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* * *
An American, Jeanine, who was graduated from/graduated a college/university/went to college in Ohio, went to Leningrad to work in the American consulate. That was eight years ago/Since then eight years have passed/Eight years went by/and a lot has happened. She fell in love with a Muscovite, Andrei, moved to Moscow, had/gave
birth to Yasha and Tonya, and now lives in Mitino. Jeanine works as an administrator in a branch/an office of a Singapore company/firm.
Did your first impressions of Russia fit in/coincide with your later
ones/Were your first impressions of Russia similar to/like/your later ones?
It's very cold that was my first impression. And then at home
in Ohio it doesn't snow before January. But I really liked the Russians
right away. They're very warm people, they like to/invite you home/have
you over, they like to entertain new friends/show their hospitality.
In terms of appearance, do we follow American standards/are we
like Americans?
In America/Back home the most important thing is that clothes
are comfortable. Women my mother's age, and teenagers everybody
goes around in/wears pants. American women don't wear skirts. For
example, my mother only wears a skirt when she's got to/when it's
really necessary/when etiquette calls for it. Your women like wearing
skirts. I think that they're trying to look like fashion plates/models/the
pictures/in fashion magazines. That's nice/a good thing. But I approve
of/the reasons for/the motivation behind/that liberation which explains/
why/the reasons why American women made that choice (of theirs).
But those motives/reasons led to/resulted in the Clinton scandal.
In America men/the stronger sex/have lost their male
aggression and self-confidence. Russian men are more...masculine.
They aren't afraid of expressing their opinion, even if that might
offend someone or if someone might not like it.
Do you miss America?
When I'm home on vacation I take a lot of walks/do a lot of
walking/in the country. The landscape is flat there are fields all
around and you can see everything. If a car comes by even
strangers wave at me or just smile. You could say that it's artificial
politeness, but/that's the way things are/done/that's life/that's how it
is/that's the etiquette/in a small town. I miss polite/small-town America
/America.
You're living abroad is that normal for America?
For most Americans any trips abroad are unusual. Well/for
example/Like,/my relatives/have enough money/can afford to go/
travel/to Europe, but they don't go that far. Even Canada as far as
I know, Americans don't go there that much. Sometimes they go on
vacation to Mexico. But my cousins have never left the country/been
out of the country/been abroad.
What language do you now speak with your/the children?
We decided that Andrei would speak Russian to the children
and that I'd speak English. But sometimes it's the other way around/it
comes out backward. It's funny, when they annoy me/bother me and
I/come at them with a Russian expression/use a Russian expression
with them, "!": "Stop it!"/"That's enough!"/"Cut it out!" In
English that would take/you'd have to use/two words, and in Russian
it's shorter and sounds good.
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What does a foreigner feel (like) on a Moscow street?
When I'm out for a walk with the children I run into/meet/
meet up with other Russian mother/moms. They ask me who I am,
why I went/came to Russia. They're (really) not very much interested
in America, much more in how I manage/cope with two children.
I don't have to speak Russian to strangers (all) that often. I take the
subway to work, but I've got a monthly ticket. The store and the
market that's usually for Andrei/Andrei usually goes to the store
and the market. He buys everything faster and better, and also, he
doesn't get cheated: as he says, well, he's been going to the market all
his/his whole/life/he's always been going to the market.
And one last question. In Russia, when people talk about love of
one's country, they often cite the example of/refer to/American
patriotism. As you see it, what is that/what does that mean?
Patriotism means, first of all, tradition. A hundred years ago
Americans were already celebrating Independence Day/the fourth of
July. Each generation meant that many more patriots/children raised
as patriots. You've got as many patriots in the US as generations.
School children start the (school) day in class with the pledge of
allegiance to the flag. Before any competitions/sports competition,
including school ones, everyone/everybody sings the national anthem.
And all that is sincere/And they're sincere about all that.
This is an interview with an American, a native speaker of English. Many of her expressions in Russian are translated from English, and so the interpreter can "second-guess" what these were in the original English, rather than simply translating. There is also some interesting "Americana" in this piece. The young woman's tone is highly colloquial and should be rendered as such, even if the sentences may be slightly ungrammatical as a result.
:
1) the correct grammatical form in English is "was graduated from" a university, but the overwhelming majority of
native speakers say "graduated from." Colloquially, "she went to a university in Ohio" will do, but this does not necessarily mean that she actually finished the course and was graduated from the school. "College" and "university" can usually be used interchangeably. Both indicate an institution of higher learning which offers a four-year program leading to a bachelor's degree: BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BS (Bachelor or Science), but a university, as opposed to a college, also offers graduate programs of various types.
2) while the translation "gave birth to" is the
correct expression, colloquially women often say "I had" when speaking
of giving birth to a child.
3) , for "
," the word "guest" is not the best idea: "to have guests"
sounds formal and stilted. "To have people/you over" or "invite you home"
is normal spoken English. For do not use the much-abused verb
"treat," which implies something special and needs an object, e.g. "to treat
someone to a meal in a five-star restaurant." The verb "entertain" is fine,
and "show hospitality" obviously implies the presence of food and drink.
4) the word "etiquette" is not
absolutely necessary here, as it implies a more formal set of rules and
regulations than the Russian , and what is being talked about here
is what is customary. "When she's got to" or "when it's really necessary"
are good renderings in this context.
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5) , the sentence is
awkward, since the young woman is referring to "women's liberation," but
says . Simply "the reasons why" will do, but the "reasons for
that liberation which explains," though time-consuming, is better in the
light of the next question,
6) here, again, "etiquette" is not
the best word, since it implies a formal or somewhat codified system of
behavior. "That's the way things are done/that's life in a small town/that's
the way people behave in a small town" would be better.
7) very few Americans will understand the
reference to Ilf and Petrov's book, and it is most unlikely that the
interpreter will have a chance to insert an explanation. "Small-town
America" is an accepted idiom which gets this idea across.
8) "Let's say" does not work at all and sounds extremely
awkward. "Well," or "for example" would do. Nowadays many Americans
tend to insert the word "like" in such situations, where it acts purely as a
verbal filler. This usage is ungrammatical, and sounds quite uneducated.
Such use of the word in English translation is certainly not recommended,
and in fact should be actively discouraged; but the interpreter must be
alert to its use (which is why it is included as a variant here!), be able to recognize it as such when used by English speakers, and to distinguish it from the use of the verb "like" meaning "."
9) anything involving
"borders" or "frontiers" will sound awful in English. "Have never left the
country" or "have never been abroad" will do. If you must use "America,"
then "have never been outside America" is acceptable.
10) "the other way around" is a normal rendering,
while "conies out backward" is common colloquial usage. "Inside out"
will not work here.
11) ! it is common sense to first repeat the Russian word, since this
is what the speaker will be contrasting to the English expressions. Since
the young woman says that this expression would require "two words" in
English, she is probably thinking of "stop it!" which is what would
normally be said to a child in such situations. Other possibilities would be
"that's enough!" "!" or, if the parent is very angry, the three-word
expression, "cut it out!" "!"
12) the idea here is of a continuous
process, and the tense of the English verb must convey that: "He's been
going" or just "He's been doing that all his life."
13) this is officially known as
"Independence Day," but any American audience would immediately
understand "the fourth of July" the date of the holiday, even if
"Independence Day" was not specifically mentioned. Note that when
referring to the holiday the form "the fourth of July" is more commonly
used than "July 4."
14) this is "the
pledge of allegiance to the flag." "" should not be
translated.
15) this must be translated as "the national anthem," never
as "hymn," which has religious connotations.
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