Moscow Times article

[alektoeumenides.livejournal.com]

Holy Cash Cow!

By Michele A. Berdy

Диву даваться: to be astonished by something, to be filled with wonder

If I had to name the one thing I love best about Russia, it's that there's never a dull moment. In Russian you express this as Не соскучишься! (literally, "you won't get bored") -- and you can't get bored, not even for a nanosecond. The moment you think you know what might happen over the next month -- or half hour -- the president resigns, the election laws change, the registration process for foreigners is completely overhauled -- or a company that was founded a week ago with a postal address in Tver (that famous international financial center) cobbles together $9 billion over the long holiday weekend and buys an oil company. Ничего себе! (Holy Cow!)

When you hear something that knocks your socks off, the first thing you do is make sure it's not a joke. Шутишь, что ли? (Are you kidding?) Что вы говорите! ("What was that?" Literally, "what are you saying?") Or you can say in a tone of disbelief with lots of stress on the middle syllable: Серьёзно?! (Seriously?)

Once you establish that yes, a group of investors came out of nowhere, plunked down the GNP of a small country at Sunday's auction, and no one has any idea who they are, you have various verbs at your disposal to express your astonishment. Потрясать is to astound with the sense of being shaken or shook up. Потрясающие новости! (That's shocking/stupendous news!). Поражать is to astound to such a degree that you stun or blow someone over (it can also be used to mean to defeat or rout an enemy.) Когда я услышал новости, я был поражён! (I was stunned when I heard the news.) Удивлять is from the word for "wonder" (диво) and means "to amaze," "to astonish." Ты меня удивляешь. (You amaze me.) If you want to wax poetic and lofty, you can use the phrase диву даваться, which means "to be filled with wonder," "to be utterly astonished." Если внимательно присмотреться к процессу, можно лишь диву даться, кто только и какими способами не пытается что-то купить! (If you look closely at the process, you are just astonished at who tries to buy something and how they do it!)

You can also express your astonishment by being unable to get your mind around the news. Я не могу поверить! (I just can't believe it!) Ушам своим не верю! (I can't believe my ears!) Такого не может быть! (That can't be!) Or you can even say in a tone of dumb bafflement: Не понял. (I don't get it./Huh?) In a group of friends, you could also say: Иди ты. (Get out of here!) This is very slangy and not very polite (but probably heard in many financial circles after Sunday's news). Кто купил? Иди ты! (Who bought it? Get out of here!) Once the news registers, you can say in tones dripping with sarcasm: Чудненько. Просто чудненько. (Isn't that just swell.)

Or you can also describe what happened to you when you heard: Я аж дара речи лишилась! ("I was speechless," literally, "I lost the gift of speech.") If you are the dramatic type, you can clutch at your chest and say, У меня был инфаркт. (I had a heart attack.) Or even: Ты меня убил. (You're killing me.) These last phrases are particularly useful when dealing with teenagers and their shenanigans; you get to impress on them the evil of their ways and make them feel guilt, all with three little words.

If you are a teenager, or have the vocabulary of one, you can say Ни фига себе! (Holy crap!) Or you can use the verb офигеть which might be translated as "to blow someone away." Кто купил? Офигeть можно! (Who bought it? Wow -- that blows me away!)

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

And Merry Christmas to you all! :)

Comments

[apollotiger.livejournal.com]

Merry Christmas to you, too. :)