Once I got so tired of looking for an adequate translation lord of the rings And Alice in Wonderland, that thought - what the hell, you have to start reading in the original already. Did you study English at school? Taught. So what, I repeat, the line? =0)

The first attempt was long before the landmark decision, back in high school, as part of a month of fighting for good grades in English. The first book in English, of course, is Harry Jamesovich Potter. In Russian, I had not read it before, but in English. I started right away on the wrong foot - out of a stupid school habit, I began to write out all unfamiliar words in a notebook and learn them. Quiet horror. After the 30th page, she gave up this disastrous business. For 15 years.

Then, as part of the Terry Pratchett maniac, I bought snuff without waiting for the Russian translation. The choice was also unsuccessful. Pratchett somehow did not think about non-native English speakers who would read his literary exercises. The text is very difficult, there is a lot of language play, humor, the syntax also does not let you relax. Didn't get past 20 pages.

Then I bought hobbit- it went much easier, the problem arose only with little-used or outdated words, which you will not find in the dictionary in the afternoon with fire. This despite the fact that the dictionary also had to be purchased (simultaneously with the Hobbit himself), the gigantic, fattest one that we could only find in our stores - 250 thousand words and expressions. She wrote out only the most difficult tricky words from the book, she didn’t even try to memorize them - these speech turns will not be useful in modern life.

Waited a long time for arrival right from England three in a boat in miniature with gold trim. So far it hasn't been opened. Afraid.

And then, you see, Martian got out on the screens = 0) the book was immediately purchased (again after painful reflections, because the translator was bonfired on the Web). And paired with it - the original. I read first in English. page - then, if something is completely incomprehensible - I look at the Russian version.

Here you can feel almost like a native, if not an Englishman, then an American - the text is simple, even technical terms are quickly remembered, modern English, a lot of useful phrases and expressions (including obscene ones, hehehe). Sheer pleasure =0) And there is no need to delve into the dictionary, the Russian book is a great help, the translator was scolded for nothing. I don’t judge the technical, physical and chemical side of the matter, but the general meaning is conveyed adequately, stylistically, however, softened, the original is much straighter and rougher, in some places simpler and tougher, but in general - very worthy.

The main conclusion - if possible, you really need to read in the original. In translation, no matter how good it is, many nuances are lost (cultural features, national mentality, signs of the era - in the first place). Such a comparison: reading a translation is like coming to a permanent residence in another country and settling in your own national ghetto, not communicating with the indigenous population, eating bagels and drinking tea from a samovar in the middle of St. Peter's Square. Tasty and your own, but what for did you come to Rome then? =0)

Secondary conclusion: the original must first be chosen wisely. Do not aim at the complex, take: 1) modern, no older than 20-30 years, 2) a simple narrative, without stylistic frills, 3) preferably something that has already been read in the native language.

A third conclusion: don't give a damn about "correct", forget everything that was taught by English/German/Basurman teachers. Just read. Climb into the dictionary only in case of emergency, if the meaning is completely incomprehensible. If something is written out and memorized, then only in phrases / turns and only that which can be useful in life / work. And it's better not to write anything = 0) which is interesting - it will be remembered by itself. Better than a dictionary is a translated book. In addition to speed and convenience, this is also food for thought and comparison: "but here I would say differently / more precisely / closer to the meaning-style." Much more interesting than reading just like that =0)

In the near future, I still plan to purchase Potter for personal use, to finish off the unfinished. Finally nail =0) And there you can swim further ..

I have always loved the poetry of Rudyard Kipling. I recently took up reading these verses in the original and was surprised how much of the meaning of these amazing verses has simply disappeared in translation. Even if it is a very good, closest to the original translation. And before you think that in order to read the original, you need at least an Upper-Intermediate level of language proficiency, I will please you - my level is no higher than Pre-Intermediate.

Many do not dare to read books in the original, considering this an incredibly difficult task and requiring a high level of knowledge of the language. I thought so too for a long time, until I wanted to read Last Chance To See by Douglas Adams. There is no translation of this book into Russian, and it is not planned. So I took the book and started reading. In this book, humor and amazing sarcasm are found on almost every page, and I even dread to think how much of this would be lost when reading in translation.

