There is a lot of bad Russian writing. Doing it correctly can be hard, and requires a bit more indepth understanding of their speech patterns and idioms.
Russian speakers often express themselves more directly and with fewer words than English speakers. This stems from cultural communication norms where brevity is valued, and there’s less emphasis on politeness formulas.
- Example:
- English Speaker: "Could you please pass the salt?"
- Russian Pattern: "Pass salt, please."
- Example:
- English Speaker: "I was wondering if you might be able to help me with this."
- Russian Pattern: "Can you help with this?"
In Russian, it’s common to address people with a title and their first name or a patronymic (a name derived from the father's name), especially in formal settings. This respect for formality can carry over into their English speech.
- Example:
- English Speaker: "John, could you help me with this?"
- Russian Pattern: "Mr. John, could you help with this?"
¶ Lack of Articles
The Russian language doesn’t have articles ("a," "an," "the"). When Russians speak English, they might omit these articles, as they are not used to including them.
- Example:
- English Speaker: "I saw a cat in the yard."
- Russian Pattern: "I saw cat in yard."
- Example:
- English Speaker: "She is the best student in the class."
- Russian Pattern: "She is best student in class."
In Russian, there is no direct equivalent to the continuous (progressive) tenses in English (e.g., "I am running"). Russians might simplify this by using the present or past simple tense.
- Example:
- English Speaker: "I am reading a book."
- Russian Pattern: "I read book."
- Example:
- English Speaker: "He was eating dinner when I called."
- Russian Pattern: "He ate dinner when I called."
Russian idioms can be very colorful and often translate directly into English with humorous or interesting results. When a Russian character speaks English, they might use these direct translations.
- Example:
- Russian Idiom: "Не вешай мне лапшу на уши." (Literal: "Don’t hang noodles on my ears.")
- Meaning: "Don’t lie to me" or "Don’t try to deceive me."
- In Dialogue: "Don’t hang noodles on my ears, I know you are lying."
- Example:
- Russian Idiom: "Уйти в себя" (Literal: "To go into oneself.")
- Meaning: "To withdraw" or "To become introspective."
- In Dialogue: "He went into himself after the argument."
Russian speakers tend to prefer concrete, definitive statements rather than vague or uncertain expressions. This often comes across as confidence or certainty in speech.
- Example:
- English Speaker: "I think we might be able to solve this problem."
- Russian Pattern: "We can solve this problem."
- Example:
- English Speaker: "Maybe we should consider other options."
- Russian Pattern: "We consider other options."
Russian speech can be more emotionally intense or dramatic, often reflecting the speaker’s strong feelings. This might come across in English as a heightened use of adjectives or adverbs.
- Example:
- English Speaker: "It was a little cold outside."
- Russian Pattern: "It was freezing outside!"
- Example:
- English Speaker: "I was a bit annoyed."
- Russian Pattern: "I was very angry!"
Here are a few more Russian idioms with their meanings and how they might be used in English dialogue:
-
"Кот наплакал" (Literal: "The cat cried.")
- Meaning: There’s very little of something.
- In Dialogue: "There’s no food left—just cat cried."
-
"Ни рыба ни мясо" (Literal: "Neither fish nor meat.")
- Meaning: Something or someone is mediocre or lacks distinct characteristics.
- In Dialogue: "This dish is neither fish nor meat, very boring."
-
"Выносить сор из избы" (Literal: "To take out trash from the hut.")
- Meaning: To air dirty laundry or discuss private matters in public.
- In Dialogue: "We should not take out trash from the hut; this stays between us."
¶ Incorporating Russian Logic and Worldview
Russian speech often reflects a different worldview, where fatalism, communal thinking, or a focus on long-term survival might influence how a character speaks. They may reference history, hardships, or communal values more than a native English speaker would.
- Example:
- English Speaker: "Everything will be fine, don’t worry."
- Russian Pattern: "We have survived worse; this too shall pass."
Here are a few more examples that bring these elements together:
-
Situation: A Russian character is talking about a difficult decision.
- Dialogue: "Life is not sugar, da? You make choice, you live with it. No point in crying over spilled milk."
-
Situation: A Russian character is commenting on a complicated situation.
- Dialogue: "This is not simple, but we can handle. We have proverb: 'Eyes fear, hands do.' We just do, yes?"
-
Situation: A Russian character discussing trust.
- Dialogue: "Trust is like glass: once broken, never same. You understand? Be careful who you trust."