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!

2017 Is Commencing With MiG-35 Flight Testing In Russia

This machine is so smart that it can define the most threatening target by itself. This fighter jet is equipped like a jet from a futuristic movie; it can bear laser weapons under its wings. This is the plane which was highly anticipated! And January 26, 2017 was the day of its first test flight.

We are talking about Mikoyan MiG-35 Fulcrum-F -
a Russian fighter 4++ aircraft.

MiG-35 Full View, January 2017

According to experts, it surpasses the foreign counterparts in its characteristics. The entire jet is manufactured in Russia. All systems are domestically-designed. The pride of the engineers is the onboard digital computer. The fighter can “see” everything within a radius of 300 kilometers and control 10 targets simultaneously as well. It automatically defines which target constitutes the most dangerous threat. Its missile can destroy air, ground and surface targets.

MiG-35 sideways

On the other hand, it will be difficult to shoot down this MiG. The fighter possesses several protection levels. They can deceive guidance systems and make the fighter invisible for the radars of the enemy.
The fighter is specially designed for war-fighting within high-intensity conflicts as well as for the withstanding a high-density antiaircraft defense. The strong performance of the aircraft is achieved due to the new first-ever complex of onboard defense as well as the new infrared search and track system.

This 4++ Generation fighter is close to the fifth generation. This aircraft has a good export potential, we mean that another aircraft – MiG-29 (Fulcrum) – is intensively used in more than 30 countries.
MiG-35 outweighs its predecessor MiG-29. Now the flying range is not 2,000 kilometers but 3,500 kms. This new fighter can bear twice as many missiles including weapon, which is just being developed at the present time – laser.

According to the test pilot, all goals and results are completely achieved, all onboard systems function normally, the power unit and integrated flight control system function normally as well.

The qualitative evaluation by the test pilots is positive.

MiG-35 will enter the service with the army in 2019.

MiG-35 take-off

Kavkazskaya Plennitsa or Kidnapping, Caucasian Style - 50th Anniversary!

Kavkazskaya Plennitsa or Kidnapping, Caucasian Style - 50 years of great humor!

One of the most beloved movies of the Soviet era is celebrating its 50th anniversary this 2017 year. The official and full name of the movie is Kavkazskaya Plennitsa, ili Novye Priklyucheniya Shurika. Russian to English translation of the film is Kidnapping, Caucasian Style. 

The Coward, the Fool and the Pro of Kavkazskaia Plennitsa

This is the classics for the ages. The mountains, sun, songs and jokes. The new sightseeing attractions appeared in Crimea after the shot.  

We don’t know for sure where this story took place, but some of the rumors suggest these places: Alushta, South Demerdji, Yalta, Bakhchysarai district. 

The story of the girl kidnapped by the loving dzhigit laid the foundation for the nationwide adorable comedy film. Captured by the beauty of Crimea, he organized the shooting location in preserved area “The Valley of Ghosts”. It’s all here: both the mountains and the sea.

The phrases and even the scenes from the film have been widely quoted for so long. The most famous stairs site is where “an athlete, a member of the Komsomol, and a beauty” went downstairs so gracefully. This staircase in Alushta is still called – Ninochka’s.

Yuri Nikulin scratching  from beneath the blanket

As legend has it, Gaidai gave a bottle of champagne to actors for each joke they proposed. In that scene, which was proposed by Yuri Nikulin, the heel was scratched by the director’s very hand from beneath the blanket.

Tens of Crimeans had been engaged in minor casts of the “Kidnapping, Caucasian Style”. 

Both the prosecutor’s house from where Shurik was taken to the psychiatric clinic and tovarisch Saakhov’s dacha are located in the very center of Alushta near Genoese fortress. And the militsiya department was in fact the building of the local Civil Status Registration Office (it's a place where Russian marriage certificates are issued to the newly-wed couples).

In the “Kidnapping, Caucasian Style” it was the last time when the Coward, the Fool and the Pro appeared in public together.

In 1967, the year of the film’s release, more than 70 million people had watched it – every third citizen of the Soviet Union. The film is so adorable that even fifty years after its release, the excursions in the footsteps of the “Kidnapping, Caucasian Style” are being arranged in Crimea all year round. 

