Italian-Russian Translation Theory and Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, false friends, phraseology, proper name rendering, numerals, and article equivalence in Italian-Russian translation.

False Friends of the Translator (Falsi amici del traduttore)

Words in two languages that are similar in sound and spelling but have different meanings (total or partial mismatch), frequently causing linguistic interference.

Confetti (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'confetti' refers to candies or dragees (конфеты, драже), whereas the Russian 'конфетти' corresponds to 'coriandoli'.

Firma (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'firma' means signature (подпись), whereas the Russian 'фирма' corresponds to 'ditta'.

Giornale (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'giornale' means newspaper (газета), whereas the Russian 'журнал' corresponds to 'rivista'.

Laureato (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'laureato' means university graduate (окончивший вуз), whereas the Russian 'лауреат' corresponds to 'insignito di un premio'.

Stipendio (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'stipendio' means salary (зарплата), whereas the Russian 'стипендия' corresponds to 'borsa di studio'.

Camera (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'camera' means room (комната), whereas the Russian 'камера' corresponds to 'cella'.

Tesi (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'tesi' means dissertation or scientific thesis (диссертация; научная работа), whereas the Russian 'тезис' corresponds to 'idea; scaletta'.

Accurato (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'accurato' means thorough or detailed (тщательный, подробный), whereas the Russian 'аккуратный' corresponds to 'ordinato'.

Insulto (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'insulto' means insult (оскорбление), whereas the Russian 'инсульт' corresponds to 'ictus cerebrale'.

Resina (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'resina' means resin or pitch (смола), whereas the Russian 'резина' corresponds to 'gomma'.

Lunatico (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'lunatico' means capricious or moody (капризный, чудаковатый), whereas the Russian 'лунатик' corresponds to 'sonnambulo'.

Magazzino (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'magazzino' means warehouse or storehouse (склад), whereas the Russian 'магазин' corresponds to 'negozio'.

Patente (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'patente' means driver's license (водительское удостоверение), whereas the Russian 'патент' corresponds to 'brevetto'.

Occupazione (Italian false friend)

In Italian, 'occupazione' means occupation or job (занятие, работа), whereas the Russian 'оккупация' corresponds to 'invasione'.

Phraseological Equivalent (Фразеологический эквивалент)

A translation method for idioms where both the figurative image and literal meaning completely match between the source and target languages (e.g., rimanere con il palmo di naso).

Phraseological Analogue (Фразеологический аналог)

A translation method for idioms where the underlying meaning matches but the figurative imagery is different (e.g., portare legna al bosco for ехать в Тулу со своим самоваром).

Calque (Калькирование)

A word-for-word translation method, often accompanied by an explanation (e.g., Tale padre, tale figlio).

Descriptive Translation / Neutralization (Описательный перевод)

A translation method for idioms where the figurative language is removed and replaced with plain, neutral descriptive words.

Menare il can per l'aia

An Italian idiom meaning to beat around the bush or waste time ('водить за нос, морочить голову').

Fare le scarpe

An Italian idiom meaning to oust someone or stealthily take their job/position ('подсидеть, занять чье-то место').

Fare il passo più lungo della gamba

An Italian idiom meaning to attempt the impossible or overestimate one's capabilities ('переоценить свои силы').

Far di necessità virtù

An Italian idiom meaning to make a virtue of necessity ('делать хорошую мину при плохой игре').

Transcription (Транскрипция) in Proper Names

A method of rendering proper names by reproducing their sound image in the target language (e.g., San Gimignano -> Сан-Джиминьяно).

Transliteration (Транслитерация) in Proper Names

A method of rendering proper names by converting letter-by-letter into the target language's alphabet (e.g., Pushkin -> Puskin).

Traditional Analogue (Традиционный аналог) in Proper Names

A method of rendering proper names using historically established traditional equivalents (e.g., Roma -> Рим; Cristoforo Colombo -> Христофор Колумб).

Il Duecento

The Italian numerical convention designating the 13th century (1200s).

Il Ottocento

The Italian numerical convention designating the 19th century (1800s).

Doppio vs. Duplice

'Doppio' refers to a double quantity of the exact same item (e.g., doppia porzione), whereas 'duplice' refers to something consisting of two distinct parts or aspects (e.g., duplice vantaggio).

Expressing Definiteness via Word Order in Russian

Since Russian lacks grammatical articles, direct word order typically conveys definiteness (theme), whereas inverted word order indicates indefiniteness (rheme).