Learn what topics you should avoid during small talk in Russian
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Intro |
|---|
| Michael: What topics are taboo in Russian? |
| Saodat: And what are some things you should avoid doing? |
| Michael: At RussianPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee and Emiliya are chatting in a good atmosphere while drinking coffee. Everything changes when Karen asks the forbidden question: |
| "How much do you earn?" |
| Karen Lee: Сколько ты зарабатываешь? (Skol'ko ty zarabatyvayesh'?) |
| Dialogue |
| Карен Ли: Сколько ты зарабатываешь? (Skol'ko ty zarabatyvayesh'?) |
| Эмилия Эстис: Это не твоё дело... (Eto ne tvoyo delo...) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Карен Ли: Сколько ты зарабатываешь? (Skol'ko ty zarabatyvayesh'?) |
| Michael: "How much do you earn?" |
| Эмилия Эстис: Это не твоё дело… (Eto ne tvoyo delo...) |
| Michael: "It's not your business..." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: A lot of Russians pride themselves on being friendly and helpful despite being seen as rude by other cultures. However, many of them do avoid small talk, or, |
| Saodat: болтовня (boltovnya) |
| Michael: For this reason, when you're in Russia, it's important to be aware of proper social etiquette, or |
| Saodat: социальный этикет (sotsial'nyy etiket) |
| Michael: This means being aware of the culture's do's and don'ts, as well as of topics that are considered taboo, or, |
| Saodat: табу (tabu) |
| Michael: Speaking of which, what topics are considered taboo in Russian? |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let's take a closer look at the dialogue to find out. |
| Do you remember how Karen Lee says "How much do you earn?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Saodat as Karen Lee: Сколько ты зарабатываешь? (Skol'ko ty zarabatyvayesh'?) |
| Michael: This seems to be a harmless ice-breaker question, but let's see how Karen's friend responds. |
| [Recall 2] |
| Michael: Let's take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how Emiliya Estis says "It's not your business…?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Saodat as Emiliya Estis: Это не твоё дело… (Eto ne tvoyo delo...) |
| Michael: It seems that Karen has struck a nerve right there when she asked Emiliya how much she earns. In some cultures, people don't mind being asked how much they earn. Some even love being asked the question. However, money is always a sensitive topic regardless of which culture we are talking about. In Russia, for instance, it's not proper to talk about another person's salary, or |
| Saodat: зарплата (zarplata) |
| Michael: To avoid awkward situations, people in Russia would often ask someone close to them about another person's financial situation. For instance, a parent would ask their child about their colleague's salary. |
| Saodat: Сколько зарабатывает твой друг? (Skol'ko zarabatyvayet tvoy drug?) |
| Michael: or "How much does your friend make?" There are two other major topics that Russian people consider taboo. These are |
| Saodat: смерть (smert') |
| Michael: death, |
| Saodat: самоубийство (samoubiystvo) |
| Michael: and suicide. And while religion, or |
| Saodat: религия (religiya), |
| Michael: is not considered taboo, we don't recommend discussing this delicate topic whether in public or private settings. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, you learned about some of the topics that you should avoid discussing in public when you're in Russia. If you're not sure whether a topic is taboo or not, it's better not to bring up the topic at all, or at least ask the person first whether they are comfortable talking about the subject or not. |
| Expansion/Contrast |
| Michael: With a number of topics considered taboo in Russia, you're probably wondering what else you can talk about with someone you've met for the first time or someone you're not very close to. The good news is that there are many topics you can talk about that won't be considered unacceptable or forbidden in Russia. For instance, you can talk about architecture, or, |
| Saodat: архитектура (arkhitektura) |
| Michael: There's no doubt that Russia has some of the most uniquely-designed architectural structures in the world, and Russian people won't mind talking about this amazing feature of their country. Another topic you can talk about is Russian food, or |
| Saodat: еда (yeda) |
| Michael: No icebreaker is greater than food, and that is whether you're eating it or simply talking about it. And, of course, you can always talk about the country's culture itself, or |
| Saodat: культура (kul'tura) |
| Michael: Any Russian will be more than excited to answer your questions about their country's culture, history, and progress. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: As in any culture, Russia has its own set of superstitions, or |
| Saodat: суеверие (suyeveriye) |
| Michael: Many of these have become part of their social etiquette. The wearing of shoes inside the home, for instance, is forbidden in Russia. When you're in Russia, make sure you immediately take off your shoes or any form of footwear before entering someone's home. It's also important not to whistle, or |
| Saodat: свистеть (svistet') |
| Michael: while indoors. Many Russians believe that doing so brings bad luck and can lead to a loss of money. Now, this next one's not really a superstition but more of a "don't" in Russia, but one thing you should remember is to never argue with Russian grannies, or |
| Saodat: бабушка (babushka) |
| Michael: This may seem funny, but old Russian women are not to be messed with. Elderly people may be vulnerable members of the Russian society, but that doesn't mean they don't command power and respect. So, no matter what they tell you, remember to simply smile and agree, as there is absolutely no point arguing with them. In relation to this, never ever talk bad about someone's parents, or |
| Saodat: родители (roditeli) |
| Michael: Russians value respect and politeness, and being rude and disrespectful of parents and elderlies is just a big no-no. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Saodat: Пока! (Poka!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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