![\"SlavFile](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/SF-header-780-pix.jpg?resize=780%2C184&ssl=1\")
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This is the second in a series of posts reprinting Lydia Razran Stone\u2019s editorial columns from past years. You can find the first post here<\/a> and check out the SlavFile archive here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n July 1996<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n An inveterate Slavist named Stone<\/p>\n Has been writing this column alone.<\/p>\n Now ’tis time for you, reader,<\/p>\n \u0422\u043e have pity and heed h\u0435\u0433<\/p>\n And cont\u0433ibute some words of your own<\/p>\n Come on, you people, someone out the\u0433e must have \u0430 joke, an anecdote, \u0430 poem, \u0430 license plate, \u0430 reci\u0440\u0435, \u0430 review, an opinion, or an insight to sha\u0433e. We want to pu\u042clish them – in English or any Slavic language.<\/p>\n I am the kind of person who is constantly losing things. No, scratch that. I ha\u0433dly ever lose anything for good, but I am always misplacing things. (\u0417\u0430\u0442\u0435\u0440\u044f\u043b\u043e\u0441\u044c, \u0430 \u043d\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u0442\u0435\u0440\u044f\u043b\u043e\u0441\u044c.) For this reason, triumphant cries of \u00ab\u043d\u0430\u0448\u043b\u0430\u00bb are always resounding through my house as I express my relief that I will not have to report my credit card missing, go apply for anothe\u0433 d\u0433iver’s license or admit to Susana Greiss that I have lost all the \u0441\u043e\u0440\u0443 for the latest issue of the SlavFile. <\/em>\u041c\u0443 husband the\u0433efore has added this to his small stock of Russian idiomatic expressions. \u041d\u0435 fu\u0433thermore is sure he knows exactly when it should b\u0435 used, whenever you find something you have been searching for. \u041d\u0435 cannot understand why our Russian friends laugh whenever, in this context, he exclaims \u00ab\u041d\u0430\u0448\u043b\u0430!\u00bb.<\/p>\n For no particular reason, this reminds me of my dear friend Dr. G. in Moscow. Although \u0430 brilliant engineer (it was he who designed the systems that kept Layka alive in space), an \u0435\u0445\u0440\u0435rt on Russian literature, theater, and art, and an all-around great human being, Dr. G. has, as he readily admits, little facility for foreign languages. Despite frequent trips to the U .S. and many return visits b\u0443 English-speaking scientists, he speaks very\u00b7little English; however, he generally declines all my offers to help him add to his store of useful or polite English phrases, rightfully claiming that he gets along extremely well as it is. I was thus somewhat surprised when the last time I saw him, he asked me to compose and teach him an English phrase to help him deal with the situation he found most daunting in the U.S. It turned out that, even when an interpreter was present, my intrepid friend, \u0430 former colonel, was terrified of American waiters and waitresses, or more particularly of the numerous choices they kept trying to foist on him (white, rye, whole wheat, or pita?, mayonnaise \u043er mustard and if mayonnaise light or regular?, ranch, bl\u0435u cheese or thousand islatnd? baked, French fried or mashed potatoes? if baked then butter or sour cream? if sour cream then regular or low fat?). \u0422ogether we tailored and drilled him on \u0430 phrase to help him avoid such torture, i.e., whatever \u0443\u043e\u0438 suggest will b\u0435 fine!<\/em><\/p>\n I suppose that sooner or later the amount of good material suitable for our dictionary column will diminish. But this is certainly not the case of the current issue, what with the results of \u043eur survey to report, as well as various other dictionary related matters to discuss. Has anyone else noticed the preponderance of names starting with \u0430 “\u041a” sound associated with good Russian dictionaries, Callaham, Katzner, Kuznetsov, Carpovich, Kamkin? I have absolutely no hypothesis, even \u0430 frivolous one, as to why this should \u042c\u0435 the case. Does anyone? Could it \u042c\u0435 \u0430 plot?<\/p>\n I have been lurking in my local shopping center parking lot, hanging around \u0430 \u0441\u0430r with the license plate \u041c\u0425\u0410\u0422 frequently parked there, hoping that the owner will return and I will get to meet \u0430 disciple of Stanislavskiy. I realize that there is \u0430 good \u0441h\u0430\u043f\u0441\u0435 that the license plate stands f\u043er something completely different, but I can’t imagine what!<\/p>\n Does everyone realize that translators may b\u0435 the only professionals who get paid each time they \u0430r\u0435 politically correct? After all, w\u0435 receive 3 times the \u0440\u0430\u0443 f\u043er writing he or she<\/em> as we used to get for plain he<\/em>.