Pitfalls When Doing Business Abroad

Pitfalls When Doing Business Abroad

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  • David Petherick
    David Petherick    Group moderator
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    How to speak Russian in 5 Words (Part 1)
    1: Saying you're sorry in Russian...

    My first choice goes to IZVINEETYE. It is one of the ways of saying 'excuse me' in Russian. That is not all, however: the key to izvineetye is the facial expression that goes with it, and with the correct expression, its uses are limitless.

    Anyone who has ever been to Sheremetevo Airport in Moscow will know of the problems: your luggage appearing on the carousel that claims to come from Bahrain, trolleys rented for roubles only, with not a rouble exchange office in sight, and so on.

    These are, regrettably, difficulties beyond the scope of the foreigner with five words of Russian. But not so with passport control and customs.

    Here, if you are asked any awkward questions, you should find that izvineetye, with a blank expression and shake of the head, will see you safely through.

    ---- Adding meaning through gesture and vocal pitch -----

    Likewise, when a native accosts you in the street or metro, izvineetye with a shrug of the shoulders should say 'I'm trying, but I'm a stupid foreigner and really don't have a clue what you are on about'.

    Another important use of izvineetye, this time with a slightly foolish, questioning look, should convey 'Could you repeat that please, and if possible, a little more slowly and clearly?'.

    A slightly more brusque and determined izvineetye, preferably accompanied by a scowl, is useful when you find yourself rammed up against the opposite side of a metro train with your stop fast approaching.

    Finally, an apologetic izvineetye is a good catch-all whenever you get the feeling that you have said the wrong thing, or that you are not quite where you are supposed to be!

    ---
    From "Speak Russian in 5 Words" (c) Copyright David Petherick 2006.
    (The full version of this document is freely available on-line at http://russian-com.co.uk/fun/five-1.html and can also be downloaded in PDF format)
    This post was modified on 13 Jan 2006 at 08:32 am.
    • 13 Jan 2006, 01:11 am
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    Anders Moller
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    Re: How to speak Russian in 5 Words (Part 1)
    Seems like "izvineetye" is the first word to have in your luggage (carry-on, to be on the safe side) when heading to Russia.
    • 13 Jan 2006, 08:59 am
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  • David Petherick
    David Petherick    Group moderator
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    Re^2: How to speak Russian in 5 Words (Part 1)
    Спасибо, Tanya, good point!
    I think I'll add that to my published version when I next update it. Please download and give me any tips on improving it. It's written by a Scotsman rather than a Russian, so i am sure you can improve it!!
    • 13 Jan 2006, 11:26 am
  • Mark Hauler
    Mark Hauler
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    Re: How to speak Russian in 5 Words (Part 1)
    Hey David,

    Quite interesting. It sounds like the closest English equivalent (in America, at least) is, "Excuse me". Depending on one's expression and vocal inflection it could reflect any of these meanings as well.

    That's one way to illustrate the difference between simply 'knowing' a language and being truly fluent.

    What's the proper pronunciation of "izvineetye" ?
    This post was modified on 17 Jan 2006 at 06:19 pm.
    • 17 Jan 2006, 6:18 pm
  • David Petherick
    David Petherick    Group moderator
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    Re^2: How to speak Russian in 5 Words (Part 1)
    Hi Mark - thanks for the compliment.

    I'm actually preparing a free e-book version of "Speak Russian in 5 Words" which will have the voice of a Russian native speaker pronouncing the key phrases within it, as well as link to my famous "Read Russian in 75 Minutes" which teaches the Cyrillic Alphabet in (guess what) 75 minutes, and that will be for sale in similar digital format. I'll post a link to it here around mid-Marchwhen it's complete.

    In the meantime, there's a great Russian course (indeed a range of them) from Transparent Language called "Russian Before you Know It" which has pronunciations built in - you can download a Free Demo with flashcards - details for Russian at http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-1893964-10411498

    Transparent Language also have free demos with Spanish, German, Dutch, Polish, Malay, French, Irish, Portuguese, Serbian, Italian, Arabic, Latin(!), Swedish and Albanian - a fairly diverse range, you have to agree!

    ** Part 2 of Russian in 5 Words will be published here on the 20th of January, with the following parts coming each week **
    This post was modified on 20 Feb 2006 at 02:07 pm.
    • 17 Jan 2006, 8:35 pm
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