November 27, 2020

Good English


Good English
At least there are fewer diacritics in English. The RussianLife files

The annual EF English Proficiency Index is out, and Russia didn't do half-bad.

Landing in 41st place, Russia climbed a few slots from their 2019 ranking of 48th. This puts them squarely in the "average" proficiency category.

China, Paraguay, and Belarus ranked just above Russia, and just below were Cuba, Albania, and Ukraine.

Based on 2.2 million language proficiency tests, the Index scores and ranks a hundred countries, ranging from most proficient to least. This year, the top three were the Netherlands, Denmark, and Finland, while Oman, Iraq, and Tajikistan brought up the rear.

European nations tend to lead the pack, though most countries display a tendency towards greater proficiency over the years.

So it seems that 41st place is fairly respectable.

If it's any consolation, we doubt the U.S. scores very high on Russian proficiency. And we aren't the only ones that find Russian difficult.

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The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

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A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Murder at the Dacha
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The Samovar Murders
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Moscow and Muscovites
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Marooned in Moscow
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Driving Down Russia's Spine
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