While reading the book, I experimented with different approaches to the text that I read about or that came to my mind as I read. For those who are still hesitant to take the path of reading in the original, I have written 10 conclusions that I made while experimenting with different approaches to reading in the original.

You can and even need to start, regardless of your level of English. If you know the alphabet, then you can start reading.

Do not read adapted books or books that someone recommends for first reading. Choose the book that YOU want to read! Then you will be interested. Better yet, take a book that you really want to read, but it has not yet been translated.

The main problem that reading in the original is exhausting and annoying is that we are trying to translate every word. As a result, after a couple of pages, fascinating reading turns into terribly boring and annoying.

Conclusion: do not try to translate every word! Does it matter what the monkey does with a stick - knocks or beats, the main thing is that the monkey does something!

Translate no more than 5–10 words per page. It seems that this is not enough, but believe me, this is more than enough! So you do not get tired of constantly tearing yourself away from the text to dive into the dictionary. And besides, you will memorize a lot more words and do it faster.

If you translate too many words, they will all get mixed up and not stay in your head for a long time.

Many people think that if they take a book of 50,000 words, they will have to learn 50,000 words, and this, of course, is not feasible. But the fact is that most of the words and expressions are repeated in the book almost on every page! When you see such words in the text, write their translation above. And so on until the end of the book. This kind of repetition just hammers words into your vocabulary.

If at some point in your reading you don’t want to go into the dictionary, skip it. Skip paragraphs and even pages. Just read it, even if you don't understand a word. You will rest, and after a couple of pages, I guarantee you will again want to translate some word that particularly interested you.

While reading, the grammar of the language is very well absorbed. If you don't know her or don't know her well, it's not a problem.

Use an audio or video language learning course (I used Dmitry Petrov's Polyglot). Listen or watch the course while reading the book.

When translating words, do not use online translators. It is better to take a paper version of the dictionary. This way you avoid the temptation to translate entire passages by simply typing the text into an online translator. I used the Oxford English Dictionary.

To assimilate the text by ear, you can listen to the audio recording of the book in the original, if available, in parallel with reading.

At the first reading, I understood no more than 30-40% of the book. But it's 30-40% more than if I hadn't tried at all. On the second reading of this book, I will understand 60-70%. And after reading the book for the third time - already 100%.

So, reading a book in the original is not such a difficult task. The main thing is to devote at least 15 minutes a day to this, and things will get off the ground very quickly. And most importantly - you will not miss the uniqueness of the work, which is lost even with the best translation.

I came across an article on lifehacker about why you should read books in the original. I have always been of the opinion that one should start reading books in their original language as early as possible. Scary? Lots of unfamiliar words? Much is not clear? All these thoughts are familiar to me. I think you just need to step over them and start reading, trying to delve into the plot, not get hung up on difficulties, but enjoy the fact that you are reading the original edition, a true work written by the author.
If you count, there will be a dozen of my students who were afraid to read their favorite books in the original. However, once started, read with pleasure. Enjoy it too :)

The article itself:

"The last straw for me was Stephen King's book Joyland (we came out under the name "Land of Joy"), which is simply terribly translated. Below I will talk about why we should read books in the original and have long been ready for this.

A few days ago I started reading the first non-fiction book in my life in English. I didn't think it would be any difficult. Last year I watched all the films only in English with subtitles, and I often preferred foreign articles to Russian articles. Simply because they most often contain original information, and not the layout and translation of several sources.

But it turned out that reading non-fiction literature in English is not so easy. I started with The Power of Habit. She is extremely interesting. Its author, Charles Duhigg, has analyzed hundreds of scientific papers, communicated with scientists and heads of large companies. All in order to understand how our habits are formed and whether we can manage them. I will be sure to write an article about this, as Duhigg's concept turns our understanding of how to get rid of bad habits and form good ones on its head.

And a few weeks before that, I had finished reading Stephen King's Land of Joy.

Milo sat at my feet, ears pricked up with bright eyes.

I am sure that in the original, King was able to convey the meaning of this sentence better. It got ridiculous: some phrases were translated so stupidly and carelessly that I thought several times about how to finish reading the book in the middle. Lots of people notice such blunders. Some people get so annoyed that they start translating and publishing books on their own. Simply because translators who have been in service for more than 40 years cannot follow the progress. A happy meal from McDonald's turns into a "happy house" for them, and a joystick turns into a "stick of joy".

