In Ukraine and Lebanon continuing education with a platform of the University of Bologna

In Kharkiv and Beirut, where conflict restricts access to university lecture halls or makes it completely impossible, the training of interpreters continues thanks to ReBooth, a platform developed at the University of Bologna that allows for remote simultaneous and consecutive interpreting training.

Created during the lockdown at the DIT - Department of Interpretation and Translation of the Alma Mater, ReBooth was developed by computer technician Gabriele Carioli with the contribution of Prof. Nicoletta Spinolo to replicate in a digital environment the work in the interpretation booth. The aim was to ensure the continuity of conference interpreting teaching even in emergency conditions.
Since 2024 it has been regularly used in Ukraine at the Department of Translation Studies of the School of Foreign Languages of the VN Karazin Kharkiv National University, thanks to the collaboration between Director Oleksandr Rebrii and lecturers from the University of Bologna. Initially included in a Master's degree course in Interpretation and Translation, since 2025 it has been used in the new Master's degree course dedicated specifically to Interpretation.

Since 5 March 2026, it has also been in operation at the Interpretation Department of the École de traducteurs et d'interprètes de Beyrouth of the Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, at the request of its director, Professor Lina Sader Feghali. Lecturers, students and soon-to-be-graduates have already used it for practical exercises, in a context where unstable security conditions restrict access to the campus.
"Those in positions of responsibility do not resign themselves to the normalisation of violence and resolutely attempt to preserve the continuity of education, even when the buildings are uninhabitable and the safety of lecturers, students and students is at risk," says Professor Mariachiara Russo, lecturer at the Department of Interpretation and Translation and former Delegate for Multilingualism at the University of Bologna. "Remaining supportive is always essential, but it is especially so in these times of war: this initiative is evidence of the use of technology for exclusively peaceful purposes.

Through a web interface, the platform allows teachers to upload audio and video materials, organise sessions with students and manage exercises in real time, including the possibility of listening to individual 'virtual booths' and recording rehearsals. Dedicated technical solutions also ensure the continuity of the activities even in the presence of unstable connections, preserving the quality of the training and the regularity of the exercises.
ReBooth has been perfected over the years and since 2020 it has also been in use for the entrance tests for the Master's Degree in Interpretation at the Alma Mater.