The Legend of the Russian Empire's Cast-Iron Medal for Heavy Drinkers

Here's an interesting fact about drunkards in the Russian Empire during the Peter the Great times. They were commonly referred to as "siniaks," which actually means "bruise" in English. Let's take a closer look at this story, which is available in both Russian and English. 

Here is the story in English:
In the Russian Empire, there was a legend about a unique medal that was reserved for those who couldn't handle their alcohol. This cast-iron medal was said to resemble a shard and weighed a whopping 8 kilograms (about 17 lb). The unfortunate recipient was required to wear it around their neck for an entire week, earning themselves the dubious title of "winner". To add insult to injury, at the end of the "term" they were offered a free drink at a bar, as if their ordeal had earned them a special reward. It was widely known that those who wore the medal would often develop bruises on their neck, which led to the popular expression "bruise" - a term used to describe someone who can't limit their drinking.

Here's the story in Russian:
В Российской империи ходила легенда о медали "За пьянство". Напоминавшая черепок, эта чугунная медаль вешалась на шею тем, кто не умел управляться с алкоголем. Вещь весила целых 8 килограмм и носилась целую неделю! По окончании "срока", медаль снимали и наказуемый направлялся в бар, где ему предлагалась бесплатная выпивка.
Отличительной чертой "победителей" становились синяки на шее, что дало жизнь выражению "синяк" – название, обозначающее человека, неумеющего ограничить себя в употреблении алкоголя. 

How to Get an Apostille in USA

WHAT IS AN APOSTILLE

Many of us have heard a French word - Apostille, which means certification. Apostille is a separate document, which authenticates stamps and signature on documents, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, court papers, name changes, and many other official documents. Apostille can be used in countries, which are members of the 1961 Hague Convention. You can check out the list of countries here: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41 

WHY DO I NEED AN APOSTILLE

In order for your foreign document to be accepted on the territory of another country, you need to Apostille that document. Once your US document has an Apostille, you will be able to use it in Russia, for example. Of course, before using that document in Russia, you will have to make a Russian certified translation of that document and your newly issued Apostille. 

WHERE TO GET AN APOSTILLE

For all State-issued documents, you need to get an Apostille in the same state where your document was issued. For example, if you have a document from Illinois, you cannot get an Apostille in Wisconsin (even though you live there). You will need to receive an Apostille for that document in Illinois. 

You will be able to get an Apostille at your local Secretary of State by either mailing your documents or by visiting the office in person. 

HOW TO GET AN APOSTILLE

Getting an Apostille is a straightforward and an easy process. It usually costs within a range of $2-10.00 per one Apostille depending on which state you are filing it to. You will need to download and fill out an Apostille application form from an official government website. Then you will need to send your document, which needs an Apostille, your application form, and a payment in a form of a personal check or money order. You will have to include a self-addressed envelope for the officials to be able to mail your documents once they are done. 

For example, if you live in Wisconsin, just google Secretary of State Wisconsin Apostille and voila: https://sos.wi.gov/apostilles.htm Be sure to use an official website. There are a lot of services, which offer Apostille services for bigger fees. They can charge you around $175.00. Instead, by doing it yourself, you can do it for less than $15.00 and that includes two envelopes and shipping charges both ways. 

Good luck! 

How to Wish a Happy Father's Day in Russian

These days it's an easy task to find a translation of whatever you want in any language - thanks to online translators and a ton of posts like the one you're reading right now. But...not all of those posts are written by native speakers, so there might be little nuances which can be known only by linguists and true speakers of the translated language. The same goes for a translation of the phrases such as - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY in Russian language.

С ДНЕМ ОТЦА - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY???

