish and English. Students may learn a third language (German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese or Japanese). Provided they pass the Final State Exam in this language, they get an additional entry in their transcript.

Students may graduate after four years of study with a BA (Philology) degree and a basic higher education within the majors of French Language and Literature or Spanish Language and Literature.

On having completed a 5-year course of study, the students graduate with a MA (Philology) degree and a complete higher education within the majors of French Language and Literature or Spanish Language and Literature with a prospective employment as interpreter/translator or teacher of two foreign languages.

The Department works in close cooperation with the French Cultural Centre: the teachers take part in the students? preparation for DELF/DALF exams, as well as their actual testing; students and teachers participate in all French Center cultural events. Students participating in the National French Language Competitions traditionally rank among the winners.