Three reasons to learn Russian in Edmonton

No one can cancel Russian culture. Not even Putin.

Alexander Pushkin

With the entire new Russia-World confrontation series, some people may think that now learning Russian is no longer relevant, as no business with Russia is going to be possible in the foreseeable future. However, over the years of teaching my native language I've also found a large number of students that were more interested in the longer term learning of a great language and getting closer to a rich culture. Some of the drivers of this group would be the classical authors, such as Chekhov, Pushkin, Dostoevsky or Tolstoy. Others want to understand more in Russian opera. Others work in a field that has a powerful Russian presence and want to be able to communicate to their colleagues. What is your reason for wanting to learn Russian in Edmonton? 

I'm happy to report I have space for 2 more students to start studying Russian in August. If you are interested, text me at 780-222-7136 or email at medvcom@gmail.com 

How to say "Happy Easter" in Russian

This year, Russian Orthodox Easter coincides with the Catholic and Protestant varieties (which is not always the case). A few people have asked me in the past few days how to say "Happy Easter" in Russian. Most people would say not say "Happy Easter" per se, but use the equivalent of "Christ has risen", which is then answered by "Indeed he has risen" (very similar to what one will find in Greek tradition, for example). Three kisses on the cheeks usually follow.

Interestingly, the first two letters of the first phrase, ХВ, are also put on many Easter eggs.

 "Христос воскресе!" - "Воистину воскресе!"
"Khristos voskrese!" - "Voistinu voskrese!"
"Khris-TOS vos-KRE-se" - "vo-IS-ti-nu vos-KRE-se"

Will try to post a video with the pronunciation today. Interestingly, the first two letters of the first phrase, ХВ, are also put on many Easter eggs.
If you would like to go more in depth into the Russian language, please take a look at my Russian tutor website at www.iteachrussian.org

Is Russian a world language?

When travelling around the world, many people would expect to survive exclusively on English, maybe some French and Spanish, but probably not Russian. This would be an error. Native Russian speakers are spread throughout the world - you never know when you would bump into a fourth generation Russian Empire emigre in San Francisco (with an accented Russian you would no longer find in Russia itself), a Russian-speaking taxi driver in New York or Wellington or an engineer from Belarus or Ukraine in Nigeria or Sri Lanka. Being one of the most spread-out linguistic communities in the world, Russian speakers can be found in Eastern and Central Europe, Middle East (just think of the huge diaspora in Israel, for example), South-East Asia, Australia, Latin America. Many of these people would be speaking Russian as their second native language, others would have learned it as their main foreign language. Russian is one of the most studied languages on Earth today, both for its allegedly challenging character and the opportunities that it can open worldwide.

Would you like to join the community of Russian speakers? Learn Russian today!

Still think that Russia is the coldest place on Earth? Hear this Russian out.

The Hollywood scene and various other popular culture elements seem to have won a major battle over the minds of millions of people throughout the world, as decades of repeating the same stereotypes have worked - to a vast majority of people one meets, there is little doubt that Russia is the coldest country in the world. Images of ice-covered huts surrounded by Communist party membership card-carrying polar bears drinking vodka now hold a prominent place in the imagination of men, women, children and domestic pets alike. If you ask around, Russia is the North Pole, Russia is as uninhabitable as the Moon, Russia is one big frozen steppe. The only way Russians survive is by wearing funny (?) hats and being always grumpy.

A Russian teacher in Edmonton freezing year after year

My perception of my home country never was as bad as that, as culture-specific or any other stereotypes have always seemed meaningless and weak. The only idea that I've always agreed with was the cold factor. It was, after all, pretty cold in Russia when I was living there some 10 years ago now. And then... I moved to Canada. The coldest place ever. The land where Russians feel cold year after year. Never before have I been so cold as here. Russia is cold, you say? Bah, humbug. Visit Edmonton.

For information about my Russian classes in Edmonton, please visit www.iteachrussian.org

What will Putin's annexation of the Crimea mean for Russian language education and related business?

As the events in Ukraine continue to resemble a situation that would be "mundane" 100 years ago but not today, I as a communications professional and language instructor working with Russian have a lot of thinking to do. How will the crisis influence people's interest in doing business with Russia? Will fewer people want to study the Russian language in the months to come? Is online marketing and content copywriting business in Russian going to disappear as a viable line of work? There are all questions that I cannot escape from every day now.

Perhaps because I am an incorrigible optimist or because (or in spite of) my Russian heritage, I feel confident that those really interested in learning my native language and finding out more about the great culture that Russia presents to a student will not be deterred by Putin and his reversal of decades of hard work to changing the image of the country and attracting more international business and tourism. Educated and motivated individuals would not be so quickly convinced that what we are observing in Crimea is the real face of Russia. Doing business with (preferably non-state) companies and individuals in Russia and attracting talent from Russia would not go away. The wonderful historic treasures of the world's largest nation would still draw tourists and enthusiasts.

Russia will survive underneath the forced mask of barbaric aggression in the name of peace and brotherhood. And two kindred peoples, the Russians and the Ukrainians, will again live together in harmony.

For more information on my work, please visit www.bestcontentforyou.com

Offering Russian classes and translations

Please note that this is my blog. For my main services website, please visit www.bestcontentforyou.com/language-services I'm always looking for new students, as well as clients requiring English-Russian or Russian-English translation services. Get in touch!

