When learning any foreign language, a person encounters mistakes, for example, when using new words and grammatical rules, or when translating from one language to another. In our article, we will look at the most ridiculous blunders of English translators and find out why and how they arose. You'll see where mistakes come from and learn how to avoid them.

It is very important to be able to competently translate from English into Russian, as well as from Russian into English. After all, we learn a language in order to speak it correctly and be correctly understood. It happens that we misperceive English words by ear or misunderstand their meaning. There are also curious mistakes among professionals involved in the adaptation of English-language books and films. Sometimes mistakes happen so that subsequently legends go about them.

There are three main reasons why translation errors occur.

1. Poorly developed listening skill

Most of the blunders are due to the fact that sometimes it is difficult for translators to hear certain words:

• “I have been there”. - “I have beans there” (correct: “I have been there”).

  Been /bɪn/ - past participle of the verb to be; bean /biːn/ - "beans".

• "By the way". - “Buy a road” (correct: “By the way”).

  By /baɪ/ - preposition "by", "on", "to", "about", "at"; buy /baɪ/ - "buy".

• “Stop the violence!” - "Let the violins be silent!" (correct: "Stop the violence!")

  Violence /ˈvaɪələns/ - "violence", "cruelty"; violins /ˌvaɪəˈlɪns/ - "violins".

2. Polysemy of English words

One of the most characteristic features English is its polysemy (polysemy). Many words in it have several lexical meanings, which means that they can be used in completely different situations. Hence, a considerable number of translation flaws arise, based on the ambiguity of the words of the English language:

• “I saw my Honey today”. - “I sawed my honey today” (correct: “Today I saw my sweetheart”).
• phone seller. - “Call the seller” (correctly: “Phone seller”).
• "I'll be back". - “I will be back” (correct: “I will return”).

So the Terminator in the film of the same name promised to return, and not become a back. After all, you see, it would sound extremely stupid and incomprehensible.

3. Literal translation of idioms

In order to make our speech expressive and add imagery to it, we use idioms or phraseological units - stable turns of speech that have their own unique meaning. Idiomatic words and expressions are a rather extensive and difficult topic, so we wrote a whole series of articles on English phraseology.

Some manage to literally translate phraseological units that exist in English, and as a result, complete confusion comes out:

• “Watch out!” - "Look outside!" (correct: "Beware!")
• “Ladybird” - “Female bird” (correct: “ Ladybug»; "Beloved" (poetic).
• “I fell in love”. - “I fell in love” (correct: “I fell in love”).

In addition to the above reasons, one of the biggest sources of errors is the Google Translate program. Unfortunately, she is not the best assistant in translating from English into Russian (and vice versa), as she often translates individual words from a phrase without taking into account its entire context:

Errors in oral and written translation

As you know, translation is carried out in two forms: oral and written. Interpreting is used when holding meetings and negotiations with foreign-speaking interlocutors, as well as when translating various video materials. Written translation is used in the translation of texts, including fiction and documentation.

No matter how excellent professionals interpreters and translators may be, but, as they say, there is a hole in the old woman. Even experienced specialists can sometimes not hear a word, translate a set expression incorrectly, make a mistake, or choose the wrong translation of a word. Let's learn from the mistakes of others. Let's consider examples of English translators' mistakes and try not to repeat their mistakes.

Funny blunders of interpreters

• “So long!” - "So far!"

  A touching farewell scene in one of the films ends with the phrase “So long!”, Which for some unknown reason they decided to translate as “So far!” Most often, the word long is used to indicate the length (length) of an object or the duration (in time) of some phenomenon. In addition, the idiom so long is translated as “bye”, “goodbye”, “goodbye”.

• “Calm down!” - "Come down!"

  Ignorance of phrasal verbs is no excuse. And calm down does not translate at all as “go down.” In the correct translation, it sounds like this: "Calm down!" (calm down - “calm down”, “calm down”).

• “I need you, buddy!” - "I need your body!"

  In the American comedy Father of the Bride, the character says, “I need you, buddy!” Which was translated as "I need your body!" The translator of this film has a clear need to develop listening skills, because buddy (“friend”, “buddy”) and body (“body”) are completely different things.

• “Come on, old boy!” - "Come here, old boy!"