Almost all of online sources translate Happy Father's Day as С ДНЕМ ОТЦА. Well, technically it's right, because FATHER is translated as ОТЕЦ in Russian. Though this translation doesn't reflect the warmth and all the nice feelings you want to send to your father on this wonderful day of celebrating dads. Отец is a word which can be found in formal documents, or can be used to say in an old-fashioned or literary texts. Отец is a person who is responsible for impregnating your mother. Отец can be absent in your life. But not the person you call DAD. Отец is not necessarily the idol a child want to become. I hope you get the idea! In English, the word Father is more commonly used than in Russian.

С ДНЕМ ПАПЫ!!!

Now if you want to show the love and emotional part for your Father's day wishes, you must use С ДНЕМ ПАПЫ! That's the proper way. That's the same as in French language - there are two words père and papa. When you talk to your father, you don't say father - instead, you say dad. 

WISHES IN RUSSIAN

Here are some wishes and poems in Russian language and it's rough translation in English so that you get an idea of what you are sending to your DAD. 

1. Ты отец — глава семьи, 

Лучше в мире не найти. 

Ты и друг наш, и учитель, 

Мамин ты телохранитель. 

С днем отца, тебя родной, 

Мы гордимся все тобой! 

Тебе здоровья мы желаем, 

И крепко-крепко обнимаем!

Here is the English translation of the poem: 

You are a father - the head of the family,

One can't find better than you in the whole world. 

You are our friend and a teacher,

You are mom's bodyguard.

Happy Father's Day to you, my dear, 

We are all proud of you!

Wishing you health,

Hugging you tightly!

2. Ты самый важный человек. 

Люблю тебя, папуля. 

Ты для меня как супермен, 

Защитник и спаситель. 

И пусть завидуют мне все, 

Что есть такой родитель.

English translation: 

You are the most important person,

I love you, daddy. 

You are like a superman for me,

Defender and savior. 

Let everyone be jealous of me,

That I have such a parent. 

3. Поздравляю с Днем отца, 

С днём папули — молодца! 

Для детей ты будь героем, 

Чтоб горды были тобою, 

Для жены — опорой будь, 

Ты давай ей отдохнуть! 

Быть родителем — награда, 

Будь с детьми почаще рядом, 

Сделай детство их счастливым, 

Беззаботным и красивым! 

Я к чему веду всё здесь: 

Будь таким, какой ты есть!

English translation: 

Wishing you a Happy Father's Day,

With the Daddy's day - a daring person day!

For children - be a hero,

So they would be proud of you,

For the wife - be a supporter,

Give her some rest!

To be a parent - it's a reward,

Be with kids more often,

Make their childhood happy,

Careless and beautiful!

What I'm saying here is this: 

Be the way you are! 

4. Ты самый сильный, самый умный, 

И самый добрый, наконец! 

Тебя люблю просто безумно, 

И я горжусь тобой, отец! 

Желаю крепкого здоровья, 

Всегда будь номером один! 

Я говорю тебе с любовью: 

Ты, папа, лучший из мужчин! 

English translation: 

You are the strongest, smartest,

And finally you are the kindest!

I love you crazily,

And I'm proud of you, father!

I wish you to have a strong health,

Always be number one!

I tell you this with love: 

You, dad, are the best of men!

How to translate FEE NUMBER on Birth Certificate of Washington State

It's going to be a short post regarding a birth certificate translation issued in Washington State, Snohomish county. When we were translating this document into the Russian language, everything seemed to be straight forward except for the part where it says 'FEE NUMBER'. Search for this particular phrase online didn't get us the desired results. So, we decided to call the Department of Health of the State of Washington by contacting them at 360-236-4300. We can't help but make a note that the representative was very informative and professional. Thank you for that! The birth certificate was issued in 2019 but I'm sure this can be found on certificates from other years, too.

One might think that the fee number might be translated as a registration number of some kind, but the specialist told us that the fee number doesn't do anything with registration. The fee number is used internally for audit/financial purposes only. 

A proper Russian translation of the 'Fee Number' should be 'Номер оплаты' or 'Номер платежа'. 

Below you can see the actual birth certificate in question. 

