Nikita Khrushchev was infamous for driving his interpreters crazy with impromptu emotional Russian idioms that were impossible to translate. At least his interpreters had an excuse: they had to study English behind the iron curtain, without real practice with native speakers. These days there are so many opportunities for language study and practice that aspiring high-level political simultaneous translators should make use of them. It looks like that would be too logical for Russia.
A few Putin-related things happened at Davos: his surprisingly amicable opening speech (very different from the infamous Munich one) and what all the American/Western newspapers gladly labeled a “huge fight” with Michael Dell.
Well, it’s time to practice your Russian, comrades.
Dell asks the very obviously annoyed Putin: “How can we as an IT sector help you broaden the economy as you move out of the crisis and take advantage of that broad scientific talent you have?”
I am not defending Putin, but if I were a leading woman of the powerful nation who could easily leave Europe freezing and attack/defend myself from a neighboring country, I would be annoyed, too, it a chairperson of the computer company not well-known in my country offered me what sounded like his help.
(I am aware that Dell is the second-largest computer maker in the world. I also believe that the IT has a huge potential to broaden any country’s economy. Technology in general has a great misunderestimated potential in politics, economics etc. Russia also needs some IT improvements. I also don’t know what kind of translation Putin heard from his interpreter, but — see the explanation below — presumably not an excellent one. BUT for Michael Dell to ask a question like that to a leader of the country where any big company is viewed as potential government property has a high explosive potential.)
The simultaneous translation has Putin say this: “We don’t need help. We are not invalids… We don’t have a limited mental capacity.”
He actually said this: “You know, the trick is that you don’t need to help us. We are not disabled. Those who really need help are the poor, one needs to help people who help limited capabilities, one needs to help the retired, one needs to help the developing countries…”
The transcript is published here. For the Russian speakers, here is the same thing in Russian:
“Вы знаете – фокус заключается в том, что нам не нужно помогать. Мы не инвалиды. Реально нужно помогать бедным, нужно помогать людям с ограниченными возможностями, нужно помогать пенсионерам, нужно помогать развивающимся странам…”
This YouTube video has it starting at 1:24. The Russian that is heard in the background sounds like precisely what was published.
The main message of his response was that Russia needs not help, but a full-scale partnership. I believe that I heard from many a Yale professor that one of the main reasons of Russia’s aggressive behavior is that for too many post-Soviet years it was looked down at. I agree. Russia needs her respect. And better translators, apparently.