Translation Mistake That Caused Mars Fever

Is there life on Mars? 

140 years ago, maybe for the first time ever, scientists started to research the Red Planet, having assumed that a civilization had existed there in the past. Mars owes such an increased attention to a translator’s mere mistake. It was the translation mistake which caused the so-called “Mars Fever” all around the world.

Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory, St. Petersburg, Russia

This whole Martian mess was caused by an Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli. Almost 160 years ago, he worked as a trainee at Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory which is located 19 km (11.8 miles) south of St. Petersburg. In 1877, Giovanni made a discovery which turned the world upside down.

Italian Canali

Channels of Mars sketched by Giovanni Schiaparelli

The scientist discovered the structures which he called the channels of Mars. He sketched the complete geometrical network of these straits-channels or 'canali'. Italian word 'canale' (plural form canali) can be translated as 'channel' in English language.

During the publication of the newly discovered material about Mars, Italian translator had made a mistake and used the word 'canals' which mean 'channels of artificial origin.' Due to this mistranslation, the rumors about the Martian civilization sparked.

The War of the Worlds

At the end of XIX century, this novel by Herbert Wells had brought up the topic of an alien invasion. The War of the Worlds inspired fantasy authors for a hundred of years into the future. Wells himself read too many newspapers. This topic was in the air at that time and the existence of the Martians was taken for granted.

In 1911 “The New York Times” announced that 'Martians Build Two Immense Canals In Two Years.' The society was shocked. It was shocked not with the fact that the newspaper declared the existence of the Martians, but with the fact that the aliens turned out to be far more technically advanced than us. For example, Panama Canal alone had been being built for decades with a lot of difficulties. 

Later on, someone thought – what if the canals were the Martians themselves. The gigantic sentient plants!

The Martian Boom still goes on; the missions have been scheduled for decades into the future. We have not unearthed the mystery of the Red Planet yet. Who knows which way the space exploration would have developed if it were not for that mistake with the Martian canals 140 years ago. For example, Sergei Korolev got into the space theme because he dreamed about the flight to Mars most of all!

Difference between Privet vs. Zdravstvuite (Zdravstvui) in Russian language

How to greet a Russian speaking person in Russian language?

English language is fairly simple when it comes to greetings - you can just say Hi or Hello to literally anyone you meet. Russian language is a little bit different...

First, let me tell you about the three most common ways of saying Hi and Hello in Russian: privet, zdravstvuite and zdravstvui.

Now, let's see the difference between the three words:

HI - ПРИВЕТ - PRIVET - you can pronounce it as pree-viet. Privet is an informal form of greeting in the Russian language. It's a great way of saying hi to your friend or an acquaintance or a person who is not older than you or your parents. Though, you wouldn't say Privet to your in-laws (unless you are in a very good relationship with them). You can say Privet to a person you first met, as long as it's not a formal environment. I noticed that nowadays more and more younger people are using the word privet to greet people who are older than them (but it's mostly an exception).

HELLO - ЗДРАВСТВУЙТЕ - ZDRAVSTVUITE - you can pronounce it as zdra'stvujte. Now, this is the formal and respective form of greeting in the Russian language. It's also a plural form, which means that you can greet more than one person with the use of this Russian word. When you say this word to a person (of course, the tone needs to be right, too), you show them your respect and politeness. You can address the person of any age by saying zdravstvuite. Literal translation of the Russian word Zdravstvuite is 'be healthy'. So, when you say this you wish a person to be healthy. But people don't really think about it when they say it.

HELLO - ЗДРАВСТВУЙ - ZDRAVSTVUI - you can pronounce it as zdra'stvuj. This a singular form of the word zdravstvuite, which means that you can say it only to one person. This form of greeting is less formal than the previous one and you would say it to your peers and to the people you know. 

Enough playing with time in Russia!

On the 26th of October of 2014 at 2 am in the morning Russia will shift the clock backwards. And they will not touch it anymore. People will see the sunlight one hour earlier than usual. And hopefully the winter won't seem to be so long and dark.