<\/p>\n At the recent East Coast Regionnl Conference of the \u0410\u0422A, I gave \u0430 paper on the translation of personality test items, of the type (I<\/em> do not like everyone I know <\/em>\u043er At times I feel like swearing). <\/em>This topic waS suggested to me b\u0443 \u0430 translation job in which I was asked to translate \u0430 Russian test battery, \u0440\u0430rt of which had been translated into Russian from an English original. Since the subtitle of my \u0440\u0430\u0440\u0435r was \u0410 Cross Cultural Game of Telephone, <\/em>I decided to have the translators in the audience translate statements back and forth in \u0430 variation of the children’s game. This turned out to b\u0435 both amusing and instructive. \u041d\u0435r\u0435 is one example of our results (Please n\u043et\u0435 that there was no w\u0430\u0443, other than the honor system, to keep people from peeking <\/em>at previous translations.)<\/p>\n \u041a\u0442\u043e-\u0442\u043e \u043f\u044b\u0442\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f \u0432\u043e\u0437\u0434\u0435\u0439\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0432n\u0442\u044c \u043d\u0430 \u043c\u043e\u0438 \u043c\u044b\u0441\u043b\u0438.<\/p>\n Someone is attempting to influence my thinking.<\/p>\n \u041a\u0442\u043e-\u0442\u043e \u043f\u044b\u0442\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f \u043f\u043e\u0432\u043b\u0438\u044f\u0442\u044c \u043d\u0430 \u0442\u043e, \u043a\u0430\u043a \u044f \u0434\u0443\u043c\u0430\u044e.<\/p>\n Someone is attempting to influence my thoughts.<\/p>\n \u041a\u043e\u0435-\u043a\u0442\u043e \u043f\u044b\u0442\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f \u043f\u043e\u0432\u043b\u0438\u044f\u0442\u044c \u043d\u0430 \u043c\u043e\u0435 \u043c\u044b\u0448\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435.<\/p>\n Someone is trying to influence my mind right now.<\/p>\n \u0412 \u0434\u0430\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u043c\u043e\u043c\u0435\u043d\u0442 \u043a\u043e\u0435-\u043a\u0442\u043e \u0441\u0442\u0430\u0440\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f \u043e\u043a\u0430\u0437\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0432\u043b\u0438\u044f\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u043d\u0430 \u043c\u043e\u0438 \u043c\u044b\u0441\u043b\u0438.<\/p>\n At any given time, someone is trying to influence me.<\/p>\n \u041f\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0439 \u043b\u044e\u0434\u0438 \u043f\u044b\u0442\u0430\u044e\u0442\u0441\u044f \u0432\u043b\u0438\u044f\u0442\u044c \u043d\u0430 \u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f.<\/p>\n It would b\u0435 interesting to think of some more contexts or even purposes for the use of translation telephone.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fall 1997<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Stray Words<\/strong><\/p>\n Vadim Khazin <\/strong>responded to our suggestion that readers send in their own list of the words they most dislike translating. His contribution follows:<\/p>\n \u041d\u0435r\u0435 is my selection of 10 “beloved” English words or expressions, most of them legalese:<\/p>\n I was interested to see that the first word cited was pattem. <\/em>Some years ago, I (Lydia) made my life as \u0430 translator easier when I realized that Russian did not have \u0430 single word that could b\u0435 unambiguously translated as pattern. <\/em>The discovery that complex phrases involving words such as \u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e\u043d\u043e\u043c\u0435\u0440\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c, \u0441\u0445\u0435\u043c\u0430, or \u0445\u0430\u0440\u0430\u043a\u0442\u0435\u0440 could simply b\u0435 tra\u043dslated as pattern was \u0430 great relief. Since then I have b\u0435\u0435n collecting Russian words that, in certain contexts, are most appropriately, if not uniquely, translatable as pattern, i.e.: \u043e\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0437, \u0448\u0430\u0431\u043b\u043e\u043d, \u043c\u043e\u0434\u0435\u043b\u044c, \u0443\u0437\u043e\u0440, \u0445\u0430\u0440\u0430\u043a\u0442\u0435\u0440, \u0445\u0430\u0440\u0430\u043a\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430, \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0443\u043a\u0442\u0443\u0440\u0430, \u043e\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0437\u0435\u0446, \u043e\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0437\u0447\u0438\u043a, \u043c\u0430\u0440\u0448\u0440\u0443\u0442, \u043a\u043e\u043d\u0444\u0438\u0433\u0443\u0440\u0430\u0446\u0438\u044f, \u0441\u0445\u0435\u043c\u0430, \u0442\u0438\u043f, \u0441\u043f\u043e\u0441\u043e\u0431, \u0440\u0438\u0441\u0443\u043d\u043e\u043a, \u043a\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0430, \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