§2. Translating the gerund

The gerund is not a regular equivalent of the Russian adverbial participle (деепричастие). It is closer to the verbal noun than to the adverbial participle.

The gerund can be translated by the following means:

• the noun: A woman’s idea of keeping a secret is refusing to tell who told it. – Представление женщины о том, как надо хранить секрет, - это отказ сообщить, кто ей его рассказал.

• the infinitive: There’s nothing more tragic in life than the utter impossibility of changing what you have done. – Нет ничего трагичнее в жизни, чем абсолютная невозможность изменить то, что ты сделал.

• the adverbial participle: Learn to swim by swimming. – Учись плавать, плавая.

• the clause: I am always ready to learn, but I do not always like being taught. (Churchill) – Я всегда готов учиться, но мне не всегда нравиться, когда меня учат. The gerundial construction is always translated by the clause: He was amused at my becoming so impatient with him. – Он удивился тому, что я стал так нетерпелив с ним. He stayed there without our knowing it. – Он остался там, а мы даже не знали об этом.

When translating from Russian into English, it is necessary to pay attention to the careful selection of either the single gerund or the gerundial construction. While in the Russian sentence the subject is named twice, the English sentence does not take the same subject before the gerund. Cf.: Я настаиваю на том, чтобы мне позвонили. – I insist on being phoned. The gerundial construction in English is used only in case of two different subjects in the sentence: I remember his asking the question. – Помню, как он задал этот вопрос.

Some practical grammars of English do not distinguish the –ing participle and the gerund. However, in translation the difference can be essential, since the gerund and the participle have different functions and, therefore, convey different meanings. For instance, Flying planes can be dangerous can be translated as Летать на самолетах опасно, if flying is used here as a gerund. The sentence could also be translated Летающие самолеты опасны, the word flying being treated as a participle.

§3. Translating the participle

The difference between the English and Russian participle concerns its form and usage.

As for the form, the English participle exists in two special forms – the Present Participle and the Past Participle, the former varying into Simple and Perfect, active and passive forms. The Russian participle is altered according to time and voice distinctions. Furthermore, there is a form, called the adverbial participle (деепричастие) which varies by the tense. Thus, a general correspondence between English and Russian participles can be given as follows:

-ing	-ущ-/-ющ-, -ащ-/-ящ- -вш-/-ш- (Vimperf.)	-а-/-я
dropping falling	роняющий, ронявший падающий, падавший	роняя падая
-ing + -ed	-ом-/-ем-, -им-, -вш-+-ся
being dropped	роняемый, ронявшийся
having +-ed	-вш-/-ш-	-в, -вши, -ши
having dropped having fallen	уронивший упавший	уронив упав
having been +-ed	-енн-/-нн-, -т-
having been dropped	уроненный
-ed	-енн- (Vt) -вш- (Vi), -ш-	-в (Vi)
dropped (Vtrans)	уроненный
fallen (Vintrans)	упавший	упав

For example, The main problem is rising prices. – Основная проблема – растущие цены.

Rising crime has driven many families out of downtown areas. – Возросший уровень преступности вынудил многие семьи уехать из центра города.

The Chairman, having risen from his seat, was beginning to speak. – Уже вставший со своего места председатель начал свою речь.

The government, raising taxes, cuts public spending. – Правительство, увеличивающее налоги, сокращает расходы на общественные нужды.

Raising her voice, she made herself heard over the noise in the classroom. – Повысив голос, она заставила класс услышать себя, несмотря на шум.

Raised taxes is no news for us. – Увеличенные налоги – для нас не новость.

Risen by 10% every year, salaries did not keep up with prices. – Возраставшие ежегодно на 10% зарплаты, тем не менее, не поспевали за ценами.

Note, however, that not all Russian verbs have the entire set of participial forms; some of them lack adverbial participles (e.g., ждать, писать, беречь, мерзнуть, бежать).

The English participle can be translated not only by the Russian participle or adverbial participle, but also by the clause: The cat shuts its eyes when stealing cream. – Когда кошка крадет сливки, она закрывает глаза. In this case, the English sentence is more laconic, since in Russian the subject is repeated twice, whereas in English only once: Если человек нужен, его ищут. – When wanted, a man is looked for.

Sometimes a Russian noun accompanied by a preposition may correspond to the English participle: Aspirin can be poisonous when taken in excessive amounts. – При приеме в больших количествах аспирин может быть ядом.

A parallel verb may also be used: She sat reading. – Она сидела и читала.

Sometimes, to translate a participle, it is necessary to transform the entire sentence: When seen from this angle, the picture looks rather good. - Если смотреть на картину с этой стороны, она кажется достаточно интересной. When shot, Mrs. Doran was apparently taking a walk. – Миссис Доран была убита, очевидно, во время прогулки.¹²⁵