The current summer time that's been in place for the past three years is two hours behind the astronomical time. Its main disadvantage is a lack of sun light. Many noted that one had to wake up and go back home from work in the dark.

When the time shifts, the time difference between Moscow and Central Europe will be minimal - 2 hours in winter and 1 hour in summer time.

Russian sport fans will also benefit from the time shift.

But not all Russian regions (oblasts) agreed to follow this time shift. That is why there are 11 time zones in Russia instead of usual 9. For example, Kamchatka will have 9 hour difference with Moscow.

Kemerovo oblast, Samara oblast, Udmurt Republic, Kamchatka will not shift the time. 

7 Facts of the Leningrad Blockade

27th of January was the day when the siege of Leningrad was completely lifted.

27th of January was the last of the 872 days of the blockade, hunger, and pain for hundred thousands of people.

27th of January is a Russian holiday called Days of Military Honor.

It's been 70 years since then...

To pay tribute to those who went through this horrible event in the history of Russia, we are posting 7 facts of the Leningrad Blockade.

1. The Blockade was for 872 days, that's almost 2.4 years - it started on September 8, 1941 and it was lifted on January 18, 1943. The city started with low supplies of foods and fuels. The only way out of the blockade was through the Lake Ladoga, or it's also called Ladozhskoe (it's the largest fresh water lake in Europe). It was difficult to bring enough food for everyone in the city. During the first winter of the siege, hunger took lives of hundred thousands of people.

2. 630,000 (six hundred and thirty thousand) of Leningraders died during the siege. 3% of deaths were encountered on bombings and artillery shelling...97% of people died of hunger... Dead corpses laying on the streets became a part of the everyday life. The majority of fallen people were buried at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery.

3. 125 grams (1/4 lb) of bread a day. That was the daily bread ration for every person. Workers received 250 grams.

4. -18C (-2F) was the average monthly temperature during the first winter of the siege. In April of 1942 the snow reached a mark of 52cm (20.5inch). Sewer and water supply were turned off. The heating in the houses was off. The only source of heat at homes was a potbelly stove (pechka burzhuika). People were burning everything, including furniture, books.

5. four train cars of cats were brought to the city to save the food supplies from the rodents. In January of 1943 the just freed city received 4 cars with cats from the city of Yaroslavl. There is even a monument to cats on the Malaya Sadovaya street in Saint Petersburg.

6. 1.5 millions evacuated - there were three waves of civilian population evacuated during the blockade of Leningrad. Many people didn't want to leave their homes. Almost half the population of the city was evacuated.

7. 1,500 loud-speakers were installed for alert messages throughout the city. Also, the city radio network aired alert messages, too. The city government forbade to turn off radio at homes.

Russian Birthday Poems, Toasts with English translation

When your Russian girlfriend or boyfriend has a birthday, you always want to surprise her/him. Here is a good way to show your creativity by learning or just sending a text message/sms on your friend's birth-day. Your attention is very important on this special day. These poems are specifically designed for birthdays. If you are at a birthday party, sometimes you forget words, in this case, you can take out your postcard with your birthday poem in Russian and read it out loud. The poems can also be used as a toast. It will impress your Russian speaking friend, for sure!

If your birthday wish is sincere, it will definitely come true!

1. Желаю радости всегда
И настроения бодрого,
Не знать печали никогда
И в жизни всего доброго.
Никогда не унывать,
Не видеть огорчения
И дни с улыбкой начинать,
Как в этот День Рождения!

Russian to English translation for this poem is:

I wish you to be always happy,
I wish you a great mood,
I wish you to never know sadness,
I wish you all the kindness in your life,
I wish you to never be sad,
I wish you to start your days with a smile,
Like on this Birth Day!

The pronunciation of the poems is:

Zhelayu radosti vsegda
I nastroenija bodrogo,
Ne znat' pechali nikogda
I v zhizni vsego dobrogo.
Nikogda ne unyvat',
Ne videt' ogorchenija
I dni s ulybkoi nachinat',
Kak v etot Den' Razhdenija!

What is the best Russian online translator out there?

Today our world has no boundaries. Internet has interconnected people from different places, with different cultures and speaking different languages. Many thanks to online translation websites which offer machine translations in numerous languages.  