I am not saying that all Russian-language books are bad. I would be an idiot if I said that. I really like the books of the MIF publishing house and many fiction books translated into Russian. But if you decide to read the book, then why not read it in the original?

Instead, we decide to read the author's thoughts, multiplied by the subjectivity and skill of the translator, which often leaves much to be desired.
If earlier it was not so easy to get a book in the original, now it is a matter of two minutes. If you're not afraid to spend $5, then millions of Amazon books are at your disposal. If you like to download for free, you can find the book in the original without my help.

Another reason to read books in the original is time. Only in isolated cases, translations are published simultaneously with the original. For this, contracts are concluded, and the publication of the book in the original is postponed until the translation is ready. I think you understand that this happens very rarely.

For example, I plan to buy the next book by George Martin and start reading the minute it hits Amazon. I can't wait a few months for it to finally be translated into Russian and Jon Snow to turn into Jon Snow. Reading A Song of Ice and Fire in the original isn't easy, but it's worth it. I hope that soon I will be able to verify this. Although, knowing Martin, you can never be sure of the timing.

For those who are just starting to learn English, the task may be impossible, but this is another reason not to give up and learn it further.
If the level of your English allows you to read articles or at least watch movies with subtitles, start reading books in the original. It's an unforgettable experience in every way."

2) choose the book that YOU want to read! And not someone else, even if he does not advise bad. If the book captivates you with the plot, you will simply stop paying attention to the difficulties in reading;

3) The main problem that reading in the original is exhausting and annoying is that we are trying to translate every word. As a result, after a couple of pages, fascinating reading turns into terribly boring and exhausting.

Conclusion: do not try to translate every word! The main thing is that you keep reading;

4) Do not drive a whole paragraph into the translator. Yes, the temptation is great! But no! You are flint! You're reading Jack London in the original! Translate only words and expressions, and it is better to think out the meaning yourself;

5) If there is an audio recording for the text, then that's great! Listen in parallel with reading and you will learn a lot of words by ear;

6) If at some point in your reading you don’t want to go into the dictionary, skip it. Skip paragraphs and even pages. Just read it, even if you don't understand a word. You will rest, and after a couple of pages you will again want to translate some word that especially interested you.

7) Most of the words and expressions in the book will be repeated, so it makes sense to translate the most common ones that the author uses on almost every page. Write them down right in the book, somewhere in the margins. Look at the translation 5-6 times and memorize the word. This will help you expand your vocabulary;

So reading in the original is not as scary as it is painted =) Do not deny yourself the pleasure of reading the books that you want, regardless of whether they have been translated into Russian or not.

What do you think, is there any difference between reading any foreign work in the original and getting acquainted with its own version, but already subjected to a kind of filter and released from the translator's pen?

As practice shows, the difference is simply huge!

According to those who have knowledge, reading books in the original is a grandiose source of emotions and impressions, which, unfortunately, are very often simply lost when getting acquainted with the translation of the work of one or another author.

We will give you the arguments of those who do not use translations, having the knowledge to get acquainted with the storylines, as they say, firsthand.

What is a translation? A translation is a presentation of the original information in a language other than the original language. Of course, the main task of the translator is the most accurate presentation of the original meaning of the article or the whole work of art.

Is it always possible to make a translation that is an ideally accurate reflection of the original information, and in such a way as to completely preserve not only the meaning, but also the emotional coloring of exactly the strength and direction that the author intended? Of course not! There are two main reasons for this.

Firstly, the Russian language is one of the richest languages ​​in the world, and at the same time a language with redundancy, which, according to experts, reaches 75%. This means that the same word in Russian can have two, three, or four semantic meanings.

When using words and phrases in the course of translation, the emotional coloring of the original informational message of the author may change slightly. The choice of certain phrases and turns in translation is entirely the merit of the translator. To a certain extent, this is his view and his vision of the situation, his subconscious characterization of the plot.

Secondly, when translating, the translator's vocabulary, his experience and skills of accurate translation are of great importance while preserving not only the meaning, but also the emotional background of the work.

Thus, it turns out that the translator is an intermediary between the author and the reader, who conveys the original meaning through the prism of his intellect, worldly wisdom, the ability to select the exact phrases and the available vocabulary.

