7. Articles

I hope Russian-speaking readers will not be too upset that I can't help you much with articles. Since the use of articles depends greatly on the context, my advice is not to worry about them too much. I have often seen translators getting anxious about whether or not to use an article where it really doesn't matter that much, while ignoring a glaring error they have made elsewhere in their work such as an incorrect verb ending or false friend. Don't let articles distract you from more important things!

That said, there are of course cases where an article can change the meaning completely, such as:

♦ Kazakh people = казахи, the Kazakh people = казахский народ

♦ French = французский язык, the French = французы

♦ few = мало, a few = несколько

♦ little = мало, a little = немного

♦ in charge of = ответственный за, in the charge of - в ведении (кого-либо)

Here are a few points that I have noted over the years.

When to Use the Definite Article

(1) The definite article is used for things that are considered to be unique (except in lists, tables, headings, etc., as discussed below). These include:

♦ the environment (= окружающая среда; but you can say, for example, "the office is a stressful environment")

♦ the atmosphere, the Earth (Земля; earth = почва)

♦ the economy, meaning the national economy of a country (народное хозяйство)

♦ the Bible, the Koran

♦ the Internet (and the preposition used is on, not "in")

♦ the press

♦ the Hermitage, the Tower of London

For people, there is also a third, neutral, option, which is no article at all (actor Bruce Willis, actor John Smith). This is more punchy - likely to be used in journalism.

As you can imagine, two different native-speaker editors might have strongly opposing views about whether an article should be used with a particular noun, depending on their knowledge of the situation and even their general education and outlook. Such is the subtlety of the English language...

Names of most industries need the definite article (the electronics industry, the chemicals industry, etc.). The exception is light industry, because "light" is an adjective, not a noun, and if we say "the light industry" it sounds as if electric lights are being manufactured. Therefore the common phrase легкая и пищевая промышленность cannot be translated "light and food industry". We have to repeat the word industry: light industry and the food industry.

People's names take the definite article if qualified by an adjective, but places do not: [Is this true?? What on earth is the rule??]

♦ the immortal Zhambyl

♦ beautiful Almaty

Note that because articles are not important words, they are not given capital letters in headings (unless they begin a sentence) or placed within inverted commas:

♦ ("Налоговый кодекс"): (the "Tax Code"), not ("the Tax Code")

Past participles such as проведенный, указанный, данный and упомянутый do not always have to be translated literally. It seems to me that they often carry the sense of the definite article.

♦ проведенный анализ: the analysis, or our/their analysis (rather than "the analysis conducted")

♦ указанная/данная проблема: the problem, or this problem (not "the indicated problem". "The given problem" is possible, but rather formal)

♦ полученные результаты: the results

When to Use the Indefinite Article

(1) My grammar book tells me that the indefinite article is used with a noun complement (i.e. after the verb to be). I am not sure whether this is always so, but certainly it is essential in sentences like the following:

♦ Казахстан - страна богатых традиций.: Kazakhstan is a land rich in tradition. ("Kazakhstan is the land..." would mean it was the only such country.)

(2) As noted above, the indefinite article is generally used the first time a noun is mentioned. For example, анализ, a very common word in Russian, cannot be translated "the analysis" until we have established which analysis we are talking about. Therefore:

♦ Анализ изменения военно-политической обстановки показывает...: An analysis of changes in the military and political situation shows that... (First mention of the word анализ)

♦ Договор (соглашение): The contract (agreement), not "The contract (the agreement)"

We get used to writing certain set phrases like "the Republic of Kazakhstan" and assume that this "the" is set in stone, but we must remember that when these phrases are acting as adjectives, different rules may apply, depending on context:

♦ the Republic of Kazakhstan (noun), but Republic of Kazakhstan treasury bills (adjective)

♦ the 19th century (noun), but 19th-century books (adjective)