Several years ago the quality output of online translators was decent. Simple sentences like "I want to go home" were easily translated in most cases by a great number of free translators. It was good enough for a person who does not know the language to snatch out several words, expressions and phrases out of a complex sentence. But the actual meaning of such sentence could be mistakenly perceived in a wrong manner.

Computer technologies develop in a great pace these days. One can see improvements in every aspect of computer/online world, including free text translators.

We decided to put to a test and compare several online translators by picking three most popular and biggest online translation websites. All of them offer translations free of charge. We chose:

-Google Translator (translate.google.com);
-Bing Translator (www.bing.com/translator‎);
-PROMT Translator (http://translation2.paralink.com/);

All three translation engines handled simple phrases and sentences with no issues and we gave them all an A!

But when it comes to more complex and linguistically rich sentences, all of the above translators had certain flaws.

We will demonstrate and let you decide the winner (if any) of this "translation competition". As a sample text we plugged in the following extract in Russian language:

"В конце ноября, в оттепель, часов в девять утра, поезд Петербургско-Варшавской железной дороги на всех парах подходил к Петербургу. Было так сыро и туманно, что насилу рассвело; в десяти шагах, вправо и влево от дороги, трудно было разглядеть хоть что-нибудь из окон вагона."

Every person who considers herself or himself a big admirer of Russian literature and culture overall would recognize this piece. The extract is the opening from Dostoevsky's one of the greatest novels - The Idiot.

You can see Google translator's work below:

In late November, a thaw, at nine o'clock in the morning, train Petersburg-Warsaw railway on all cylinders coming to Petersburg. It was so damp and foggy that hardly dawned, in ten steps, right and left of the road, it was hard to see anything out of the windows of the car.

Here is Bing's translation:

In late November, during the thaw, hours at 9 a.m., the train of the Petersburg-Warsaw railroad at all pairs came to Petersburg. It was so damp and foggy that nasilu at dawn; ten steps to the right and to the left of the road, it was difficult to make out anything from the Windows of the car.

The funny part of Bing's translator was that it translated windows as Windows into English (capitalizing the word like they were talking about their Windows operating systems).

And finally, PROMT (though it was difficult to choose PROMT's translation, because they offered four of them!):

In late November, in a thawing weather, hours per nine mornings, a train of the »ÑÔÑÓíÒÓú߬«-Warsaw railway at full speed approached to Petersburg. Was so humid and foggy, that насилу рассвело; in ten steps, to the right and to the left from road, it was difficult to make out though something from windows of the car.

We are not going to make a linguistic analysis of the translation results, but instead, we decided to post a professional Russian translation of Eva Martin. She translated the whole book. You can see for yourself if you like any of the translations above comparing to her translation.

Towards the end of November, during a thaw, at nine o'clock one morning, a train on the Warsaw and Petersburg railway was approaching the latter city at full speed. The morning was so damp and misty that it was only with great difficulty that the day succeeded in breaking; and it was impossible to distinguish anything more than a few yards away from the carriage windows.

If it were me, I would go with Google's translator, because for one- it translated ALL the words. All in all, I think all three translations were OK. If you have something that really matters and needs to be translated as close to a professional translation as possible, my advice would be to translate it by three online translators. Each translation will compensate one another. 

How Russians are named by other nations

Names for Russians by other nations

Let's hear how people around the world name or used to name Russians.

We will start with the closest Russian friend and neighbor - Ukraine. Ukrainians (and Polish people) call Russians KATSAPs. This word is usually used in a negative tone. They say that there are two possible ways of the origins of the word. The first is that the word originated from Ukrainian for goat. Russians with their beards looked like goats to shaved Ukrainians. Another possible etymology of the word is Turkic language; Kasap translates as a bandit.

Another commonly used name for Russians among Ukrainians is Moskal.

In return Russians called Polish people psheki and Ukrainians - khokhly.

Koreans and Chinese called Russians mauchzhe which also reffered to the beard Russians liked to wear.

Germans called Russians Ivans, because Ivan was the most "truly Russian", and the most popular name. Even these days if you want to point out that a person is a simpleton, you can call him Vanya (Vanya is a diminutive for Ivan).