translation question

[Vadim Besprozvany]

The answer of the second question is much obvious: "praporshchik"  
(Engl. ensign) is a junior officer in an infantry regiment; from  
"prapor" - "flag, banner" *(cf. with English "ensign"). "Warrant  
Officer" usually means in Russian "unter-oficer."
The first question is a much more knotty problem. There are at least  
two answers: 1) based on a recent common sense that understands  
??nemetskii shag? in P'etsukh is a sort of firm ceremonial step that  
one can observe in German military units; 2) based on Yurii Gryzhanich  
(?POLITICS,? Part 4): he explains ??nemetskii shag? as a ?crane step?  
[zhuravlinyi shag].

Having a right for translator's commentaries, I would explain my  
understanding (most likely, for the first problem) ? it is always  
better than any amotivational decision, especially in the absence of  
unanimity.

Good luck,

Vadim Besprozvany


> Dear SEELANGERS,
>
> I'm working on a translation of Viacheslav P'etsukh's novella Novaia  
> moskovskaia filosofiia due to be published early next year, and am  
> having trouble with a few things even at this late date.  My  
> submission today has to do with 2 different military terms.
> The first is a reference to what is likely the Soviet defensive on  
> Sept. 30, 1941 against the German offensive against Leningrad.  The  
> context is this: a pedantic but humorous narrator suggests Russians  
> take their literature for truth. After citing a paragraph from Crime  
> and Punishment he insists that "even if there had been [a young man  
> such as Raskol'nikov] he never walked out of the yard toward evening  
> in the direction of K- bridge, and even if he had, then it wasn't  
> 'as though in a state of indecision' but, on the contrary, ????????  
> ????? [nemetskim shagom] ... out of quarters in the Izmailovskii  
> Regiment, early in the morning of September 30."
> I thought it was "goose-step," which I've seen since is ??????? ???  
> [gusinyi shag], and have tentatively settled for "in a military  
> step."  Any other suggestions?
>
> Also, would "Artillery Warrant Officer" be the proper translation  
> for ????????? [praporshchik ] in the Russian Imperial Army?
>
> Thanks so much in advance and warmest regards,
> Krystyna
> steiger at can.rogers.com
>
>
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