Non-Russian Russia

From the MT:

"How to Survive in Russia Without Speaking Russian"

 

It's true that speaking Russian will open many doors for you when you visit the country. But if you haven't had a chance to learn the language, don't fret. Here are a few helpful hints and strategies to ensure you make the most of your stay.

 

 1. Go Somewhere Central

 

Most Russians in the center of Moscow will have some knowledge of English, even if they don't speak it fluently. According to the 2002 census, almost seven million out of 145 million people speak English in Russia, most of them in Moscow. The further from the center you go, the less likely it is that someone speaks English.

 

2. Ask Somebody Young

 

Younger Russians are more likely to speak English than the older generations due to an increase in demand for English classes. In Russian public schools, English is not a compulsory subject, although it is offered as an optional choice. In some private schools, however, English is compulsory.

 

3. Get Your Phrasebook Sorted

 

If you enter a situation where nobody speaks your native language, a good phrasebook or dictionary is worth its weight in gold. One option is the Lonely Planet Russian Phrasebook and Dictionary because it has an intuitive layout – going from the easiest to the hardest vocabulary and grammar and it's split into five categories. Another alternative is the Easy Russian Phrasebook – the book is divided into eight chapters and it provides you with the phonetic pronunciation of the phrases as well as the Cyrillic.

 

4. Have a Local Show You Around

 

 To explore Moscow without the need for a book, guided tours of Moscow are offered in many languages. For those who want to go on a tour by themselves, there is Moscow Private Tours. It allows you to plan your own itinerary and you get an immediate response to your booking. An alternative to this is Moscow Free Tour with its daily free tour and others offered at a charge. Visit Russia has tours covering a range of different genres. They run every day and the website tells you how long each one lasts.

 

 

5. Ask the Tourist Police (If You Can Find Them)

 

There has recently been a new addition to the Moscow tourist industry known as the 'tourist police'. They have been trained to understand and speak a few foreign languages. But despite the coaching they were given, it can be hard to find them or get the necessary information from them.

 

6. Download the Right App

 

One convenient Moscow travel app is Triposo, because all content on the app is available offline. You can use it to create your own itinerary. Another free app is Ulmon, which offers offline maps details for hotels and restaurants. Lastly, Kayak isn't just useful as a flight metasearch app, but also because it lets you look for hotels to go with your trip. All three apps are available both for Android and iOS devices.

 

7. Learn the Letters

 

Cyrillic-only signs are still the rule in Moscow, even in big museums and at central metro stations. So even if you don't know any Russian, it helps to learn the alphabet so you can decipher where you want to go. Try Russian For Everyone, a site that shows you the standard and cursive versions of the letters. You can also hear how they sound and find examples of Russian words they appear in.

 

 

 

^ This article made me laugh because it is so naïve (and is from a Russia-based newspaper.) First, the article should be named "How To Get Around Moscow Without Speaking Russian" as that's all it really focuses on. I have been throughout Russia including Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Yaroslavl and rarely have met a Russian who could speak even basic English (or German or French.) Even in touristy places (airports, train stations, museums, etc) it is hard to find anyone who can speak anything other than Russian. There's a story I once heard about Russians' ability or desire to learn a foreign language. A Hungarian Diplomat was giving a speech welcoming a Russian Diplomat. The Hungarian first spoke in English (the international language), but the Russian didn't understand, then the Hungarian spoke in French (the language of diplomacy), the Russian didn't understand. The Hungarian then spoke in his native Hungarian yet the Russian didn't understand. The Hungarian then tried German and still the Russian didn't follow. Finally the Hungarian tried the only other language he knew: Czech and the Russian still looked dumbfounded. The Russian Diplomat then turned to his fellow countrymen and said "See how stupid this Hungarian is. He can't even speak in Russian." Whether this is a true story or not it sums-up the general attitude of the Russians with respect to the international world. From 1945 to 1991 the Russians were only allowed to go to places that were friendly Soviet satellites and where learning Russian was mandatory so the Russians were never encouraged nor cared to learn a foreign language (even in the non-Russian Soviet Republics they lived in.) It was a mix of arrogance and fear: arrogance that they were a World's Super Power and also fear that if they learned a foreign language they would be considered a spy by their own government. Well, 24 years have passed since the collapse of the USSR and Russia "opened" itself to the world - to a point - and yet the vast majority of Russians (even those 30 and younger) know even the basics of another language. The same could be said about most Americans, but that's mainly because for the past 70 years English has been the language of: science, diplomacy, business, commerce and culture. American products, movies, TV shows, etc can be found in even the smallest corners of the planet. English has become the means of communication for people of every nationality because of the power and lure of America around the world. With that said, I still believe Americans should learn another language (and not merely Spanish  - and I say that with having Spanish roots.) I have studied: German, French and Russian and while I have forgotten most of my German I am still very fluent in both French and Russian. Getting back to the Russian people themselves. They need to become more engaged with the rest of the world and doing so means they forget about their Super Power past and start living in today's reality where the vast majority of people do not speak Russian as a foreign language and those that do (mostly in the former Soviet Republics and former Soviet satellite Eastern European countries) would rather forget it as they see it as a language of occupation -  forced upon them by Soviet invaders. Moscow, Saint Petersburg and other major Russian cities need to start catering to non-Russian speakers if they want to promote Russian culture and opportunities to the world. Of course learning English would be the best option for a Russian since, as I already said, most of the world has at least a basic understand of English, but learning German, French, etc would help too.  It's time to put away the arrogance and fear of the past and see the world as it is today. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/how-to-survive-in-russia-without-speaking-russian/539747.html