Putin's war in Ukraine should not stop you from learning Russian

One point that was brought up by one of my potential students of the Russian language today was the fact that learning the language at a time when Putin is waging aggression against neighbouring Ukraine was impossible and inappropriate. Why would it be so? Does the Russian language serve as a hostage to militaristic or imperial or self-promotion ambitions? Does Russian culture become less beautiful and interesting because of an unjust and illegal occupation? Would fewer business and interaction opportunities exist in the future due to Putin? I'm strongly of the opinion that interpersonal and intercultural relations should not suffer because of medieval politics and warmongering. Let's study Russian! Give me a call or drop me an email today.

Enjoying the Sochi Olympics or the #sochifail stories? Learn Russian.

The infamous fifth ring...

The Internet is now full of #sochifail and #sochiproblems stories and photos, some of which are very funny and some of which are plain weird. If you have been closely following the successes and failures at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games of 2014, you have suddenly discovered that you have a lot of free time on your hands. Once the show is over, why not learn this time to learn one of the most beautiful and challenging languages out there with an experienced and fun instructor? Make the most our of the Olympics at your personal level - learn Russian!

If you are in Edmonton, Alberta, I'm happy to offer in-person classes, and if you are elsewhere, Skype and Google Drive come to the rescue. Get in touch and we'll work out the details.

What is so scary about the Russian alphabet, after all?

Don't fret: this is just a bunch of letters!

One of the most ridiculous reasons I've heard for not choosing to study Russian is that "the alphabet is too frightening/difficult/scary/different...". The simple answer to that is that it is, in fact, none of the above.

It is not so difficult to learn 33 letters: people do learn 26 in English and French, 28 in Arabic, and 29 in Spanish, not to mention the about 4,000 characters learned in Chinese. Why Russian is being singled out for the number of letters is unclear.

The Russian Cyrillic alphabet is not SO different from the Latin one: if it were, how would I be able to type the following Russian letters without changing my keyboard layout? A E K M O C T X (that's 8 out of 33 you don't have to really learn anew at all, if you already know the English alphabet). Then we add the ones that are similar and/or not hard to grasp in terms of writing: B, H, Ё, 3, У, P (that's 6 more). Then the ones that would be familiar to anyone that has an interest in mathematics or has seen the names of sororities and fraternities at universities, written in Greek: Г, Д, Л, П, Ф (5 more). What remains "scary" and "unusual" and "never before seen or imagined" is 14 letters, at most. Will you really allow 14 letters to stand between you and one of the world's richest cultures? You must be joking.

Going to the Sochi Olympics or planning to follow them? Learn Russian! You won't regret it.

, anyone?

If you are planning to go to the Sochi Olypics in Russia, starting very soon, you may want to brush up on your Russian or even still have time to get some of the basics before you go. Russian would be good to have in Sochi, believe me! Yes, there will be many people who speak English (with very varying success) or pretend to speak it, but you should not count on being 100% comfortable without any Russian. This is, after all, a great opportunity for you to learn one of the world's most beautiful and popular languages.

Even if you are not attending the Sochi Olympics, but will be keeping track of the Games and/or connected with them in some fashion professionally, you may want to use the time until the Games to study Russian.

I still have available spots for Russian classes in Edmonton or online via Skype. Contact me for details!

Why would someone want to learn Russian?

The notes below are not meant to be scientific, just some personal research info, with my favourites highlighted in yellow.

If you ask around, the reasons that people name for learning Russian or wanting to learn Russian appear to be shifting or at least developing in an interesting way. Based on a number of conversations with those that have been around Russian language training for longer than myself, during the Cold War era, some of the reasons you would have found were:

"The Russians are coming!"

• The Russians are going to invade soon anyway, so I should be prepared
• The Sputnik and the first man in space mean that Russia is way ahead in terms of their technology
• I'm interested in history, and Russia seems to be one of the most important elements of world history
• Don't tell anyone, but I'm being trained to infiltrate the USSR and send top-secret info

The reasons 15-20 years ago used to be mostly within the lines of:

• I want to read Russian literature in the original
• I want to do travel to Russia and have more independence while I'm there
• My company wants to expand to the former Soviet Union
• I have Russian heritage and want to reunite with my cultural roots

Nowadays, people are also learning Russian for a few new reasons:

• Russia is the computer virus and malware centre of the world. If IT security is your thing, Russian is the language to know.
• Russians and Russia are beautiful and mystical
• I needed a personal challenge, and yet a manageable one (unlike, apparently, Arabic or Chinese)
• My significant other has Russian roots or speaks that language
• I have keen interest in Orthodox Christianity
• I want to be able to communicate with Russian speakers playing the same MMORPG or shooter
• Russian sounds sexy/cool
• I'm interested in adopting a child from Russia
• I've recently discovered Russian music and want to be able to understand the lyrics
• Russia is still a major geopolitical rival

And what about you? Why are you interested in learning Russian?

Learning Russian is easier than you think: you just need to start

There are still many reasons to learn Russian

Since coming to Canada from Russia in 2004, I've taught my native language in the form of individual tutoring sessions, university classes and in casual conversations with friends and colleagues. The main stereotype that always makes it difficult for people to start learning Russian is that "it's such a difficult language...". If you don't try, you will never know the true beauty of the Russian language or appreciate the literary masterpieces to the fullest.

I've had students starting out in their Russian learning journey with little enthusiasm and even less hope - now they specialize in Eastern European culture, literature, politics and/or are involved with business and communications involving Russia and its neighbours. Russian is fun - see it for yourself today!