The SRAS Newsletter
A Resource for Students, Educators, and Anyone Curious about Russia
Welcome from SRAS!
 We recently wrapped up our regular "Working in Russia" seminar for our Moscow students. This has turned into a regular event for us - covering visa issues, where to look for jobs, and various work-specific cultural issues. Perhaps the most important topic covered, however, and which was reiterated this time by our guest speaker, Daniel Macdonald, an HR specialist with IBM's East Europe/Asia offices, is that to succeed here, one has to be willing to endure hardship to attain long-term goals. Entry salaries are typically lower. Foreigners often find resistance to their entry to many sectors of the job market. Professionals sometimes pay for their own relocation and spend months teaching English while they hunt for work. So why would anyone do it? Because Russia is also a land of 23-year-old department heads, of rapidly growing markets, and a land that is increasingly looking to expand and invest abroad. There are opportunities, but they require effort to obtain. As we often say: "Everything is harder in Russia, but anything is possible."
SRAS is devoted to making these opportunities that much closer. Serving a study abroad term in Russia to hone your language skills and gaining work experience there through interning can greatly aid your chances of making a successful entry to this new land of opportunity.
If you have views or material you would like to contribute to the newsletter, please contact us. To subscribe to this free newsletter, send an email with "Subscribe SRAS" in the subject field to jwilson@sras.org.
News and Announcements
Applications for Summer are Due! SRAS can still accept applications for programs beginning after June 25th, including: Kyrgyz Summer Adventure, Russian Studies Summer, Session II and Intensive Russian Summer, as well as RSL Custom Programs. SRAS can accept these applications through May 1st. Apply now!
 SRAS at NAFSA. If you or another study abroad advisor from your school will be at NAFSA in Minneapolis this year, we'd love to meet you! We will be at Booth 920 with our partners from GRINT Centre for Language and Culture in the Expo Hall from May 29-31. Feel free to just stop by, or if you'd like to set a meeting, contact Renee Stillings at rstillings@sras.org.
Year of Russian Language 2007 is the "Year of Russian Language." If your school or university is marking this year in some way in the United States, we would love to hear from you! A handful of events slated for to occur in the UK are listed here.
"Living, Working, and Studying in Russia" is a free seminar available from SRAS. Use our experience to inform your students about the visa and bureaucratic concerns affecting foreigners in Russia as well as health and safety concerns, educational opportunities in Russia and funding for them, and professional opportunities open to those who understand Russia, its language and culture. Click here for more information.
New Visa Registration Rules. As of January 1, 2007 new visa registration rules went into effect in Russia. If you will study at a Russian university you will receive assistance and simple instructions. However, if you are traveling on your own and will not stay in a hotel, this is something you need to take very seriously. While in recent years there was a "business" of simply buying visa registration - this is no longer possible. IntelService, our very reliable partner and provider of Russian visas and related services, has just released this flyer which details in simple and concise terms the new registration procedure for business and tourist visas in the Russian Federation. We have obtained their permission to republish the document here. See our new Travel Services (below) for more on how to obtain a reliable visa to the RF!
The Shadow of Stalin Music Festival is a series of concerts, symposia and other ancillary events presented by the the Los Angeles Philharmonic and offers an intense exploration of the profound effects of government decisions on creativity and the resulting aesthetic choices made by Soviet composers. A wide range of music will be presented - from gypsy to shanson to classic. SRAS is providing informational support for this event.
AP Russian! Currently 40 U.S. schools are offering the Prototype AP Russian Language and Culture course and examination. The 2007 Professional Development Seminar for Teachers of Russian in Pennsylvania, July 7-13, 2007 is of particular interest to schools planning to offer AP Russian when it becomes available.
Обзоры: Learn About Russia and the FSU through the News
These news reviews largely strive to bring you information on those events that do not receive heavy coverage in the Western news.
Feature: Media Review of Major Events
The Death of Boris Yeltsin, A Political Crisis in Ukraine,
Protests in the Capital, A Month of Catastrophes and more. |
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For more information on other headlining events such as the Ukrainian political crisis and the political demonstrations in St. Petersburg, see Johnson's Russia List.
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 Talent Development and Economic Growth in Russia
There are particular examples of increased expatriate (foreigner) placement, particularly in language-centered positions such as editing, writing or even sales focused to English-speaking countries. However, it is difficult to report that the Russian market has embraced this solution.
Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants Working in Russia
Although the amnesty is set to forgive current illegal immigrants, future legal immigration may be severely and some say unnecessarily restricted. This piece, on the website of Alinga Consulting Group was partly authored by Josh Wilson, the general editor of this publication and the Alinga Market Update, a free, bilingual publication serving financial professionals and foreign businesses in Russia.