A funny oxymoron (a combination of incongruous), which was the result of a translation blunder. Originally it should have been translated like this: “Come here, buddy!” or “Come on, buddy!” (old boy - “buddy”, “old man”).

Perhaps this translator would not be superfluous to replenish his knowledge of spoken English by studying. Nevertheless, slang expressions, various abbreviations and abbreviations are an integral part of modern English-speaking culture.

Funny blunders of translators

• “Slender throat” - “Slender neck”.

  In this case, the translation option from the synonymous series of meanings was incorrectly chosen: we do not say “slender neck”. We take a dictionary and look for the word slender - “thin”, “slim”, “graceful”. Which of these will be more harmonious? That's right: "thin neck".

• “Fur coat” - “Fur coat”.

  Here we observe the phenomenon of literal translation, although it would be more logical to use the Russian-language analogue - “fur coat”.

• “Witness box” - “Witness box”.

  Although box in certain cases can be translated as “booth” (for example, phone box - “telephone booth”), in this case, the English-speaking author most likely meant the place that a witness occupies to testify in court.

• "Drugstore" - "Drug warehouse".

  In fact, this word refers to the well-known pharmacy kiosk, which sells over-the-counter drugs and related products.

• “Wireless Internet” - “Wireless Internet”.

  The literal translation of this phrase has turned the achievement of the technological world - wireless Internet - into an obscure device.

• "Fly-fishing" - "Catching fish on the fly."

  This translation error is easily explained. As we have already said, most of the words in English language are ambiguous, and, without being extremely careful, you can easily confuse a pair of meanings of the same word with each other. As, for example, here: fly-fishing refers to the process of fishing for a fly (a fly), and not catching it in free flight (fly - “fly”). You can read more about the polysemy of words in the article "Polysemy in English".

• “Max found him bleeding like a pig.” - "Max saw that he was bleeding like a pig."

  The correct translation of the phraseological unit to bleed like a pig is “to bleed”, “to bleed heavily”. The origin of this expression is explained by a rather cruel phenomenon: when pigs are slaughtered for meat, their jugular vein is cut, which causes massive bleeding. In addition, the sentence will become more understandable if it is translated as: "Max found him bleeding."

• “He stretched his legs.” - "He stretched out his legs."

  Misunderstanding what an idiom is and using incorrectly memorized information in translation can change the meaning of the expression beyond recognition. So, to stretch one's legs just means "stretch your legs" (especially after sitting on something for a long time), and not the same as kick the bucket ("stretch your legs").

• - Hullo, Mellville! he shouts.
  - Hello, Melville! - translators are not lost.

  According to the plot of one of the books, the hero convicts a certain Melville of cheating. And although hullo is an informal version of hello - a word used when greeting someone, in this meaning (based on the context of the situation), hullo is an exclamation of surprise, attracting attention. This phrase can be translated as follows: “What are you, Melville!”

• "I'm not a woman you can trust" was translated as a terrible and frank confession: "I'm not a woman, trust me."
• “She is bold today!” - "She's bald today!"

  It is unlikely that any adequate author would describe a heroine who changes her hairstyle so radically. Most likely, he meant the courage and determination that she showed in a certain situation (to be bold - “gain courage”, “dare”).

• “There were men and women standing at the bus station.” - "Women and people were standing at the bus stop."

  Actually, men should be translated as “people”, however, judging by the context, the author mentions representatives of both sexes: “There were men and women at the bus stop.” Women are people too.

  No less funny blunders occur when translating from Russian into English. Therefore, one should carefully, consulting the dictionary, select the translation option. For example, on a site for learning business English, a rather annoying oversight of the translator came across:

• "Why did you quit your previous job?" - “Why did you live your previous job?”

  Everything would be fine, only the verb leave (“leave”, “leave”), implied in this question, was misspelled (written with errors). You can develop spelling skills with the help of topical tips from the article "".

As you can see, incorrect translation sometimes leads to misunderstandings and funny incidents. Let these blunders of English translators make you smile and save you from such mistakes. However, remember that only those who do nothing do not make mistakes. Learn, persevere, and you will succeed. Good luck in English!

At times, everyone has come across expressions that cause difficulties in translation. Sometimes it's not about being poor vocabulary or poor knowledge of grammar. To be able to translate is a whole science. We learn to “think in English” and comprehend the intricacies of translation.
English and Russian languages ​​are different in their structure and system of images, so the correct translation from English often becomes a difficult task.
We present you the main traps of the English language.

