Farhad Fatkullin


Farhad Nail Fatkullin is a Russian social activist from Tatarstan best known for his activities in promoting the Wikimedia movement among non-Russian speaking peoples of Russian Federation. He was declared Wikimedian of the Year by Jimmy Wales during Wikimania 2018. He is a professional simultaneous interpreter previously serving for Mintimer Shaimiev, former President of Tatarstan.

Biography

Fatkullin was born on 2 November 1979, in Kazan. He is married, with two children.

Education

He speaks and is able to translate into Tatar, Russian, English, French, Turkish and Italian.

Professional activities

Teacher of "Risk Management" at Kazan State Finance and Economics Institute and State University of New York at Canton.
Interpreter of translation sector, State Protocol Department of the Republic of Tatarstan Presidential Administration. In particular, he was serving as English-Tatar simultaneous interpreter in the course of visit of Hillary Clinton to Tatarstan in 2009.
Has a lengthy record of many other translation activities at numerous political, educational, cultural and business events.
In 2020, he was included by the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov into the Commission for Preservation and Development of the Tatar language consisting of 35 high-profile language and culture specialists.

Wikimedia projects

Farhad is involved in a large number of volunteering initiatives related to global Wikimedia movement and to development of Wikipedias in languages of Russia. These include:
In 2018, at the moment his Wikimedian of the Year award was announced by Jimmy Wales at Wikimania in Cape Town, Farhad was busy at home simultaneously translating live broadcast from Wikimania for Russian Wikipedians as volunteer interpreter for community.
Fatkullin is a member of Wikimedia Russia and maintains collaboration with Wikigrannies wiki-usergroup from neighboring Bashkortostan.

Interviews in English