Funny mistake using Google translate

Translation mistake

May 5th - a lot of buzz about the National Small Business Week.

Godaddy is trying to grow its sales by all means. It keeps annoying its clients with their spammy emails. And it doesn't matter to them whether you unsubscribe - they will keep pushing their plain and unprofessionally composed marketing emails. This time this firm decided to join the National Small Business celebration by sending a similar marketing email about its so-called partner - Plant the Future.

The content of the email was poorly done. You can read it here: https://www.godaddy.com/garage/godaddy-plant-the-future-paloma-teppa/ But the company they advertised seemed interesting. After checking the company's works section, I stumbled upon this finding - here's a screenshot of it:

You don't have to be a linguist specializing in Slavic languages to regretfully discover yet another translation mistake done on what is supposed to be a welcome home sign of Midtown 29 condominium. The firm's website states that the custom moss mural (portrayed above) is supposed to "create a sense of home for their residents." The mural was installed in the lobby of the high-rise building in Miami. Well, it might help to create that sense of home to people speaking all those languages written on the sign except for those understanding the Russian language. Not because it goes last on the mural, but because it conveys nonsense. 

Here is why 

The phrase was supposed to mean Welcome home in all those languages. In Russian, the word "главная" translates to "main", "principal", etc. The Russian word "главная" can be translated as "home" only in one instance - home page of a website. And of course not home as in "the place where one lives permanently, as a member of a family or household."

I'm sure this mistake will give a lot of laughs and a sense of dealing with unprofessionals to those understanding the Russian language.

How to avoid this

To answer this question, one must see this:

Yes, if you input the word "Home" to the popular Google translate app, it will generate the exact word used by the condominium company. Even though Google translate got a lot better at doing its job, it still needs a lot of work and it surely makes mistakes. Even in simple words like "home". You can't fully rely on an online translation tool to make permanent signs like this. Instead, do a google search and look for professional Russian translation service. They won't charge you much to check on a single phrase - some might even do it free of charge. 

Translation Mistake at the Eiffel Tower Toilet

One would think that such a popular destination as a toilet on an Eiffel Tower in Paris would have perfect or at least proofread signs in different languages...hélas...just look at the orange sign which reads HOMME in French which means MEN in English and МУЖЧИНА in Russian. Well, the Eiffel Tower management neglected to hire a professional Russian translator who would not make such a silly mistake as to translate MEN as ЛЮДИ which stands for PEOPLE in Russian language. In other words, a Russian-speaker who does not understand English or French or any other language displayed on the sign will be easily confused and might even go to a wrong section of the toilet which might lead to a great embarrassment.

Toilet Sign on Eiffel Tower with a Russian Mistake

Now, take a look at the second large sign which points your attention to a security checkpoint location in a Baltimore–Washington International Airport. If you speak Russian, you can easily find the translation mistake which was done when someone translated the word SECURITY as БЕЗБЕДНОСТ which means to be well off. Well, it appears that this word does mean 'security' in Macedonian language, so, not a real mistake but it might seem like it to a Russian speaker.

Great Patriotic War Questions Asked in Russia

These days people in Russia talk a lot about the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and its main events. It is important to remember what exactly and at what costs the Soviet nation contributed for the entire world.

There are things, which everybody has to know; especially in a country, which defeated fascism and paid 27 million lives for that. The heroes’ names, the names of villages and towns, which survived combats, had long ago become the national symbols in Russia. Moreover, it is difficult to find more significant dates in the history of Russia than May 9th and June 22nd. That is why the very question about the date of the beginning and the end of the Great Patriotic War seems inexplicable.

Nevertheless, there was conducted a survey among the public on the city streets in Russia in 2017. Below are some of the questions which were asked.

Which garrison had faced the fascists’ attack first?

There were some people among the youngsters, who remember the feat of the defenders of Brest Fortress.

I'm dying, but I won't surrender! - inscription found inside the Brest Fortress

How many days did the Siege last?