Polysemy of words

Many Russian constructions turn out to be cumbersome in comparison with English phrases. It also happens that in the Russian language there is no meaning of any word at all. This may affect the nature of the sentence translated from English:

Coffee, chocolate, men. Some things are just better rich.

The English phrase uses a play on words. "Rich" - can be translated from English as "rich", "rich". In Russian, when translating literally, you face the problem of choice. There is no word in Russian that would simultaneously have the same meanings, and which could be used equally in relation to coffee, chocolate and men. I want to keep the pun, slight cynicism and conciseness, so I have to adapt to the structure mother tongue. We have translated this sentence as:
Coffee, chocolate, men. Some things must be of the highest quality.
Although here, without descriptive constructions, the effect is a little lost.

Phrasal verbs

There are no endings in English. One way to convey the relationship between words is to use prepositions or postpositions. The latter are found in stable verb combinations:

to look - look
to look after - take care of someone
to look for - look for something

The same verb with different prepositions takes on new meanings that may be completely unrelated to the root word. You can find more details about some phrasal verbs and examples of their use in our past collections.

Words that can act as different parts of speech

Let us recall the comic sentence about the “scarcity” of the English language and the “wealth” of Russian:

Green green gets green. - The green grass is turning green.

Butter oil, not an example, and yet the English word green in this sentence - and an adjective, and a noun, and a verb. For the English language, this is a normal situation, and in Russian such “instances” are rarely found. Often, the nature of such words can be determined either intuitively, based on extensive communication experience, or based on syntax, that is, a place in a sentence.

Word order and turns

Surely you have heard the phrase at least once: “Do not translate from English word for the word." This is important advice. The whole sentence must be understood in order to determine the function of each word and construction in the sentence. The word order is fixed, this should be remembered in order not to get a tongue-tied phrase in Russian.
The second point to remember is that the grammatical constructions of the English language are a complex object, a passive voice, indirect speech and many other fun things. You need to learn to distinguish them and know better ways adaptation to Russian. So, for example, offers with a turnover there is/there are translated from the end:

There is a little snow in the street. - There is little snow outside.

Have they got children?

There is no turnover in English “ someone has". “In English” this sentence will sound like “ Do they have children? But this does not fit into the euphony of the Russian translation. Conclusion: to adapt the structures of the two languages ​​to each other.

Homophones

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings:

write - write
right - right, right

For an untrained ear, even incomplete homophones can be a problem:

beside - near, around
besides - besides, besides

A bull in a china shop. - An elephant in a china shop.

When pigs fly. - After the rain on Thursday.

So, we have told you the main difficulties that may arise when translating from English into Russian and vice versa. Reading literature and communicating with English-speaking people will help you make significant progress in your study and practice, and we will give you the necessary advice and help you find the right direction.

We wish you interesting English!

Victoria Tetkina

1.4. Platform (Platform) - a computer program (software) owned by the Contractor, available on the Site on the Internet. For the User, the Platform is the main tool: to access the Units; payment for services; obtaining information on the volume of services received; messaging with the Teacher and Administrator, and using other functions. For the Teacher, the Platform is the main tool: for conducting paid individual or group lessons in a foreign language of Users, for creating and amending the structure of individual Units; to receive reports; for video and audio calls; for messaging and other functions.

1.5. Lesson - an event in which the User learns a particular Unit. Usually, it takes several Lessons to master one Unit. Lessons can be independent, i.e. using the Platform without a Teacher; individual, i.e. one User and one Teacher; and group.

1.6. Level (Level) - a symbol of the degree of proficiency in language skills, which is assigned to the User by the Administrator based on the results of an oral conversation and passing the last written test - Placement Test. Usually starts with Beginner and ends with Expert.

1.7. User - any individual who has gained access to the Platform via the Internet to conduct remote, paid, individual or group lessons in a foreign language.

1.8. Administrator - a person who organizes communication between the User and the Teacher.

1.9. Teacher - a person conducting the Lesson together with the User.

1.10. The contractor is a legal entity (IP Krivoruchko Svetlana Pavlovna, address: 124683, Moscow, Zelenograd, 1519-243), offering any to an individual(to the User), use the Platform for independent, remote, paid, individual or group learning of a foreign language.

