Moscow Times article

[alektoeumenides.livejournal.com]

One Man's Terrorist

By Michele A. Berdy To Our Readers

Бандюга: hood, goon, crook, mobster; also "a little devil" depending on the context

It has been said that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter: What you call armed men fighting against a state authority depends on your view of the state in question. This is particularly tricky with Russia, since one era's heroes became villains in the next era.

Take, for example, мятежники (mutineers, rebels). When used in reference to men who fought against the tsar, these were good guys during the Soviet era. Now it's not so clear.

Long ago боевик and боец meant "man with a taste for fighting." Later, the men who took part in the first uprisings against the monarchy in 1905-07 were called боевики and were, by Soviet standards, good guys. Now the word is almost exclusively used to mean villains, most commonly those fighting against federal forces and the population in the Caucasus. For example, one recent headline reads, В Чечне будут бороться с боевиками новыми методами (New Methods to Fight Armed Insurgents in Chechnya). These are called formally незаконные вооружённые формирования (outlawed/illegal armed bands/armies) or less formally бандформирования (armed gangs). The банда (gang) part of the word is a linguistic way of emphasizing their status as outlaws: They aren't armies or forces, but the military equivalent of street gangs.

The men fighting against them are called федеральные войска (federal forces/troops), or colloquially федералы. This is flip and derogatory, usually used by people who oppose the federal forces, although you can find it in the Russian press. For example, another headline reads: 'едералы вышли на след Масхадова (Federal Troops on Maskhadov's Trail).

As usual, context is everything; the phrase Вчера вечером я смотрел боевик does not mean you sat on your balcony and observed a terrorist -- it means you spent the evening on the couch watching an action flick. Боевики are action films -- any kind of good guys versus bad guys story.

Повстанцы are also rebels who rise up against some authority, and can be either good or bad depending on the context, your point of view, the historical era and other factors that drive translators nuts. In my small focus group, Russian respondents said they associated the word with French peasants who rose up against the king or prisoners of war who organized a rebellion -- that is, with people who were justified in trying to overthrow an evil power. This may explain President Vladimir Putin's ire at the word "rebels" used to describe the terrorists in Beslan: When translated into Russian as повстанцы, it seems to imply sympathy with the insurgents, whereas none was implied in the original English. There ought to be a profession called "psycho-social linguistic facilitation" for situations like these: a process to smooth out the connotation problems in translation.

When the Russian press refers to бандформирования in Chechnya as сепаратисты (separatists), you can be certain that the word has a negative connotation. However, it could have a positive connotation if the journalist were referring to another battle in another country. Диверсанты (saboteurs) are virtually always bad guys, as are экстремисты (extremists).

We're on more comfortable territory with бандиты -- these are always bad guys, even when they are glorified in Russian TV series. They are gangsters or any kind of crook: В нашей местной Думе -- одни бандиты! probably means "our local Duma is a bunch of crooks" -- although it could also mean it's made up of guys with heavy gold chains who made their first billion in grand theft, auto. Alas, we leave our linguistic comfort zone with бандюга, which can either mean "a lowlife crook" or "a little devil." Петя такой бандюга! means "Petya is such a little devil!" -- a naughty little boy who is so sweet and clever, you can't get mad at him. But --идоров -- бандюга means "Sidorov is a hood/mobster/goon."

If you've got a choice, stick with Petya.

Michele A. Berdy is a Moscow-based translator and interpreter.

Comments

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

>боевик and боец meant "man with a taste for fighting." Later, the men who took part in the first uprisings against the monarchy in 1905-07 were called боевики

Wrong. Боец meant "man with a taste for fighting" or simply "the fighter", and it still does. Боевик never did and still doesn't. This word meant the members of Боевая организация, Fighting Organization, the underground wing of народники, the first large anti-Tsar movement during the 2nd half of the 19th century (see also: "Народная воля", "Черный передел" etc.) Since then, and not 1905, this word is being applied to any member of an illegal armed organization (be that political or criminal, which is largely the same.)

[margaritka.livejournal.com]

i am always impressed with your insights
into russian syntax, grammar and everything.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Hmm, thanks :) I normally answer something like "I just live too long and thus read too much" :))))

[definite.livejournal.com]

This may explain President Vladimir Putin's ire at the word "rebels" used to describe the terrorists in Beslan: When translated into Russian as повстанцы, it seems to imply sympathy with the insurgents, whereas none was implied in the original English.

Actually, in the original English other words were used too, not just "rebels".
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/2066