The Leningraders had been fighting with death during 872 days – in the Leningrad siege, under fire, and the toughest trial was famine. During the hardest days only 125 grams of black bread mixed with wooden chips was rationed per one person. 600 thousand people died in the city merely because of the extreme famine. One can never forget such things.

In addition, during this entire period the only thread connecting sieged Leningrad with back land was the road across Lake Ladoga. In winter period and on the thin ice, the supplies were transported to the city and people were evacuated from it under the continuous airstrikes of the enemy. The deadly but salvational route was called The Road of Life.

Road of Life - Lake Ladoga route, WW2

Who is Tanya Savicheva?

A small girl from Leningrad (Leningrad was renamed to St. Petersburg) left the short but shrill diary behind, in few lines of which there was the entire inescapable horror of the blockade. There were dates of death of all her relatives, one after another. The last note was: “Everyone is dead. Only Tanya is left”.

Tanya Savicheva

Who is Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya?

Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya was a Soviet partisan caught by the Germans and executed after the unhuman tortures. Before she died, she had shouted to her tormentors: “You can't hang us all. They will avenge me”.

Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya before hanging

The list is not over. For example, Alexey Maresyev’s distinguished action at war, the feat of Alexander Matrosov, the facts which are known about aviation pilot Nikolai Gastello... For everyone to whom the Victory is priceless, Nazism is the absolute evil. Nevertheless, the time undermines the reminiscences about the places where the fascists committed their atrocities. And provided that nearly half of the respondents knew that Auschwitz was a concentration camp, almost nobody except few remembered the events which took place in Belarusian village Khatyn.

Not many could tell about the events directly relating to the holiday being celebrated on May 9th. May 1945, Berlin, Victory Banner above the defeated Reichstag. None of the surveyed knew that Lieutenant Berest headed the battle team, which hoisted the scarlet ensign on the building. Only a small amount of people remembered Mikhail Yegorov and Meliton Kantaria who had left their mark in history.

For some reason the Victory Parade of 1945 is being forgotten in a similar way – the very parade where the victorious soldiers threw the Nazi standards down next to the Mausoleum. No other than Marshal Georgy Zhukov commanded this parade.

Georgy Zhukov during the Parade on Red Square

First Woman in Space - Valentina Tereshkova Turns 80 in 2017

We'll try to do it

"We'll try to do it" – these words can be referred to Valentina Tereshkova's entire life experience. She is always like this – she says something and she does it. She was always calm and even-tempered in both words and deeds. Even when she tells you about the incident in space in 1963 – it sounds like nothing serious happened there, though she could've never returned back home from that flight.

Valentina in spacesuit

Nevertheless, no one who has ever been orbiting the Earth will ever be able to forget this experience. Only the very few are entitled to conquer the vastness of the Universe. Valentina Tereshkova is included in this club of the chosen ones forever.

Valya (which is a short form for a Russian female name Valentina) had flown into space only once to become a legend once and for all. She regretted badly that she never had another chance to fly to the stars. Valya and Yuri Gagarin were told to stay on Earth.

In the history of space exploration, Valentina Tereshkova will always stay not only the first, but also the only woman who had performed the individual flight into space. Indeed, all other female astronauts and cosmonauts, for whom she had uncovered the stars, flew there as crew members.

Path to the first woman cosmonaut

Yaroslavl is her hometown. She began to work there at the factory as a weaving machine operator.
As a young girl, besides working, Valya Tereshkova studied at a technical school. She also liked jumping with a parachute. She had carried out 90 parachute jumps in Yaroslavl Aeroclub. They performed land and water jumps in Volga River.

In 1962, this hobby of hers had brought her to Cosmonaut Training Centre. Five applicants, including Valentina, had been chosen out of hundreds of others to join the first female cosmonaut corps.

The training course took more than a year. Daily drillings on the brink of the human capacities. Tereshkova was in a centrifuge where overloads were extreme. The mass of the body increased twelvefold. Tereshkova was in an isolation chamber where she spent ten days in silence, completely isolated.