1.11. Autopayment function - providing the Contractor with the opportunity to automatically receive funds from the User's Payment Card for the Contractor's services.

1.12. Parties - the joint name of the User, the Contractor in the text of this Agreement

2. Procedure for concluding a contract

2.1. The text of this Agreement is a public offer. The text of this Agreement is published on the Contractor's Website at .

2.2. Acceptance (acceptance of an offer to conclude a contract) is the payment by the User of the Contractor's services by prepayment in the manner determined by this Offer. Acceptance by the User of this Offer means that he fully agrees with all the provisions of this Offer.

2.3. From the moment of Acceptance by the User, this Agreement is considered concluded. In the course of the execution of this Agreement, the User receives information letters to the e-mail specified by the User during registration on the Site.

2.4. This Agreement comes into force from the moment of its conclusion and is valid until the Parties fulfill their obligations under it, unless otherwise provided by this Agreement.

3. Subject of the Agreement/Offer

3.1. The subject of this Agreement is the provision by the Contractor of services for remote, paid, individual or group training of the User in a foreign language via the Internet using the Platform or other software products, the use of which is allowed under the terms of this Agreement

3.2. The Contractor grants the User the right to functional use of the Platform and the Site within the limits of the functionality of the Platform and the Site, which allow organizing remote, paid, individual or group lessons in a foreign language.

4. The procedure for this Offer

4.1. The Contractor begins to fulfill its obligations under this Offer only after the User fulfills his obligations to pay for services in accordance with the provisions of this Offer.

4.2. The Contractor independently provides services to the User, but may involve third parties, both individuals and legal entities, to provide services under this Offer.

4.3. Before the provision of services by the Contractor, the User must make a full prepayment for the selected number of Lessons or pay at least 5 (five) unpaid Lessons following the schedule.

4.4. The provision of services is carried out via the Internet, using the Platform, and third-party software can also be used if it meets the necessary technical requirements.

4.5. The Lesson is considered to be conducted properly (Successfully Conducted Lesson) if no claims have been received from the User within 24 (twenty-four) hours from the moment of the Lesson through the Platform.

4.6. This Agreement is a framework, that is, it defines general terms and Conditions obligatory relationships between the Parties, which can be specified and specified by the Parties by concluding separate agreements or otherwise on the basis of or in pursuance of this Agreement.

4.7. The performer is not educational organization, does not provide a curriculum, a room for conducting exams or similar tests in any other form for obtaining certificates and other documents of the statutory form of completion training courses or about obtaining any qualification.

5.1. The Contractor grants the User the right to functional use of the Platform and the Site within the functionality of the Platform and the Site - free of charge.

5.2. The Contractor accepts payments (carried out in a non-cash manner) from the User to pay for services.

5.3. The cost of services for one Lesson duration:

Lessons can also be purchased as a package of multiple lessons. As a rule, in this case, a discount is provided and special rules for rescheduling/cancelling Lessons and refunds apply.

The category of the Lesson NON-NATIVE or NATIVE is determined by the qualifications of the Teacher. A teacher who belongs to the NATIVE category is more qualified, so the cost of the Lesson given by such a Teacher is more expensive.

5.4. The Parties have agreed that the Contractor has the right to unilaterally change the cost of Lessons by posting a new cost on the Site and amending this Offer, while the cost of Lessons already paid by the User is not subject to change.

5.5. If the User has one paid Lesson left, the User is obliged to pay for the next Lessons until the end of the last paid Lesson. In the event that the User fails to fulfill this obligation, the Contractor has the right to cancel the schedule of the User's Lessons and put Lessons with other persons on the time previously reserved for the User.

5.6. The Contractor may post on the Site special offers, promotions, conditions for concluding independent agreements with the Contractor's partners for the provision of services for distance, paid, individual or group foreign language training via the Internet using the Platform.

5.7. The moment of payment is the receipt of funds to the Contractor's account, which is confirmed by a corresponding notification to the User's email address. The User can check and control his payments and account balance in the Platform. The User is solely responsible for the correctness of the payments made by him, and also independently pays for all the services of communication organizations necessary for interaction with the Teacher / Teachers.

