In Kharkiv and Beirut, where conflict restricts or completely prevents access to university classrooms, interpreter training is continuing with the support of ReBooth, a platform developed at the University of Bologna that enables remote practice in both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting.
ReBooth was developed during the Covid-19 lockdown at the Department of Interpreting and Translation of the University of Bologna by IT specialist Gabriele Carioli, with the contribution of Professor Nicoletta Spinolo, to recreate the experience of working in an interpreting booth in a digital environment. The aim was to ensure continuity in conference interpreting teaching, even in emergency situations.
Since 2024, the platform has been in regular use in Ukraine at the Department of Translation Studies within the School of Foreign Languages at the VN Karazin Kharkiv National University, thanks to collaboration between Director Oleksandr Rebrii and colleagues at the University of Bologna. Initially introduced within a Master’s degree programme in Interpreting and Translation, it has been used in a new Master’s degree programme specifically dedicated to Interpreting since 2025
Since 5 March 2026, it has also been in use at the Interpretation Department of the École de traducteurs et d’interprètes de Beyrouth at the Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, following a request from its Director, Professor Lina Sader Feghali. Lecturers and final-year students have already used the platform for practical exercises, in a context where unstable security conditions limit access to campus.
“Those in positions of responsibility cannot accept the normalisation of violence and must work to preserve continuity in education, even when buildings are unusable and the safety of staff and students is at risk,” says Professor Mariachiara Russo of the Department of Interpreting and Translation and former Delegate for Multilingualism at the University of Bologna. “Solidarity is always essential, but even more so in times of war: this initiative shows how technology can be used exclusively for peaceful purposes.”
Through a web-based interface, the platform allows lecturers to upload audio and video materials, organise sessions with students, and manage exercises in real time, including listening to individual “virtual booths” and recording performances. Dedicated technical solutions also ensure continuity of activities even in the presence of unstable internet connections, helping to preserve both the quality of training and the regularity of practice sessions.
ReBooth has been refined over the years and, since 2020, has also been used for entrance tests to the University of Bologna’s Master’s degree in Interpreting.
