Linguistic Highlights of the Putin Presidency. By Michele A. Berdy.

[Charles Price]

Elena

thanks for sending this round. I read this column re
Russian idioms, aphorisms and word groups in the
Moscow Times quite often and it is really excellent.
Somebody ought to publish a collection of the articles
- they would be very useful for advanced prose
translation classes.

CP.

 --- Elena Gapova <e.gapova at WORLDNET.ATT.NET> wrote: >
> Friday, May 14, 2004. Page 7.
> >
> > Linguistic Highlights of the Putin Presidency
> >
> > By Michele A. Berdy
> >
> > Íàäî èñïîëíèòü çàêîí âñåãäà, à íå òîëüêî òîãäà,
> êîãäà ñõâàòèëè çà îäíî
> > ìåñòî: You have to obey the law all the time, not
> just when they've got
> you
> > by the short and curlies.
> > History will judge Vladimir Putin's presidency,
> but judging by a new
> book --
> > Ïóòèíêè: Êðàòêèé ñáîðíèê èçðå÷åíèé ïðåçèäåíòà
> (Putinki: A Short Collection
> > of the President's Sayings) -- we can say one
> thing for certain: Putin has
> > revolutionized the language of the Russian
> presidency.
> >
> > His are not the folksy inaccuracies of Mikhail
> Gorbachev (ëîæüòå for
> > ïîëîæèòå), the verbal tics of Boris Yeltsin
> (Ïîíèìàåøü? You know?) or the
> > malapropisms of Viktor Chernomyrdin (Ìû âñåãäà
> ìîæåì óìåòü -- We can
> always
> > be able). And it's not that Putin's speech is
> crude (though it can be
> > salty), street-tough (though cop-talk sneaks in)
> or inappropriate (though
> it
> > comes close). But it is plain-talking, straight,
> down-to-earth Russian. He
> > calls it like he sees it.
> >
> > Take this comment about Russian participation in
> Iraq: Â îòâåò íà
> > ïðåäëîæåíèå, ÷òîáû ðîññèéñêèå âîåííîñëóæàùèå
> ñåé÷àñ ïðèíÿëè ó÷àñòèå â
> > îïåðàöèè â Èðàêå, òàê è õî÷åòñÿ ñêàçàòü: íàøëè
> äóðàêîâ. (In response to
> the
> > proposal that Russian armed forces take part in
> operations in Iraq, you
> want
> > to say -- right, like we're that stupid.) Or one
> of his many comments
> > directed at the oligarchs: Âñå äîëæíû ðàç è
> íàâñåãäà äëÿ ñåáÿ ïîíÿòü --
> íàäî
> > èñïîëíÿòü çàêîí âñåãäà, à íå òîëüêî òîãäà, êîãäà
> ñõâàòèëè çà îäíî ìåñòî.
> > (Everyone has to understand once and for all that
> you have to obey the law
> > all the time, not just when they've got you by the
> short and curlies.) Or
> > his comments on criminals: Êîãäà ñìîòðèøü íà ýòî,
> êàæåòñÿ, ÷òî ñâîèìè
> ðóêàìè
> > çàäóøèë [ïðåñòóïíèêîâ]. Íî ýòî ýìîöèè. (When you
> see all that, you feel
> like
> > you could strangle the criminals. But that's just
> emotion talking.) Or on
> > terrorists: Êîãäà Áóø ãîâîðèò î Áåí Ëàäåíå êàê "î
> çëîäåå" -- îí î÷åíü
> > èíòåëëèãåíòíî âûðàæàåòñÿ. Ó ìåíÿ äðóãèå
> îïðåäåëåíèÿ. Íî ÿ íå ìîãó èõ
> > èñïîëüçîâàòü â ñðåäñòâàõ ìàññîâîé èíôîðìàöèè.
> (When Bush calls bin Laden a
> > villain, he's speaking very properly. I'd use
> other words. But I can't use
> > them in the mass media.)
> >
> > He's clear about Russia's position in the world:
> Ðîññèÿ íå ñòîèò ñ
> > ïðîòÿíóòîé ðóêîé è íè ó êîãî íè÷åãî íå ïðîñèò.
> (Russia is not standing
> > around with its hand outstretched; we're not
> asking anyone for anything.)
> Or
> > more poetically: Îíà [Ðîññèÿ] êàê ïòèöà, áóäåò
> õîðîøî ëåòàòü, åñëè áóäåò
> > îïèðàòüñÿ íà äâà êðûëà [Åâðîïà è Àçèÿ]. (Russia is
> like a bird; she'll fly
> > well if she is supported by two wings [Europe and
> Asia].) Or more
> logically:
> > Åñëè ìîçãè óòåêàþò, çíà÷èò îíè åñòü. Óæå õîðîøî.
> Çíà÷èò îíè âûñîêîãî
> > êà÷åñòâà, èíà÷å îíè íèêîìó íå áûëè áû íóæíû è íå
> óòåêàëè. (If there is a
> > brain drain, it means there are brains here.
> That's a good start. It means
> > that they are high-quality or else no one would
> want them and there would
> be
> > no brain drain.)
> >
> > And he's not afraid to call Russia on some of its
> failings: Ó íàñ
> ñòàðèííàÿ
> > ðóññêàÿ çàáàâà -- ïîèñê âèíîâíûõ. (We have an old
> Russian pastime: search
> > for the guilty.) Neither is he afraid to admit to
> some of the temptations
> he
> > experiences as president: Íå ìîãó âûéòè çà ðàìêè
> Êîíñòèòóöèè Ðîññèè, íî
> > èíîãäà î÷åíü õî÷åòñÿ. (I can't operate outside of
> the framework of the
> > Russian Constitution, although sometimes I'd
> really like to.) Ñàìîå
> > ïðîñòîå -- ìàõàòü øàøêîé, ðóáèòü ãîëîâû è
> âûãëÿäåòü íà ýòîì ôîíå êðóòûì
> > ðóêîâîäèòåëåì. (The easiest thing to do is rattle
> your saber, cut off some
> > heads and look like a tough-guy leader.)
> >
> > Nor does he spare his former co-workers:
> Ñïåöñëóæáû íå äîëæíû ñîâàòü ñâîé
> > íîñ â ãðàæäàíñêîå îáùåñòâî. (The secret services
> shouldn't stick their
> nose
> > into civil society.)
> >
> > Why does this go down so well? My theory is that
> he owes his great
> > popularity with the Russian public to the way he
> speaks. He's the first
> > Russian president who sounds like the guy next
> door.
> >
> >
> > Michele A. Berdy is a Moscow-based translator and
> interpreter.
> >
>
>
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