Persian as a Professional Language: HSE Student Wins First Prize at the 18th Russian Olympiad
Darya Iskusnykh, a third-year student at the Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies of the HSE Faculty of Humanities, won first place in the Grammar and Composition category at the 18th Russian Olympiad of Persian Language and Literature. The finals of the intellectual competition took place in Moscow at the Institute of Asian and African Studies (IAAS) of Lomonosov Moscow State University with the support of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This year’s competition brought together the 33 best Iranian studies students from 13 leading universities in the country, who had passed the preliminary selection. The competition was organised by the Cultural Representation at the Iranian Embassy in Russia and the IAAS of Moscow State University. It consisted of four mandatory stages: grammar and composition, translation, listening, and speaking. An optional literary competition was held separately.
Darya Iskusnykh participated in the Olympiad for the second year in a row. While the tasks of the previous season seemed especially difficult, this time she found them much more manageable. The literary competition, in which HSE students participated for the first time, turned out to be particularly challenging. They did not win, but according to Darya, the experience proved quite valuable.
The competition also served as a venue for professional communication. ‘Participants from all over Russia were there! I chatted with students from Astrakhan and St. Petersburg. Of course, there were many Moscow students too, and military interpreters as well—I didn’t even know they trained specialists in military interpreting in Moscow,’ explained the winner.
Darya said that her journey to Iranian studies began largely by accident. ‘It’s funny, but my educational programme, including the Persian language, found me itself. After leaving school and having scored very highly on the Unified State Exam, I was sure that I would enter the Faculty of History of Moscow State University, but at the last moment it seemed too mundane—I wanted to learn an Oriental language! My mother found a programme in Language and Literature of Iran at HSE University, and I applied there without expecting too much. That’s how everything started,’ Darya Iskusnykh recalls.
Today, this educational programme is known as ‘Iran and Central Asia.’ The curriculum combines fundamental language training and work on literary texts and the cultural and historical context of the region. According to Darya, systematic classes and regular practice laid the foundation for her success: Persian language lessons provided a sufficient base to win one of the competition nominations in her third year.
The student draws special attention to the atmosphere of the programme. ‘My programme trains top-class specialists: our group is very small, so attention is paid to everyone. When there are few of you, you get to know every teacher very closely, and the teacher, in turn, learns about your strengths and weaknesses, helps you to unlock your potential and supports you not only as a student but also as a future colleague. Without my wonderful teachers, I would never have reached such heights! I am proud of myself and my programme, which has provided so much knowledge!’ she emphasised.
According to her, the most important thing offered by such competitions is a professional point of reference and an understanding of one’s own level. Darya Iskusnykh is considering finding work with major companies in the translation industry in the future.
Darya Iskusnykh told us about her first visit to Iran in the autumn of 2025 as part of an educational trip: ‘The first thing that struck me was the Iranians’ openness, their sensitivity, and willingness to support any dialogue. You feel that you are always welcome (however, one must not forget that taarof—excessive politeness—plays a significant role in Iran’s culture). The second thing was the food! I love delicious food, and the Iranian cuisine is more than enough to meet my demands.’
During the trip, the students also visited Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan, which enabled them to practise the language in a real-world setting and delve deeper into the country’s historical heritage.
