Moscow Times article
Nov. 26th, 2004 07:44 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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learn_russianRepelling the English Invasion
By Michele A. Berdy
Анимация: animation (filmmaking); in resort-speak: an entertainment program
Lately in Russian there's been a lot of talk about агрессия английского языка (the invasion of the English language): the huge influx of English words into Russian. In this battle, I'm Benedict Arnold: I'm fully on the side of the Russians. First, because all these English words that are bandied about are understood by Russians variously, so the politician who talks about транспарантность бизнеса (transparency of business) is understood by one person to mean open accounting and records, and by another to mean using clear plastic packaging. The second reason is that it's just not fair. Imagine how your Aunt Mary in Des Moines would react if she were watching the news and heard: "Tonight's special report is on pokhishcheniye lyudei." Well, that's about how тётя Маша in Tula feels when the newscaster says, «--егодня наш специальный репортаж -- киднэппинг.»
Where I disagree is on who's to blame. As far as I know, the U.S. and British embassies don't call up the TV stations and demand they say экзит-пол (exit poll) or хит сезона (season hit). I don't think it's so much агрессия as заимствование (borrowing). Russians have grabbed up a lot of words in fields that didn't exist during Soviet times (advertising, management, computer technology, entertainment), and incorporated them into Russian. It makes sense when the object or concept did not exist in Russian, but it doesn't make sense when there are perfectly good Russian words at your fingertips.
Even if we are not guilty of forcing our language on Russians, it behooves us English-speakers to tone down our linguistic imperialism and try harder to use Russian equivalents rather than English words with a fake Russian accent.
So if you are a boss, please don't call yourself супервайзор; refer to yourself as руководитель or начальник. And don't even think of saying, Я супервизирую отдел рекламы. (I supervise, from the invented verb сипервизировать, the ad department.) Try: Я возглавляю отдел (I head the department) or Я отвечаю за работу отдела (I'm responsible for the department). Instead of asking, Закончили драфт отчёта? (Did you finish the draft of the report?), say, --делали черновой вариант отчёта? Neither should you call a стаф-митинг -- for one thing, митинг in Russian is a rally or street demonstration -- probably not what you want in your conference room. Call it a совещание or even летучка -- the Russian word for a short meeting "on the fly."
When you are inviting people for a job interview, don't say, Приглашаю на интервью. (That really means, "I'm asking to interview you [for an article].") Say instead: Приглашаю на собеседование. You'll make Russians happy if you ask job applicants for their рабочая биография (work biography) instead of their --иВи (CV) or резюме (resume).
And when you can't get along with one of your co-workers, don't ever say, -- тобой совершенно невозможно коммуникировать! (It's impossible to communicate with you!) The last time I checked, the Russian word говорить still means "to talk."
Refer to your office foyer as the приёмная not ресепшн (reception). When you have a new product, say: Мы собираемся активно продвигать его на рынок. (We're planning to promote it aggressively.) Please don't use the non-word промотировать (from the word "promote"). Маркетинг has entered the language (the process didn't entirely exist in Soviet Russia), but there's nothing wrong with saying анализ рынка (market analysis) when you are talking about one aspect of it. And please, please, please, don't use the fake word актор in the dreadful phrase, Он один из акторов на мировой политической сцене. (He's one of the actors in the global political arena.) There's nothing wrong with the Russian word фигура (figure, in itself a borrowing) or even игрок if you want the sense of "player."
There's one small linguistic domain where both English and Russian have been equally compromised: the world of Turkish resorts. Anyone who has spent time on the fair shores of that country knows that "animation" (анимация) is not a form of filmmaking, but rather an entertainment program in which, after a fair amount of local beer, vacationers do a lot of silly dancing and play-acting. I don't know why they didn't call it vразвлекательная программа, an entertainment program, but the Turks didn't, and as a result, we don't. В этом отеле отличная анимация! can be translated as, "That hotel has great animation."
At least everyone has got it wrong.
Michele A. Berdy is a Moscow-based translator and interpreter.