During that time, she read Nekrasov and told about Volga River. She read both Pushkin and her favorite author - Lermontov.

Chaika - Triumph of the Soviet Cosmonautics

June 16, 1963 is the day of triumph for the Soviet cosmonautics. For the first time ever a woman, Valentina Tereshkova with a call sign "Chaika" (which is translated from Russian as Seagull), had flown into space. Later on, the newspapers would cover this flight as the flight under normal conditions. Only tens of years later, Tereshkova would admit that a deviation had taken place. It nearly cost Valentina her life.

It happened when the spacecraft had been deployed in orbit, and she noticed that she would not be able to return on Earth, because the spacecraft was not oriented for the orbit ejection, but vice versa – for the orbit raising. She reported to the Earth team, received the necessary coordinates and made corrections. Then everything went normally.

"Chaika" spent almost three days and nights orbiting Earth 48 times. On her return back to Earth, Valentina Tereshkova went to her hometown Yaroslavl and, of course, visited the factory first. The slogan – "Well done, Valya!" – was made before her visit in June of 1963. The city had been celebrating this event for three days.

Not only the city - the entire world applauded her. People wrote letters to her, dedicated poems and songs. The Poles presented one song to her – "Valentina-twist" sung by Edita Piekha.

Valentina didn't belong to herself anymore

After this flight Valentina didn't belong to herself anymore. She always did her best to use her popularity to help other people. Nowadays, Valentina Tereshkova is the deputy of the State Duma (The State Duma is an equivalent of the parliament of the Russian Federation). For all the rest of people, she is Major General and the legend of cosmonautics possessing a colossal willpower. Tereshkova is a Hero of the Soviet Union - this title was the highest distinction in the USSR. However, in the family circle she is a completely different Valya.

Valetina Tereshkova, year 2017

In person, she is very comfortable, inviting and homelike. She is mother with a capital letter "M". She is also a grandmother. She does not like using the word "grandmother", though she has two grandsons whom she loves very much.

The Last Duel and Death of Alexander Pushkin

Fatal shot

On February 8, 1837 or exactly 180 years ago, the fatal shot was fired; it deprived Russia of its greatest poet. Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was deadly wounded in the duel. Hundreds of writings have been compiled about this tragedy, but to these days, the researchers discover more and more new details, often controversial and mysterious ones regarding Pushkin’s death.

It was -15C (5F), moderately windy and snowy at the site of the duel on the bank of Chornaya Rechka (Russian translation of the name of this St. Petersburg river is Black River).

Pushkin duel

Pushkin’s firearm and details of the duel

Pushkin’s pistol had been lost. However, there are similar firearms produced by Le Page manufacturer in the Museum of Artillery. The lead bullet is more than one centimeter in diameter, the weight is almost 18 grams, and the barrel is rifled. During its flight the bullet spun and knocked the man down even by a simple touch.

The opponents had to move forward towards each other to the distance of ten steps and then stop and they had to start moving forward from the distance of twenty steps. They could fire immediately. Pushkin fought duels four times and never fired first.  Apparently, d'Anthès knew about this Pushkin’s duel trait.

Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès was a French military officer who lived in Russia in 1830s.
It is said that d'Anthès was extremely self-possessed and that he outfoxed Pushkin. He fired a shot when they were only one-step away from the barriers.

Pistol 

Autopsy report – there was none

In those days, nobody made autopsy reports. More likely, the bullet entered the left side of Pushkin’s body, fractured the hipbone and stuck in the sacrum.

D’Anthès most probably aimed for the leg, just so he could be finished with this fight as soon as possible and without any fatal consequences.

The pistol slightly jumped on firing. Moreover, if the bullet entered the stomach, it meant that d'Anthès aimed the lower region, for example, the hip. This is almost a sensation – it looks like the Frenchman did not want the poet’s death! After the shot, Pushkin fell down and allegedly dropped the pistol in the snow; the second gave him another one.  However, the duel experts do not accept this universally acknowledged version.