5.8. The User must keep a copy of the document confirming that payments have been made under the terms of this Agreement.

5.9. The user has the right to pay for services by using the Auto payment function.

5.10. With the consent of the User given in the Personal Account by putting a symbol opposite the line "Auto payment" (activation of the Auto payment function), payment under this Agreement is made automatically in the manner of a pre-given acceptance by the User for the entire period of validity of this Agreement or until the withdrawal of this acceptance by the User.

5.11. When the Autopayment function is enabled, funds will be debited from the User's Payment Card, with which the User has previously made payments under this Agreement. To change the User's Payment Card, it is necessary to make a payment using another Payment Card.

5.12. In the case of using the Autopayment function, the User instructs the Contractor to write off, without additional orders (acceptance) of the User, based on the payment requirements of the Contractor from the User's Payment Card, funds in the amount of any unfulfilled obligation of the User under this Offer.

5.13. The amount of direct payment is equal to the payment previously made by the User.

5.14. Payment from the User's Payment Card, when using the Autopayment function, is carried out 48 hours before the start of the unpaid Lesson.

5.15. The User, on the date of fulfillment of the monetary obligation provided for by this Offer, undertakes to ensure that the current account has a balance of funds in the amount not less than the amount of such monetary obligation.

5.16. The User may at any time refuse to use the Autopayment function by deleting the symbol opposite the "Autopayment" line in the Platform (disabling the Autopayment function).

5.17. The Contractor has the right to terminate the Autopayment function at any time unilaterally out of court with prior notice to the Payer through the Platform.

6. Postponing Lessons

6.1. The transfer of Lessons by the User can be carried out no later than 24 (twenty-four) hours before the start of the Lesson. Failure to comply with the specified period is equated to the User's failure to attend the Lesson. The number of possible transfers of Lessons depends on the intensity of the User's Lessons schedule set by the Administrator.

6.2. How general rule The user has the right to:

6.2.1. postponement of 1 (one) Lesson per month with the schedule of Lessons 1 (one) Lesson per week;

6.2.2. transfer of 2 (two) Lessons per month with a schedule of 2 (two) Lessons or 3 (three) Lessons per week;

6.2.3. transfer of 3 (three) Lessons per month with a schedule of 4 (four) Lessons or more Lessons per week.

6.3. The Teacher has the right to postpone the Lessons (in case of illness and for other valid reasons), notifying the User about this no later than 24 (twenty-four) hours before the start of the Lesson. If the User believes that the Teacher postpones the Lessons too often, which hinders the effectiveness of the provision of services by the Teacher to the User, then the User has the right to apply to the Administrator with a reasoned request to change the Teacher in writing.

7. Missing class

7.1. If at the set time the User has not logged into the Platform to contact his Teacher and start the Lesson, the Teacher, during the entire time of the scheduled Lesson, attempts to contact the User through the messaging system available on the Platform, and also immediately informs the Administrator about the situation that has arisen. The Administrator also attempts to contact the User through the messaging system available on the Platform, as well as by mobile phone, if the User indicated it when registering on the Site. In this case, the start time of the Lesson is the time set in the Platform. If as a result of the above procedures it was not possible to contact the User, then the Lesson is considered to be conducted and paid in the amount of 100% (one hundred percent).

7.2. If at the set start time of the Lessons plus 5 (five) minutes the User cannot enter the Platform and start the Lesson, he is obliged to immediately contact the Administrator, without fail using all available means of communication, namely:

7.2.1. phone, skype and e-mail specified in the section of the Site "Contacts"

7.2.2. messaging system available on the Platform.

7.3. Lessons that did not take place due to the fault of the Teacher are transferred in full to another time selected by the User.

7.4. Neither the Contractor nor the Teacher is responsible for the failure to provide the service due to the User's lack of the necessary software, technical problems with the connection and the quality of the Internet connection, or other similar problems.

8. Suspension of Lessons. Refusal to continue Lessons

8.1. The User may suspend the provision of Services while maintaining the schedule of Lessons (Suspension or Break) subject to the following conditions:

8.1.1. the duration of the break in the Lessons does not exceed 14 (fourteen) calendar days inclusive;

8.1.2. suspension of the Lessons is possible if at least 90 (ninety) calendar days have passed since the end of the previous suspension;

8.1.3. at the beginning of the break in the Lessons (the day of the last Lesson before the break), the User must have fully paid for at least 5 (five) Lessons.

