LINGUOCULTURAL ADAPTATION IN THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT: THE EXPERIENCE OF CREATING A CHATBOT ASSISTANT IN TELEGRAM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17308/lic/1680-5755/2026/2/73-83Keywords:
linguocultural adaptation, acculturation, educational environment, Ecuador, chatbot, Telegram, PythonAbstract
The article is devoted to the problem of linguacultural adaptation of students from Ecuador in the educational environment. The relevance of the study is due to the intensification of relations between Russia and some Latin American countries, which inevitably led to a significant increase in the flow of Spanish-speaking students in Russian universities. The study is characterized by scientific novelty due to its interdisciplinary methodological approach, combining the tools of intercultural communication and applied linguistics. The purpose of the work is to identify and describe the features of linguacultural adaptation of students from Latin America in Krasnoyarsk with the subsequent development of an auxiliary chatbot in Telegram. Video interviews in Spanish with respondents from Ecuador are used as material for analysis. The collection of empirical material was carried out using the structured interview method, then the method of discourse analysis with elements of general scientific methods of systematization and generalization was used, at the final stage the method of developing a chatbot based on the API library was used. The results of the interview analysis allow us to identify a number of factors that aggravate adaptation, including 1) the language barrier, 2) physiological problems (difficulty getting used to a new climate, time zone changes, unfamiliar cuisine), 3) the specifics of the educational process in Russia, 4) socio-cultural problems (finding friends, separation from loved ones, cultural differences), 5) formal and everyday difficulties (lack of knowledge of the city, paperwork). The factors that contribute to successful adaptation include: 1) the perception of getting an education in Russia as an investment in the future; 2) support from family and loved ones; 3) interpenetration of cultures; 4) no language barrier. At the linguistic level, the “friend/foe” dichotomy is clearly represented, focusing attention on the differences between Russian and Ecuadorian cultures. The identified features of students' linguistic and cultural adaptation served as the basis for defining the functionality of an auxiliary chatbot in Telegram, which is aimed at alleviating the difficulties of the language barrier, helping with the procedure for processing documents, navigating the city and solving basic everyday problems, and providing psychological support. The possibility of expanding the functionality of the chatbot is promising, as well as studying the course of the adaptation process of Russian-speaking foreign students from neighboring countries.
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