In those times, there was an unwritten rule: if the opponent was wounded or dropped the firearm, the fight could be stopped.

Nevertheless, the duel continued and Pushkin fired in return. D'Anthès fell down. The deadly force of LePage – it would be revealed later that the bullet bounced off the button of the uniform. D'Anthès walked away. Pushkin was dragged towards the carriage.

Pistols 

After the duel

One of the seconds, attaché of the French Embassy d’Archiac, he was a shirker and could not drag heavy objects. Another second Danzas – his right hand was bandaged, that meant that he could drag only with his left hand. Therefore, they dragged the victim with the damages sacrum several meters in the snow! 

At last, the coachman was called and he figured out to make a sleigh taking down a fence. It was approximately seven versts (versta is a Russian unit of length which equals to 0.66 miles) from Chornaya Rechka to the apartment on the Moyka. The trip took an hour and a half. According to the temporary medical professionals, Pushkin lost almost half of his blood on the way home. He was then put on a sofa in the apartment. He never stood up from that sofa again.

Danzas spent one more hour looking for a doctor in Saint Petersburg. He visited three surgeons and none was at home. By a wild chance, moving along Nevsky prospect he met obstetrician Scholtz, who had administered first aid to Pushkin after two and a half hours after the injury. Can you imagine that a gynecology specialist provided medical aid to Pushkin! It would be an equivalent of a certified Russian translation is to be performed by a person who can speak both Russian and English languages but does not have an education in linguistics.

Later on, the concilium of the best physicians of the capital was assembled. They prescribed a so-called conservative treatment.

Pushkin said that the torments and pain was so horrible that maybe it would be better to shoot himself. Not because he was not able to suffer this pain, but because he was afraid of terrifying Natalia Nikolayevna Pushkina-Lanskaya. He was told: “Moan, it will be easier”. And he replied: “My wife will hear, I can’t”.

Pushkin died within two days. Autopsy was performed right in the entrance hall. No records were kept, the doctors were afraid of the arrival of the police, the bullet had not been found in the body at all. Natalia Nikolayevna who waited behind the closed doors together with the children had almost lost her sanity. Meanwhile thousands of people gathered around their house.

D'Anthès moved to France and lived until the age of 83. He became a senator, but during all his life, the European newspapers wrote about him as the murderer of the Great Russian poet.

Pushkin's death

Lenkom Theater Celebrates 90 Years

The legendary theater stage has turned 90 years old. The theater's troupe celebrates this festival the same way as it acts on the stage – with energy, humor and optimism.

Lenkom - Six letters. This is the abbreviation, introduced by the generations of spectators, and these letters are more than just the abbreviation. Lenkom also stands for Lenin's Komsomol. The official name of the theater is State budgetary institution of culture of the city of Moscow - Moscow state theater - Lenkom.

Lenkom Theater building in Moscow, year 2017

The first spectators entered this building in 1927. At that time, a troupe consisting of enthusiastic semiprofessionals staged the plays in a former merchant club and tried to prove that the Theater of Young Workers had a right for existence. And it would have become “Lenkom” only in 1938. At that moment, it was directed by Bersenev, and later on by glorious Anatoliy Efros. But the real success was achieved in 1973 with the new art director Mark Zakharov. Like nobody else, he realized and still realizes what the theater hit is like, it’s when each play thrills everybody in the house to the bottoms of their hearts.

The theater must be a performance. A notion of a professional play is the following – even if foreigners come without a Russian interpreter, they still must take a delight in what is happening on the stage, otherwise, it is not the theater after all.

In the Soviet period the tickets to Lenkom could be exchanged for scarce food or clothes. In the nineties students reserved places in a come-in from five in the morning, marking ordinal numbers on their hands.

Congratulations, Lenkom!