Hello

[acesifda.livejournal.com]

I was going to use Babelfish to translate an introductory paragraph, but as I understand it, this might just produce unwanted schmutz.

I do want to say 'Hello!' to everyone here, and invite anyone at any stage of learning to befriend me, if they are willing to act ,however loosely, in the capacity of coach or tutor.

I'm not making a formal study of the Russian language, yet, so there's still zero pressure from me. Okay, maybe ~0.001% :) Not a lot!

I just don't want anyone who might benefit from some joint association to chicken out, if they think I'm trying to hire them as a private teacher and not give them any kopeks or cheeseburgers.

Let's just say I would like to learn anything I can, and hope to make a few friends in the process.

Lately, a number of Russian speakers have added me as friends on LJ, but without a proper translation, or mutual understanding, meaning is lost and communication is difficult at best.

So, I will begin here with these points:

I need a 'Key to Pronunciation.'

How shall I sound out the Cyrillic characters?

Convert vision to sound, and make it audible;
Produce thoughts and replicate them on paper?

Typing is a problem- My keyboard can be converted to standard Cyrillic font, but it's not phonetic, so I become aggravated since I don't know the sounds of the letters! ;) You see my problem.

The BASICS: ABC, 123, Hello/Goodbye, Please/Thank you... RGB, that sort of thing. Might be very useful to a complete beginner... Any hints, tips, suggestions, or recommendations? Spacebo.

What other languages use the Cyrillic alphabet, and what are the differences in spoken or written Russian?

Are there numerous forms of Russian, as in dialects? (High and Low, perhaps?) I have a bit of a morbid curiousity about things that are verboten, so when I was told there are 5 words which one can be arrested for using in public, but which can be used to comprise an entire manner of speech, I was greatly intrigued. I'm sure not everyone is a prude or afraid of the consequences and unwilling to share such information with me, da? nyet?

My journal is geared towards groan-ups anyway, but I try to keep the obscenity to a bare minimum, if I use it at all. I do reserve that right, of course, but I am conscientious of the results. I should not want the underrage or unwitting and virginal to dwell on such subjects and become sullied or tainted by wanton filth. I just want to know if I can learn a new way of expressing myself, emoting, or perhaps relating to others.

This is beginning to sound more formal than I had originally intended, so let us dispense with the formalities and commence the ceremony!

MAESTRO!?

Here's the Mic- I have to get ready for work now.

(no subject)

[cle-fable.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your help yesterday.  i have a long piece to translate on lobbying and the changes to it over time.  It appeared in Vremya Novostei in October 2003.

I don't think it'll be feasible to post the whole thing but I'd like to post individual paragraphs if I may.

Тем не менее лоббистская деятельность нефтегазового пула -- пример для подражания другим отраслям. Результаты коллективного лоббизма очевидны: ставка налога на прибыль снижена с 35 до 24%, список относимых на расходы затрат расширен, введен единый налог на добычу полезных ископаемых, закреплена в законе шкала изменения экспортной пошлины на нефть в зависимости от колебания на нее мировых цен. Попутно с налоговыми вопросами решена и часть неналоговых, в частности доступ к трубе ограничен объемом добываемой компанией нефти. Этим, как, впрочем, и единой ставкой налога на добычу, крупные нефтяные компании не только обеспечили себе приемлемый режим работы, но и заодно поставили в крайне тяжелое положение конкурентов -- средние и мелкие компании. По уверению представителя одной из компаний, это была установка ЮКОСа, который стремится таким образом обанкротить небольшие компании, чтобы затем, скупив их месторождения, увеличить свои запасы и повысить свою капитализацию.

I don't actually understand this phrase.  By definition it has to be sonmmething positive from the oil company's point of view.  Literally it means what is added to the list of expenditure has been increased.  Is that positive because you don't then have to pay tax on it?  if anyone knows more about finance than me I'd be grateful for some guidance.

Also I can't find the term расходы затрат I can find them individually of course but as a phrase I can't make much sense of it.

Here is my translation for the rest:

Nevertheless, the example set by the oil and gas lobby is worthy of emulation in other sectors.  The results of collective lobbying are plain to see: the tax rate on taxable profit has been reduced from 35 per cent to 24 per cent, a single tax on mining operations has been introduced and limits on the raising and lowering of oil expert tariffs according to fluctuation on the world market have been clarified in law.  Other issues have been settled in conjunction with tax issues: one example is that the volume of oil these companies extract has restricted access to the pipelines.  Alongside the fixed tax rate on mining operations has not only permitted the oil giants flexibility in scheduling their operations but has simultaneously enabled them to drive out their competitors – the small and medium-sized oil companies.

Thank you

Translation problem...

[0-anglichanka-0.livejournal.com]

Can anyone help with this:

Исх. № 397 от 13.08.2008г

I'm having trouble understanding what the part in bold means / is referring to.
For context, it's part of an institution's official letter of recommendation for an individual, coming just after the address and contact details.

a bolshoE spasibo to anyone who can explain this one!

(no subject)

[beltspinner.livejournal.com]

We had an interesting discussion in class today, and I wanted to get some natives' impressions.

We were discussing how to render the idea in Russian slang of a "Gold Digger", meaning, of course, a woman who marries strictly for money....(Guess it could be a man as well).

My teacher suggested золотоискатель and охотница за золотом (I didn't write them down, so I'm trying to remember exactly what it was, but it was generally this idea.)

She said that золотоискатель felt mechanical, and the other just seemed too much of a direct translation. She doesn't know of any term that refers to this idea, unless the person just used the English word.

Suggestions?

Just a little -and- almost

[david-us.livejournal.com]

I'm curious how Russians would express the following sentences. In particular, I'm interested how Russians express the common English phrase "a little."

Could some of you Russians please give your best translation of the below sentences.

She can speak a little bit of Russian.

He only likes vegetables a little bit.

That was a little too close for comfort.

Wait just a little longer, please.

A little bit of kindness goes a long way.

* * *

He almost passed the exam.

She almost always attends the meetings.

That rock almost hit me in the head!