AN INTEGRATED MANUAL AS A TOOL FOR DEVELOPING MULTILINGUAL TERMINOLOGICAL COMPETENCE IN INTERNATIONAL DENTAL STUDENTS (BASED ON RUSSIAN, LATIN AND ENGLISH)

Abstract

https://doi.org/10.18522/1995-0640-2026-3-176-183

This article substantiates the methodology for designing an integrated dentistry manual for international students studying at Russian medical universities. The core of the proposed approach is the “terminological triangle” model, in which Latin serves as the semantic and historical core of medical terminology, while Russian and English are presented as its two systemic adaptations. The author argues that traditional fragmented instruction, where Latin, Russian, and medical English are taught separately, leads to cognitive overload, terminological noise, and a lack of systemic understanding. To overcome this, the article describes three interconnected modules of the manual. The phoneticgraphic module helps students decode spelling and pronunciation patterns by revealing historical correspondences between Latin and its reflexes in Russian and English. The morphological word-formation module introduces the method of “dissecting” a Russian term to uncover its Latin root and project it onto an English equivalent. The syntactic-discursive module focuses on mastering speech patterns and clinical communication formulas. The practical application of these modules is illustrated with fragments of tested teaching units covering patient intake, oral anatomy, and dental notation systems. The author predicts several educational outcomes, including reduced cognitive load, development of metalinguistic competence, increased professional confidence, and improved clinical thinking. The practical significance lies in ready-to-use materials that can be integrated into existing courses on Latin, Russian as a foreign language, and medical English. The methodology can also be adapted for other medical specialties. The article concludes that shifting focus from translation to comparative linguistic analysis transforms language learning into a process of understanding the logic of one’s own profession, thereby fostering holistic polylingual terminological competence.

Key words: Russian as a foreign language, Latin language, medical English, dental terminology, integrative learning, manual, terminological competence, professional communication