Russian is spoken by 260 million people worldwide and is the sixth most natively spoken language. It is the official language of space (along with English) and is often thought to be the richest and most eloquent in the world.
It is also my Mother Tongue and legal translation and interpreting between Russian and English is how I make my living. I’ve been doing this for many years and have many “war stories” and plenty of experience to share.
So welcome to my Blog!
These blogs are primarily for the benefit of my clients – past, present and future – so that you can learn a little more about how I work. I also like to think that my friends and colleagues in the translation and interpreting industry who also work in Russian and English will find some useful little nuggets of information in here.
Most of my blogs are written in Russian, some will be in English, and I may throw in the occasional Spanish or French word or phrase. But they will all be about the unique challenges posed by Russian-English translation.
I share my thoughts about some of the most topical, difficult and obscure legal and business concepts, in Russian and English alike. I focus on those words and expressions that have proved to be notoriously difficult and controversial for linguists.
I have two principal objectives in writing these blogs:
- To help you better understand the work that translators and interpreters do
- To open up a dialogue with those of my colleagues who are interested in the intricacies of English-Russian and Russian-English translation in areas such as law, general business, finance, accounting, investment and banking
Over time I will expand on these subjects to include a discussion of matters of Russian law, drawing parallels between civil law and common law concepts and terminology.
I will also discuss the intricacies of Russian and English buzzwords, slang, colloquialisms and vogue words. These are difficulties that don’t only apply to the law or business, but to anyone wrestling with Russian-English-Russian translation!
Later, I will include a section about Russian law, written along the lines of a brief introductory course encompassing the key legal concepts, such as persons, things, obligations, contracts and tort, with particular emphasis on companies law / law of corporations, civil procedure and international commercial arbitration.
There will be some discussion of criminal law, family law and taxes. But the main focus will be on commercial and business law. I will spend some time exploring the legal systems of both Russia and England & Wales, including above all their judicial systems.
Through these blogs I share my experience in those areas where I have some personal background, knowledge and expertise and so, hopefully, can offer added value.
I welcome any feedback so please don’t hesitate to leave your comments, questions or queries, and I shall do my best to respond.
I hope you will find the experience rewarding. All opinions expressed are my own.
