Dictionary of Advanced Russian Usage: A Guide to Idiom, Colloquialisms, Slang and More - Softcover

Kayser, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0884003507 ISBN 13: 9780884003502

Publisher: Shengold Publishers Inc.,U.S., 2016

Synopsis

This dictionary represents a painstaking, sincere effort to fill in the gaps left by even the most comprehensive English-Russian/Russian-English dictionaries. It is not intended for beginners who are looking for basic word-to-word equivalents such as “table – ????” or “window – ????”. It is intended for those who, upon reading through several possible translations of a specific word, phrase or idiom, often find themselves saying: “None of this is quite right, none of these possibilities hits the bull’s eye.” An inspired translation will satisfy on three levels: 1) precision of meaning; 2) the image which is evoked and 3) the actual sound of the word or phrase. For example, if one is to look up “Boot Hill” in virtually any English-Russian dictionary or on-line, one will invariably find the following: “???????? (?? ?????? ???); ???????? ? ??????????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???”. Even a moderately gifted student or translator would scoff at such a translation because it does not begin to render the spirit or impact of the English phrase “Boot Hill”. It is totally inadequate on two of the three levels listed above. How does “??????? ????” (???????? ?? ??????? ?????? - Death/Dead mountain) sound? It is a thousand times better on all three levels than what one finds ANYWHERE. Where does one find such a phrase? You keep your eyes peeled and your ears wide open and your Russian-English subliminal translation machine constantly in gear because you never know when such a gem will pop up. I ran across this particular expression while reading Boris Shergin, a far-northern writer and teller of tales. Have you had to translate “wow factor”? You won’t find much in any dictionary – quite often it is rendered as “wow ??????” or “??? ??????”. If you’re not offended by this, then the fate of the Russian tongue is obviously of no concern to you. How about “??????? ??????????”? Current slang for something awesome is “????????”, so you’re just right around the corner from forming the suggested translation. Multiply this by several thousand examples based on decades of study and you a tool like no other.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Kayser once served as a English to Russian translator in the political section of the USSR division of the Voice of America. One performance evaluation read, in part, as follows: His mastery of the Russian language often exceeded that of his Russian-born colleagues. Mr. Kayser possesses an incredibly large vocabulary and a wonderful feel for the language and the ability to use it effectively and with style. During the 1990s, Kayser handled a multitude of assignments as an English to Russian simultaneous contract interpreter for the U.S. Department of State He is an ATA (American Translators Association) certified English-Russian/Russian-English translator.

Edition details

• Publisher: Shengold Publishers Inc.,U.S.
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0884003507
• ISBN 13: 9780884003502
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 668