8.2. In order to exercise his right in accordance with clause 8.1, the User must inform the Administrator and the Teacher of his intentions no later than 5 (five) business days before the proposed Suspension / Break in the Lessons.

8.3. If the User violates the above terms of the Suspension of Lessons, the Teacher reserves the right to save the User's Lesson schedule after individual discussion.

8.4. If it is necessary to re-suspend the Lessons, but 90 (ninety) calendar days have not passed since the end of the previous suspension of the Lessons (clause 8.1.2 of this Offer), the User can suspend the Lessons by notifying the Teacher and the Administrator 24 (twenty-four) hours before the beginning of the next Lesson, while the Lesson schedule is not saved for the User.

8.5. The Teacher and / or the User has the right to suspend the provision of services on their own initiative during the New Year, Christmas and May holidays, having previously warned the other party about this: the User or the Teacher no later than 5 (five) business days.

8.6. The User's Teacher can be replaced if there are good reasons for this (Teacher's temporary disability, other circumstances), after notifying the User about this through the messaging system Personal Account or by email. If the User does not agree to study with another Teacher, the User has the right to suspend the provision of services.

9. Order of sending messages

9.1. The main way of communication between the User, the Teacher and the Administrator is the system of sending messages in the Platform.

9.2. The user can also send requests to the contact details indicated in the lower section of the Site.

9.3. All requests from Users are processed no later than two business days from the date of receipt of the request in accordance with this Agreement.

9.4. In order to report an increase in the number of Lessons, a change in the duration of Lessons, a change of Teacher, a suspension of Lessons or any other change, the User must contact the Administrator in accordance with this Section.

10. Personal data

10.1. By registering on the Site or signing up for a trial Lesson, the User agrees to the transfer of personal data in accordance with the privacy policy located at: https://152fz.rf/get_prv/f082b47d0b455d5bef99e30cdd88aad7

11. Refund/cancellation of paid Lessons

11.1. The User has the right to terminate the Lessons at any time by notifying the Teacher and the Administrator by e-mail indicated on the Site no later than 24 (twenty four) working hours before the start of the next scheduled Lesson and in the absence of debt or any other types of financial obligations of the User before the Teacher and/or the Performer.

11.2. After receiving a message in accordance with clause 11.1 of this Agreement, the Administrator must confirm to the User the suspension of the Lessons by e-mail indicated on the Site no later than 1 (one) hour before the start of the next scheduled Lesson. The Administrator also informs the exact amount for paid and unused Lessons, which is subject to return to the User. The refund must be made no later than 15 (fifteen) banking days after the User decides to terminate the Program on the terms of this Agreement.

11.3. If less than 24 (twenty-four) hours remain from the moment the User sends a message about the termination of the Program until the next scheduled Lesson, then this next Lesson is considered paid and subject to passing for the Teacher and the User.

11.4. If the Administrator does not fulfill his obligations in accordance with clause 11.2 of this Agreement, then the User must duplicate his appeal using the contact details specified in the "Contacts" section of the Site, while the User is not obliged to continue conducting the Lessons.

11.5. The amount of the User's refund for unused Lessons in accordance with this paragraph is calculated without taking into account the discount received by the User. Thus, unused Lessons, which were subject to a discount of 100% of their actual cost specified in the "Payment" paragraph, received by the User, are non-refundable. Also, in order to make a return operation, the Contractor has the right to withhold from the User a commission in the amount of 10% (ten percent) of the total cost of all paid Lessons subject to return, but not less than 500 rubles for one return operation to compensate for the expenses actually incurred by the Contractor.

11.7. Refund/cancellation of paid Lessons cannot be made by the Contractor for Lessons that are considered properly conducted in accordance with clauses 4.5.

11.8. According to clause 5.3 of this agreement, Lessons included in the package (i.e. purchased at a discount) cannot be canceled or rescheduled for more than 30 calendar days ahead from the date and time of the start of the first Lesson included in the paid package, while the amount refund for unused Lessons is calculated without taking into account the discount provided by the corresponding package.

