2.3. Stagnation in economy – boom of interpretation

As B. Sukhodrev confessed, after the direct joker and jester Mykyta Sergiyovych it was easier to translate standard colorless speeches of L. Brezhnev, but less interesting. Instead the leader of the country and his interpreter looked effective and wonderful together: tall, spectacular, with sumptuous heads of hear. Always smiling super-interpreter emphasized the authority of the super state’s leader, whose words (in brilliant master’s interpretation) were listened to by the whole world.

Years passed. Bon viveur and convivial man, after the 1970s, L. Brezhnev was getting evidently weakened. He disliked speaking without ready text on the paper before, and now he began to confuse even the texts prepared in advance and read some things he was not supposed to. This was kind of misfortune…

At the meeting of L. Brezhnev with the President of Angola, the Central Committee interpreter-consultant E. Kapsky heard with horror, that the Secretary General instead of reading the text of a speech, started reading reference sources to the conversation: where the country is situated, its territory, population, political situation, etc. (this all, by the way, was prepared by the interpreter himself). Angolans literally had their jaws fallen: their majority knew Russian (and President of the people’s republic of Angola Zh. E. dush Santushy graduated a higher educational establishment in Baku and had a Russian wife Tanya). Having instantly recovered from shock as it befits a “pro” (professional), E. Kapsky began to “interpret”, “Dear friends! We know that your country is situated to the west of Africa. We are glad that its territory makes…, it’s wonderful, that the population has grown…, we note with satisfaction, that political situation…, etc.” Everybody had a sigh of relief.

It is self-understood that even the most experienced masters are not safeguarded against mistakes. Sometimes the “source material” is grotty or good-for-nothing (badly written or unclear), still slips of the tongue and failures and “evil days” happen. E.G., V. Sukhodrev was taking hard the fact, that while interpreting the first in the history speech of the USA President R. Nickson on the Soviet TV, he made a slip of the tongue “ми ввиступаємо за більш гарні відносини…”

Nevertheless when made by a master interpretation may be even somewhat better, more logical than original, with style and nuances fully preserved. It is given by the combination “talent + art + experience”, which are gained by the years of training and self-perfection: interpreter studied through all of his life and not on somebody’s mistakes alone. Not without reason the English say, “You learn by doing”.

Here we are skipping some facts of interpreters’ activity in the times of Y.V. Andropov and “the Kremlin patient” K. U. Chernenko, though this period of stagnation may be cognitive in its way, too.

After almost ten years of stagnation and apathy was elected “Gensec”, who could walk without support and speak without papers – sometimes, for too long and ornate, though. And beside him appeared a new “kagemushi” – P. Palazhchenko, foreign languages Institute graduate, having tremendous talent and experience of successful work in the UNO, who introduced unusual intelligence and restraint, discretion into this profession.

As early as at the first talk that Pavel was interpreting – with Radzhiv Gandy, mutual sympathy appeared between the interpreter and “gensec” (perhaps Mikhail Sergeevich felt not quite comfortable with Sukhodrev with his strict “binding”, association with Brezhnev’s times).

The era of endless, tiresome, not quite clear speeches started. At the same time Gorbachov’s speeches in the West were better and differed markedly from that “raw stuff”, which was fed to the Soviet citizens. (Once in the late 1980s I told P. Palazhchenko, “Can’t a Politian think aloud in public? This is kind of philosophizing. A leader’s speech should be short, aphoristic, bright, and if necessary, as with de Gaulle, be learned by heart”). Still that talking-in of everything and everybody was growing exponentially, and nobody dared interpret “gensec” “from Russian into Russian”. By the way, in the West the Gorbachov’s image was pretty positive and this is Pavel Ruslanovich’s merit not only as an interpreter, but a team-mate, companion who turned “verbal kissel” into accurate and pleasant for comprehension PR-product (On hearing this opinion Mikhail Sergeevich was generous enough to joke, “Now they will remember me as a secondary politician of the Palazhchenko epoch”.)

The epoch of “Kremlin dreamer – II” became the second (after Khrucshchov) period of interpretation bloom: the USSR foreign policy activity achieved unprecedented heights. Interpreter’s obligations are unthinkable, volume of confidential information is just indescribably huge. But there weren’t practically any slips or flapdoodle.

“You know, I sleep badly”, – once of the interpretation masters confessed to me. – I know too much”. Really, only “kagemushi” are present at the so called tête-à-tête meetings. Then they themselves make notes of the conversation, sometimes handwritten and in one copy – so much delicate issues are touched. (It’s not without reason that “Gorby” dropped maliciously in 1991, “There are things, which I will never say of”). May be, dear Mikhail Sergeevich, but can this be done by interpreters? Unlikely. And Gorbachov is likely to know about it. Ethics of interpretation prohibits divulging the information entrusted to you. But there is one more peculiarity – as a rule, an interpreter hardly remembers much (new information throughout tense long negotiations completely “erases” the previous one). A special system of note-taking comes in handy.

The Eltsyn’s period unlike the previous one, did not give any interpreter, associated with the ruler. For some time there were S.Berezhkov-junior, A. Groshev, D. Golybin, A. Fyodorov (French), other experienced officers of the Russian MFA, working “on the top”.

It was comparatively easy to interpret B. N. – language of “the good old-fashioned sort”, slow pace (especially the last years), but sometimes with extraordinary errors and blurts. Once the Russian Federation President was accepting Nelson Mandela. Correspondingly in the Russian reference sources there was the abbreviation “ЮАР” (South-African Republic). What did the guests from Africa hear? “We are glad, that you’re doing well in your Yugoslavia”. Interpreter, without batting an eyelid translated, “In your country”, in such a way “retaining face” of the president, though many SAR government members had been studying in the USSR and understood the meaning of the Russian words said.

The interpretation masters know mentality, traditions, culture and history of other nations. They have to switch immediately from a listener to a speaker, and therefore overcome the borders of their “ego” and experience some kind of personality splitting. They perceive the features, which slip away from others, many things they visualize better. Thus, a well-known English interpreter I. Kirillova noted “peasant features” in the personality of “younger” Eltsyn (1990). He couldn’t answer the keen and refined questions of a British interviewer and “just withdrew into himself”. “Boris Nikolaevich, - she said tenderly, - if you don’t answer, the article about you will be still written, but as if without your participation”. He got together his entire “solid peasant mind” and the talk was fulfilled.