By Svetlana Semenova
Certain innovations are underway for the Minsk metro, in time for Ice Hockey World Championship. “All announcements in carriages and at stations will be repeated in English, including names of stations. Recordings have already been made and now simply need to be downloaded, so that the system can launch on 20th April,” explains Metro Head Rostislav Yurenya.
Mr. Yurenya adds, “Controllers and cashiers are being given 200 Russian-English and English-Russian phrase books, to help them speak with foreign visitors at a basic level. We’re also involving students from the Minsk State Linguistic University; volunteers will be placed on duty near controllers, to help fans at the championship find their way around an unfamiliar city.”
He notes that visitors accredited to the Ice Hockey World Championship will be able to travel free of charge, using specially coded cards, allowing them to pass through turnstiles.