12. Notification obligations

12.1. The Contractor undertakes to execute all incoming orders, as well as applications and requests for orders within 24 (twenty-four) hours from the date of receipt of such an order. As confirmation of the acceptance of such an order for execution, the Contractor must send an e-mail to a person wishing to place an order at the e-mail address that was indicated by such a person when registering on the Site.

12.2. The Contractor undertakes, within 24 (twenty-four) hours from the date of receipt of such an order, to notify the person wishing to place an order of the impossibility of fulfilling such an order with a reasoned explanation. Such notice must be sent by any available means.

13. Other terms

13.1. This Agreement is governed by and shall be construed and enforced in accordance with laws and other regulations jurisdiction in which the Contractor is located. Each Party is obliged to fulfill its obligations arising from this Agreement in good faith and with due diligence. Any disputes arising from this Agreement shall be resolved through negotiations in the claim procedure. In case of failure to reach an agreement through negotiations within a month, the dispute is subject to resolution in the court of the jurisdiction in which the Contractor is located.

13.3. This Agreement comes into force from the date of acceptance of the Offer by the User and is valid until the full fulfillment of obligations by both Parties. The Agreement may be terminated unilaterally by either Party. Termination of this Agreement unilaterally by the User is carried out according to the rules established by this Agreement.

13.4. For failure to fulfill or improper fulfillment of obligations under this Agreement, the Parties shall be liable in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the current legislation of the jurisdiction in which the Contractor is located.

13.5. The Parties shall not be liable for full or partial failure to fulfill their obligations under this Agreement, if such failure was the result of force majeure circumstances (force majeure), namely: floods, other natural disasters, military operations, orders and decisions of authorities state power or other events.

Many remember the "untranslatable pun" from the popular comedy. In fact, the authors of the film were not so far from the truth. In many languages ​​there are words that simply do not exist in other languages. Therefore, very often, in order to explain to a foreigner what exactly was discussed, one has to use the full potential of one's eloquence. Our review contains two dozen similar words from different languages.

1. Longing (Russian)

Although this word is usually translated into foreign languages, as "melancholy", Vladimir Nabokov most accurately described it: "There is not a single word in the English language that shows all the shades of the word" melancholy ". In the deepest and most painful sense, this is a feeling of great spiritual suffering, often without any specific reasons. It can also mean a dull pain of the soul and a lack of desire for something, vague anxiety, mental suffering. In some cases, it can be a passionate desire for someone or something specific, nostalgia, love longing. "

2. Mamihlapinatapei (the language of the indigenous people of Tierra del Fuego - Yaghan)

This word means a wordless but meaningful look exchanged between two people. At the same time, they feel the desire to start something together, but at the same time they do not want to start anything.

3. Jayus (Indonesian)

It's a joke so badly told, or so unfunny, that it's impossible not to laugh.

4. Iktsuarpok (Inuit)

This is the Inuit word for "to go outside to see if someone has come."

5. Litost (Czech)

Milan Kundera, bestselling author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, said: “As for the meaning of this word, I could not find an equivalent in other languages, although it is difficult for me to imagine how one can understand the soul of a person without the word litost.” The closest definition is a state of agony and torment created by the sudden realization of one's own misfortune.

6. Kyoikumama (Japanese)

Kyoikumama is what the Japanese call a mother who constantly instructs her children.

7. Tartle (Scottish)

Confusion and embarrassment that occurs when introducing someone to other people, you forget his name.

8. Ilunga (language of the Chiluba tribe in southwestern Congo)

Ilunga is another untranslatable word. Most professional translators interpret it as “the growth of a person who is ready to forgive and forget any first offense, endure it a second time, but will never forgive or endure an offense a third time.”

9. Prozvonit (Czech)

This word means to call a mobile phone and hang up so that the person you want to talk to calls back (this is done in order to save money). In Spanish, there is a similar phrase that sounds like "Dar un toque" (literally translated as "to touch").

10. Cafune (Portuguese)

This word describes the process of gently stroking someone's hair.

11. Torschlusspanik (German)

Literally translated, this word means "panic about closing the gate." In fact, it means "fear of diminishing opportunities due to age."

12. Wabi Sabi (Japanese)

A lot has already been said about this Japanese concept. The closest it can be translated to the original is "a way of life focused on finding beauty in life's imperfections, and fully accepting the natural cycle of growth and decay."

