Russian Translation

January 2, 2006 11:44 AM

Russian to English translation of some interesting communist posters from 1963.

There are three posters, all the images here. I bought the posters from a friend a few years ago and it's time to figure out what they actually say.

posted by kmel to writing & language (8 comments total)

The first:

"His and the People's"
He treats communal technology poorly,
But treats his own with kid gloves
(Literally: he tosses communal technology every which way but hides his own under a blanket)

How to change this habit?
CALL THE GUILTY TO ACCOUNT!
posted by Krrrlson at 12:31 PM on January 2, 2006

These were fun to tackle, because each one is a poem. So I did a quick and dirty, but tried to keep the sense while including (bad) rhymes:

1) (For) your own and the country's (sake) —

(top image) Farm equipment left where it breaks down
(bottom image) So take care of it, under blankets of down

How can we change this habit? Call the guilty
to account!

2) To them, who are flourishing in each role,
(Put their feet) to the flames of national control.

[on the hose] Drunkenness / Fighting / Absenteeism / Rubbish /
Industrial Waste

3) Everybody knows that there are hundreds
Of different ways for steel to be used
But to the wasteful, just some filings
And a screw are all that's left after abuse.

Comrade Inspector, put the fire of your
Entire soul into this noble goal:
Destroy mismanagement all around,
So the people no longer weep tears of gold.
posted by rob511 at 12:34 PM on January 2, 2006

The second:

The words on the hose around the man are: Drinking, brawling, absenteeism, work defects, losses in manufacturing.

The caption above the man says: Those who flourish in this role must be subjected to the fiery control of the people! (Literally: those who flourish in this role - under the fire of the people's control)
posted by Krrrlson at 12:37 PM on January 2, 2006

Thanks, Krrrlson, of course you're right -- #1 distinguishes between the bad man's treatment of communal and personal property, so here's my revised doggerel:

The farm's equipment? He couldn't care less.
But his own car, he puts in a dress.
posted by rob511 at 12:42 PM on January 2, 2006

And since rob has already done the rhyme for you, on preview, I'll just do a literal of the last one:

"Anyone can see that this steel would have been enough to make a hundred parts.

But the precious steel was given to squanderers, and now all that's left is a screw and some filings.

Comrade inspector, put the entire fire of your soul into this noble deed: destroy mismanagement everywhere so the national funds stop weeping."

P.S. Good work rob.
posted by Krrrlson at 12:43 PM on January 2, 2006

As for W3, it is the phrase "money is weeping" which can be idiomatically translated as "kiss your money goodbye." This is also the reference in the poem, re: the nationa funds weeping.
posted by Krrrlson at 12:47 PM on January 2, 2006

Thanks so, so much. Very cool. The factory one (#3) is about what I expected, but the other two are surprises.

About #1 -- this is more of a historical question, but is the crime here treating communal property badly or hoarding private goods? And do you suppose it's a direct call to narc on people or just a more abstract "point out your comrade's hipocrisy?"
posted by kmel at 1:36 PM on January 2, 2006

is the crime here treating communal property badly or hoarding private goods?

The former. It was OK to have private possessions, but you weren't supposed to prefer your own good to society's.

And do you suppose it's a direct call to narc on people or just a more abstract "point out your comrade's hipocrisy?"

The former. Narcing was a sacred duty in the Soviet Union (see: Pavlik Morozov).
posted by languagehat at 2:39 PM on January 2, 2006