A 'Building material science glossary' mobile application for Chinese international students

Abstract

Chinese international students encounter a variety of difficulties in their education at Russian universities. Overcoming the language barrier and adjusting to new social and learning environment are thought to be the major factors for successful training abroad. However, there is also one serious challenge that Chinese students face. Professional disciplines, in particular technical ones, are characterized by a high concentration of terms. Knowledge of specialized technical words has a strong impact on the academic development of the students. Greater vocabulary size is a main component for understanding written learning materials and for effective oral interacting with faculty members. However, just few Chinese-speaking students demonstrate a sufficient level of competence in technical Russian. In this regard, the paper raises the issue of developing language proficiency under a course in construction. On the example of building material science the authors consider compiling a bilingual glossary designed as a mobile application. Such a 'mobile' glossary can help Chinese international students, whose major is construction, to successfully gain subject knowledge.