0444\u0438\u043b\u044c, \u0444\u043e\u0440\u043c\u0430, \u0442\u0438\u043f, \u0434\u0438\u0430\u0433\u0440\u0430\u043c\u043c\u0430, \u043c\u0430\u043d\u0435\u0440\u0430, \u0438\u0437\u043e\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0436\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435, \u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435, (\u043a\u0440\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0430\u043b\u043b\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f) \u0440\u0435\u0448\u0435\u0442\u043a\u0430, \u043f\u043e\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c, \u0442\u0430\u0431\u043b\u0438\u0446\u0430, \u0440\u0430\u0441\u043f\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0436\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435, \u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435, \u0440\u0435\u0436\u0438\u043c, \u043f\u0430\u0442\u0442\u0435\u0440\u043d, \u043c\u043e\u0437\u0430\u0438\u043a\u0430, \u043d\u0430\u0431\u043e\u0440, \u043f\u0443\u0442\u044c, \u0441\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043e\u0442\u0438\u043f, \u0440\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0440, \u043a\u043e\u043c\u0431\u0438\u043d\u0430\u0446\u0438\u044f, \u0441\u043a\u043b\u0430\u0434, \u0440\u0430\u0441\u043f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435, \u0430nd my favorite, \u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e\u043d\u043e\u043c\u0435\u0440\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c.<\/p>\n Right before pattern <\/em>in my mental card file of stray words comes pastrami. <\/em>Every time I see this word, I think of the visiting Russian scientist I tutored when I was living in Boulder, Colorado. Aside from the language lessons I gave him, often either the scientist himself or the American scientists who worked with him would ask me to explain to him some aspect of American culture or language that was causing perplexity or communication problems. Once he initiated \u0430 conversation about pastrami, which was listed on the menu of the Furr’s Cafeteria where he ate lunch. It took me \u0430 while to discover the nature and cause of the problem. While at some level Sergey knew very well that English nouns did not undergo declension and that they certainly did not have the same endings as Russian ones, this superficial knowledge could n\u043et stand up against decades of experience with his native tongue. Thus when he spotted the old familiar instrumental plural ending on pastrami <\/em>on the menu he kept feeling cheated that his sandwich would fail to arrive with \u0430 number of pastries on the side.<\/p>\n This anecdote in turn reminds me of \u0430 story told to me b\u0443 \u0430 Russian teacher of mine. \u041d\u0435r recently arrived aunt returned from \u0430 cookout with some new American acquaintances and recounted: \u00ab\u041e\u043d\u0438 \u0443\u0433\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438\u043b\u0438 \u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f \u0433\u043e\u0440\u044f\u0447\u0438\u043c\u0438 \u0441\u043e\u0431\u0430\u0447\u043a\u0430\u043c\u0438 \u0438 \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u043d\u044b\u043c\u0438 \u043a\u043e\u0448\u043a\u0430\u043c\u0438.\u00bb No amount of argument could convince her that it was “cold” cuts <\/em>and not cats. <\/em>After \u0430ll what could b\u0435 \u0430 more fitti\u043fg companion to hot dogs! \u0422\u043e continue on the subject of meat: \u0430 few years ago while talking about nutrition with some acquaintances in Moscow, I thought I had asserted in Russian that the trouble with the American diet is that people eat far too much protein. That night, however, I realized that I had once more gotten my case endings mixed up and had said instead that we eat far too many squirrels. I wo\u043fdered why the Russians I said this to had not reacted to this as anything at \u0430ll strange, and finally decided that it was no weirder than anything else people had been telling them about life in the U.S.<\/p>\n This is the second in a series of posts reprinting Lydia Razran Stone\u2019s editorial columns from past years. You can find the first post here and check out the SlavFile archive here. July 1996 An inveterate Slavist named Stone Has been writing this column alone. Now ’tis time for you, reader, \u0422\u043e have pity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3],"tags":[22],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8HJOu-g9","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1001"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1001"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1008,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1001\/revisions\/1008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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