Launching A Business in Russia
The following informative article is featured in the BISNIS Bulletin, a free publication serving the interests of American businesses in Eurasia. For those interested in such issues, the BISNIS Bulletin is a highly recommended resource.
Security Forces Sweep Bishkek Clean
Michael Coffey is a second year M.A. student in European and Eurasian Studies at George Washington University. He is currently studying with SRAS at the American University – Central Asia and was on hand to witness the latest dramatic political developments in Kyrgyzstan. Note: this article was recently accepted and re-published by Russia Profile, a prestigious English-language news source from Russia. Congratulations, Michael!
Novosibirsk: A History and Future
A special economic zone has been created around the project to provide tax incentives for companies to base research centers there but the effectiveness of the project is questioned by some.
Chukotka: A US Neighbor at the End of the Earth
Despite the hardships in getting there, tourists brave enough to do it rarely regret their decision.
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SRAS Work-Study Abroad!
Earn $300 per month while gaining experience
writing, researching, and managing publications in Russia!
Featured School: Novosibirsk State University
Novosibirsk State University is a powerhouse of scientific research. For students looking to enter the sciences, or for those hoping to cash in on the quickly growing Russian technology markets, Novosibirsk is a great place to learn terminology and make contacts with present and future leaders in technological research and development.
Featured Program: Kyrgyz Summer Adventure!
Students are provided with intensive Kyrgyz and/or Russian language training for three weeks and then spend one week on horseback, touring the countryside and practicing the language. Apply by May 1st!
SRAS has many more available programs. Click here!
The Charles Braver Language Exploration Grant - $1000 for Fall, 2007
The Language Exploration Grant for the summer semester of 2007 will be $500. Another grant will be given for the fall semester for $1000, thanks to generous contributions from the friends and family of Charles Braver. The deadline for applications for Summer, 2007 is May 15th! If you would like to make a contribution to encourage study abroad, contact Renee Stillings.
Scholarships and Grants for Students and Scholars of Russian Studies
An updated list of all deadlines for current Russia-related scholarship cycles.
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 Image of the Month: Street Ads
Recently, the following rather clever advertisements appeared on the street just outside the metro near our Moscow offices. We thought we would share the advertisements and discuss them a bit with you.
Language: More about Computers - Еще о компьютерах
Students often arrive in Russia now with computers, and often realise that they forgot something at home that they will need to replace. Sometimes computers breakdown here (as they do everywhere) and students find themselves asking Russians how to solve their problems. We've featured this terminology in our newsletter before but this this month we present an expanded vocabulary lesson about computers.
A Few Keys:
Key = клавиша
Button = кнопка
(Note: Key and button are often interchangeable)
Alphabetic key = буквенная клавиша
Number key = цифровая клавиша
Arrow key = клавиша управления курсором
Backspace key = клавиша возврата на одну позицию
Control key = управляющая клавиша
Delete key = клавиша аннулирования or клавиша удаления
Enter key = клавиша ввода sometimes simply "ввод" in slang
Tab key = клавиша установки табулятора
Escape key = клавиша выхода
Alt key = клавиша "Alt"
Shift key = клавиша регистра
Hot key = быстрая клавиша or комбинация "hot key"
Spare Parts:
Adapter = переходник
AC Adapter (that black block you plug your laptop into) = блок преобразователя напряжения or "блок" in common slang
Voltage adapter (so you can use American appliances in Russia, for instance) = инвертор
Plug adapter = переходная вилка
Plug = вилка
Power cord = шнур питания
Cord = шнур
Flash drive = флеш-диск or "флэшка" in common slang
Keyboard = клавиатура or "клава" in slang
Screen = экран
Flat screen - плоский экран
Port = порт
To plug into a port = подсоединять через порт
Mouse = мышь
Mouse pad = коврик для мыши
Touch pad (such as on an iPod or laptop) = Сенсорное управление
Internet:
WiFi = беспроводной доступ; many Russians also just say and write "WiFi" (with English letters and pronunciation).
To go online = "войти в Интернет"
Access to the Internet = Доступ к интернет(у)
Note - Rules for conjugating "интернет" in Russian are not set. Some say it does not conjugate (like радио). Others say it should conjugate as a masculine noun. Either way is acceptable.
Other:
Window = окно
Icon = пиктограмма or "значок" in common slang
Control bar = комплект инструментальных средств
Boot up (to start a computer) = загрузить
Booting (the process of starting a computer) = загрузка
Start menu = меню Пуск
To freeze / lock up / take a really long time to do something = завесить / завешивать
The computer is locked up = компьютеp завесит
Upload/download = загружать / загрузить | 