By Michele A. Berdy
Анимация: animation (filmmaking); in resort-speak: an entertainment program
Lately in Russian there's been a lot of talk about агрессия английского языка (the invasion of the English language): the huge influx of English words into Russian. In this battle, I'm Benedict Arnold: I'm fully on the side of the Russians. First, because all these English words that are bandied about are understood by Russians variously, so the politician who talks about транспарантность бизнеса (transparency of business) is understood by one person to mean open accounting and records, and by another to mean using clear plastic packaging. The second reason is that it's just not fair. Imagine how your Aunt Mary in Des Moines would react if she were watching the news and heard: "Tonight's special report is on pokhishcheniye lyudei." Well, that's about how тётя Маша in Tula feels when the newscaster says, «--егодня наш специальный репортаж -- киднэппинг.»
Where I disagree is on who's to blame. As far as I know, the U.S. and British embassies don't call up the TV stations and demand they say экзит-пол (exit poll) or хит сезона (season hit). I don't think it's so much агрессия as заимствование (borrowing). Russians have grabbed up a lot of words in fields that didn't exist during Soviet times (advertising, management, computer technology, entertainment), and incorporated them into Russian. It makes sense when the object or concept did not exist in Russian, but it doesn't make sense when there are perfectly good Russian words at your fingertips.
Even if we are not guilty of forcing our language on Russians, it behooves us English-speakers to tone down our linguistic imperialism and try harder to use Russian equivalents rather than English words with a fake Russian accent.
So if you are a boss, please don't call yourself супервайзор; refer to yourself as руководитель or начальник. And don't even think of saying, Я супервизирую отдел рекламы. (I supervise, from the invented verb сипервизировать, the ad department.) Try: Я возглавляю отдел (I head the department) or Я отвечаю за работу отдела (I'm responsible for the department). Instead of asking, Закончили драфт отчёта? (Did you finish the draft of the report?), say, --делали черновой вариант отчёта? Neither should you call a стаф-митинг -- for one thing, митинг in Russian is a rally or street demonstration -- probably not what you want in your conference room. Call it a совещание or even летучка -- the Russian word for a short meeting "on the fly."
When you are inviting people for a job interview, don't say, Приглашаю на интервью. (That really means, "I'm asking to interview you [for an article].") Say instead: Приглашаю на собеседование. You'll make Russians happy if you ask job applicants for their рабочая биография (work biography) instead of their --иВи (CV) or резюме (resume).
And when you can't get along with one of your co-workers, don't ever say, -- тобой совершенно невозможно коммуникировать! (It's impossible to communicate with you!) The last time I checked, the Russian word говорить still means "to talk."
Refer to your office foyer as the приёмная not ресепшн (reception). When you have a new product, say: Мы собираемся активно продвигать его на рынок. (We're planning to promote it aggressively.) Please don't use the non-word промотировать (from the word "promote"). Маркетинг has entered the language (the process didn't entirely exist in Soviet Russia), but there's nothing wrong with saying анализ рынка (market analysis) when you are talking about one aspect of it. And please, please, please, don't use the fake word актор in the dreadful phrase, Он один из акторов на мировой политической сцене. (He's one of the actors in the global political arena.) There's nothing wrong with the Russian word фигура (figure, in itself a borrowing) or even игрок if you want the sense of "player."
There's one small linguistic domain where both English and Russian have been equally compromised: the world of Turkish resorts. Anyone who has spent time on the fair shores of that country knows that "animation" (анимация) is not a form of filmmaking, but rather an entertainment program in which, after a fair amount of local beer, vacationers do a lot of silly dancing and play-acting. I don't know why they didn't call it vразвлекательная программа, an entertainment program, but the Turks didn't, and as a result, we don't. В этом отеле отличная анимация! can be translated as, "That hotel has great animation."
At least everyone has got it wrong.
Michele A. Berdy is a Moscow-based translator and interpreter.
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no subject
Date: 2004-11-26 12:40 am (UTC)A more exact word for to communicate is общаться; also разговаривать is slightly better for to talk than говорить.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-26 01:25 am (UTC)Please, don't contrive new russian words. We have them enough.
Re: Please, don't contrive new russian words. We have them enough.
Date: 2004-11-26 03:25 am (UTC)Re: Please, don't contrive new russian words. We have them enough.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-26 08:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-27 10:12 am (UTC)last century it was French, now it's English
I don't know how many of you guys live/have been to Russia recently, but walking down a street and seeing more English than Russian is even more depressing. :(