Scholarship winner teaches Old Tatar language

Azat Yakupov became one of the winners of Alfa Chance, Alfa Bank’s scholarship competition.

The commission was of high opinion of Lisan.Tatar, Yakupov’s online project in Old Tatar language. The courses have already amassed an audience from Russia and overseas alike.

Azat was informed about the grant contest by one of his professors, “I thought it was a great opportunity to find investment and to present my work to a wider audience. We’ll find out whether people need this at all and whether the organizers should further support this project.”

He submitted his personal portfolio in January 2023. As a linguistics student, Azat is proficient in Turkish and Ottoman languages and has won accolades in relevant national competitions.

For the course, a special textbook will be created utilizing contemporary approaches to studies of extinct languages. In particular, Yakupov’s textbook is going to include gamification and mobile apps.

The young scholar also plans to support a blog and media activites to popularize the written heritage of Tatars. The funding from Alfa Chance is to be disbursed on publishing, website management, and translation efforts.

Overall, 30 students from Russian universities are receiving 300 thousand rubles each in the disbursal.