On 18 April, RANEPA St. Petersburg was one of the numerous local venues for “Total Dictation” — an annual large-scale educational event, which has been held all over Russia and globally since 2004 aimed at promoting Russian language and culture.

Over 470 registered participants including 31 foreigners from China, Afghanistan, Palestine, Cuba, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan, Myanmar, and Turkmenistan, were welcomed at the Faculty of Law located in a spectacular newly restored 19ths century building. For many international guests, the dictation was not only a literacy test but also an opportunity to experience a great Russian culture as a unique text being read is always compiled by a modern Russian writer.