13. Dépaysement (French)

The word denotes the feeling that a person experiences when he is away from his country.

14. Schadenfreude (German)

The word describes the feeling of pleasure received at the sight of someone else's misfortune. The closest translation is "gloating", but it is not entirely accurate.

15. Tingo (Spanish dialect on Easter Island)

This is the process of borrowing things you like from a friend's house (until they run out of things).

16. Hyggelig (Danish)

The literal translation into Russian of this word means warm friendly behavior, but the concept of hyggelig includes much more. For example, they can be called good friends sitting with cold beer by the fire.

17. L'appel du vide (French)

Initially, this word was used to describe a mythical spirit, like a fairy, who inhabited a person and gave him a sense of reverence for nature. Later, this word began to be used with a different meaning - "the mysterious power by which works of art change people."

20. Saudade (Portuguese)

This word denotes a feeling of longing for something or someone that a person loves and has lost. This word also denotes a type of drawn-out mournful singing.

However, in fairness, it must be said that very often people living in different regions of Russia find it almost impossible to understand each other. We have prepared material about.

Plot

Illustration from the 1893 Dutch edition of the tale

In the thickets of burdock near an old estate, a mother duck brought ducklings, but her last chick looked terrible and did not look like the rest. The inhabitants of the poultry yard immediately took a dislike to the ugly duckling, which is why they constantly attacked the chick. The mother, who at first protected her son, soon also cooled off towards him. Unable to withstand the humiliation, the duckling ran away from the yard to the swamp, where, despite his appearance, he was able to make friends with wild geese. But soon they were killed by hunters.

After that, the duckling ran away from the swamp and, after a whole day of wandering, noticed a hut where an old woman, a cat and a chicken lived. The old woman left the chick at home, in the hope that he would lay eggs. The cat and the chicken, who lived in the house, began to mock the duckling, and when he suddenly wanted to swim, he did not find understanding from them and went to live on the lake. Once on the lake, an ugly duckling saw swans and fell in love with them, as he had never loved anyone before. But he did not dare to approach them, fearing that he would be just as rejected as before.

With the advent of winter, the duckling froze in the ice, but soon a peasant passing by picked it up and carried it home. The duckling did not stay long in the new dwelling: he was frightened by the children who wanted to play with him, and fled to the street. He spent the winter in the bushes by the lake. When spring came, the duckling learned to fly. Once, flying over the lake, he saw swans swimming in it. This time, he decided to get close to them, even if they decide to peck him. But having sank into the water, the duckling accidentally looked at his reflection and saw there the same beautiful young swan. Other swans happily accepted him into their flock. More recently, the ugly duckling could not even dream of such happiness ...

Autobiography

It is often argued that The Ugly Duckling is a veiled autobiography of Hans Christian Andersen.

Contemporaries about Andersen's appearance:

He was tall, lean, and extremely peculiar in posture and movement. His arms and legs were disproportionately long and thin, his hands were broad and flat, and his feet were so huge that he probably never had to worry that someone would replace his galoshes. His nose was of the so-called Roman shape, but also disproportionately large and somehow especially protruded forward.

By the very places of action of the tale, one can also draw parallels with the life of the author:

• a wasteland overgrown with burdocks, where there was a duck's nest - this is Odense, the writer's hometown;
• a poultry yard where they pecked and poisoned an ugly duckling - the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen;
• the house where an old woman lived with a chicken and a cat - one family familiar to Andersen, in which, although they kindly received the young writer, they instructed him in every possible way and taught him how to live.

Cultural aspect

• In 1914 Sergei Prokofiev wrote musical fairy tale"The Ugly Duckling" for voice and piano.
• "The Ugly Duckling" - opera-parable for soprano, three-part children's choir and piano: free operatic transcription by Lev Konov (1996 composition) to music by Sergei Prokofiev.
• Walt Disney released two animated films based on "The Ugly Duckling". The first of them was released in 1931 and was in black and white, the second cartoon was in color and was released in 1939.
• The Ugly Duckling is an animated film shot in the USSR by director Vladimir Degtyarev in 1956 at the Soyuzmultfilm film studio.
• An amazing story that looks like a fairy tale is a film shot in the USSR in 1966 at the Mosnauchfilm film studio. The film is based on the plot of The Ugly Duckling.