A Creaky Wheel and a Protruding Nail

“A creaky wheel gets oiled,” goes an American proverb. This means that a person who expresses his claims out loud gets what he wants. “A protruding nail is driven deeper than the rest,” says a Japanese proverb. Its significance is much deeper than its superficial Russian interpretation “Don’t press to hard.” It is a symbol of Japanese ethics which values silence higher than speech and holds that thoughts are better conveyed to the interlocutor without their precise articulation. It is characteristic of a Japanese to leave a sentence uncompleted. Stating an idea before one knows exactly how it will be received is considered aggressive in Japan. Professor Tannen quotes another Japanese linguist: “Only an insensitive, uncouth person needs a direct, oral, complete indication.”

The Japanese have the notion of “sasshi,” or the expectation, presentiment of the interlocutor’s message through conjecture and penetration into his inner world, that is, intuitively. “Sasshi” is considered a sign of wisdom in Japan.

In view of the importance which the Americans attach to straightforwardness and openness (especially in business) one is bound to doubt that the notion of “sasshi” can be implanted in the United States. But the success of Japanese businessmen has shown, as Professor Tannen notes, that straightforward Yankees would do well by learning the art of understatement.

(Dmitry Radyshevsky, MN Bureau, New York)

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Do americans need to know russian

Guy Netscher asks a very logical question: If Russians need to know English before visiting the US as a part of an exchange program, do Americans need to know Russian before travelling there?

Based on my experience Russians do need to have a decent command of English in order to get the most out of visit to the US, while Americans can learn a respectable amount during a brief visit without knowing Russian. There are at least two reasons for this. First, very few Americans know Russian, while a substantial number of Russians know English. In other words, an American visitor in Moscow or Vladimir can find people to talk to, and there will be no shortage of interprets; while a Russian visitor – who doesn’t know English- generally cannot communicate with the people he or she meets in the US without an interpreter. Second, what the Russians need to learn about democracy and a free market is generally more complicated than what Americans can profitably learn about Russia during a short visit. The latter “lessons” include the fact that Russia is a culturally rich country with a very decent and hospitable people. In my experience, once Americans learn this firsthand, they are generally mush more willing to try to be of assistance. This includes hosting visiting Russians. (Staying with a host family is a very valuable experience).

For example, last April we arranged for a local high school basketball coach, Cal Habbard, and his wife, Vivian, a speech therapist, to visit Russia. More than 50 coaches attended a three day basketball clinic in Vladimir while Vivian visited schools. (They stayed with the family of one Russian teacher. The father and son are both avid basketball players). As a follow-up to this, we hope to have a Russian coach and senior player here this next June to attend Cal’s yearly clinic and a tournament. They are both studying English at the American Home in preparation foe this visit. They will stay with the Hubbards.

Because of the fact that the Russians need to comprehend relatively complex matters for their visits to be truly profitable, as I have argued in JRL – and the Moscow Times – they need to stay in the US for more than a few days. For the longer stays, English is simply a must. In this connection, I’ve been involved with law enforcement exchanges for a number of years. A new militia officer is scheduled to arrive next Saturday for a six month stay in our community. Without a decent knowledge of English, his visit simply wouldn’t be possible. None of the law enforcement people he will be dealing with knows Russian, and we don’t have the resources here to provide him with an interpreter day in and day out. Most important, he will be able to learn a good deal more – and communicate more from his perspective – because he knows English. (For the record, we provide him with a year of English lessons through the American Home in Vladimir).

Americans involved in long term stays in Russia also definitely need to know the local language. Unfortunately, some don’t bother to learn it, or at last don’t learn it very well. In my experience, this has included missionaries who have been in Vladimir for more that a year. Their failure to gain a decent command of Russia is both an insult to their hosts – why isn’t this rich language worth learning? – and a major barrier to their full understanding of Russian culture. This lack of cultural understanding, in turn, has, in my opinion, been a major contributor to the Russian’s frequent hostility toward foreign missionaries. It has also created other problems.

On the other hand, I am certain that my dealings with the Russian legal system in the wake of the embezzlement of a substantial amount by a former Russian employee would have been much more difficult, if not impossible to successfully pursue had I needed an interpreter.

On last point. Given the tremendous value of Russians learning English, it is surprising that neither the US government nor, to the best of my knowledge, any American foundations are promoting the teaching of English in Russia to any significant extent. Our English Program in Vladimir has been self supporting since 1992. We currently serve over 300 students a semester. With a modest amount of outside funding to supplement what the students can afford to pay, we could accomplish a great deal more. I’m sure there are other programs that are equally in need of modest support. It seems to me that a tremendous opportunity to communicate across the language and cultural divide is to a significant extent being missed.

(Ron Pope, President Serendipity-Russia Associate Professor of Russian Politics Illinois State University)

XIII. What problem is raised by this article? How serious is it for the Russian nation? Is there any way out of the situation? What do you think about the title of the article and how will you account for it?

ЯЗЫК С ХРЕНОМ

Помните анекдот про грузинскую школу? На уроке русского языка учитель говорит классу: «Дети! Русский язык –очень трудный язык. Напримэр, Настя – это дэвушка, а нэнастя –это плохая погода!» Похоже, скоро такие анекдоты начнут сочинять и про русские школы, потому что наш с вами «великий и могучий» стремительно становится все труднее для понимания.