The Secretary and the Reset Button (A case for promoting U.S. Russian language study)

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Rolf Hellebust wrote:

> Well, she should've checked with Condi Rice -- though this is just a 
> typo for "perezagruzka". (Or she could have gone with "perezapusk" or 
> "vosstanovlenie" or even "ustanovka sistemy v nachal'noe sostoianie" -- 
> though I suspect the phrase "knopka Reset" is also not unfamiliar to 
> Russians.)
> 
>    Ironically, of course, Lavrov's own translation is not the best. 
> Unless it's an electrician talking, it'd be much better to use 
> "overload", since "overcharge" suggests "naznachat' zavyshennuiu tsenu" 
> -- which seems to be how Clinton interpreted it. Russian news reports of 
> this item appear to miss this, simply reporting "V otvet Klinton 
> rassmeialas' i poobeshchala, chto postaraets'ia ne dopustit' peregruzki 
> v rossiisko-amerikanskikh otnosheniiakh."

I would've been sorely tempted by "сброс," and it seems I wasn't the 
only one:
<http://www.mignews.com/news/society/world/070309_103801_28470.html>

But what really amazes me -- see the photo -- is that someone at State 
thought Russian was written with the Roman alphabet. How ignorant is that!?

They were definitely overcharged for this translation.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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