Since translation is a subjective process, depending on the specific personality of a particular translator, in any case, interpretations are possible that may not accurately convey the original meaning of what was said. Give the task to two translators to state the text of the same story into Russian. Their translations will be different anyway. At least a little, but they will. Because translation depends on who does it.

In this sense, reading literature in the original language is a direct immersion in the plot written by the author. All experiences, all emotions, all feelings are primordial, that is, exactly the ones that the creator of the work planned to evoke in the reader.

For many, the very thought of starting to learn a foreign language seems scary. Such people are sure that even long courses of studying foreign languages ​​will not give them the opportunity to read not only books, but even informational notes in another language.

This misconception is refuted by those who started learning foreign languages ​​simply by enrolling in courses located close to home. According to them, the main difficulty in learning foreign languages ​​is to take the first step and come to the first lesson. And that's it. After that, every day it will be easier and easier.

Do you know about the CEFR system? This is a system for assessing the level of knowledge of European languages. So, if we talk, for example, about the English language, then those who know it note that they read literature without problems, having a Pre-Intermediate level. This is just the third level of six in the overall hierarchy of language proficiency! To reach this level, you will need 100-120 academic hours. As you can see, there is nothing scary or complicated here!

Moreover, it is still much easier than it might even seem at first glance. Effective language learning You can start right now if you can at least read the alphabet in a foreign language.

Yes exactly! Just take any informational article and try to understand the essence of the text. It is likely that without practice you will be able to understand only two or three words. Now read the same article again. Is there at least one word that you remembered while reading it again? If not, then look at the translation of any word from the article and try to read it again. So gradually, step by step, you can master the skills of reading and understanding the meaning of what you read. This process will also lead you to be able to read fluently after a while.

Do you know what is the strongest incentive to learn a language? The desire to read a book that has not yet been translated! In this situation, your language learning process will go much faster! It is this book that is the strongest incentive to learn a language, and not some three-page children's books that someone advised you to start learning from.

Another secret from those who can already read books in the original. For the majority of those who have just begun to comprehend all the delights of acquaintance with works without the help of translation, everything often ends in a few days. Why? Yeah, it's just boring. Tired of the monotonous work of translating each word and compiling a meaningful phrase.

This is exactly what you shouldn't do! No need to try to translate every word! The absence of such obligation guarantees that, firstly, you will not lose interest in learning the language, and secondly, each time you will begin to understand the meaning of what you read more and more!

According to practitioners, at the very beginning they were able to read no more than 10 words on the entire page! But the main thing is to start!

In the future, you can sign the translation above the keywords directly in the text. This approach will literally “drive” words into your mind, each time improving the level of understanding of the entire text.

Further, you will begin to get used to referring to the dictionary only in those cases when you meet exactly an unfamiliar word, and not when you just want to remember the translation of those words that you have already read a hundred times, but have forgotten again. If there are a lot of new words in the process of reading, just skip them and read on. After a certain time, you will rest and then you can repeat everything again.

Why read even if almost all of the text is incomprehensible? In addition to the fact that you will receive the skills of reading and recognizing individual words and whole phrases, you will begin to effectively learn the grammar of the language.

Those who have already studied foreign languages ​​are advised to work with paper versions of dictionaries, and not use online translators, so as not to simply drive in entire passages when translating, because this does not contribute to learning a foreign language.

Of course, at the first reading of the book, you will understand no more than a third (or maybe less) of everything written, but in any case, this is more than nothing. In addition, repeated reading is guaranteed to increase this percentage. This is the meaning and beauty of learning a foreign language.

In the future, you will be able to decide for yourself whether to continue studying foreign languages ​​by simply reading books, or to develop skills and knowledge in specialized language courses.

The ideal option is the practice of daily reading (for 10-15 minutes) in combination with the study of foreign languages ​​in the courses.

Hello my dear readers. Glad you landed on my blog page. How is your progress in learning the language?

They say that to improve the level of language proficiency, you need to read books. And rightly so! You should take this advice. The topic that I am going to cover will be useful for your further successful progress in this direction. And now you will learn how to read books in English correctly.

Why and for what it is necessary to read books in English

First of all, reading is reflected in such skills as Speaking And literate writing, because while reading, a person pays attention to grammatical constructions, in the context he sees where and which ones are used. Visual memory works here, you see the correct wording and get used to it, remember it, and later use it in your speech.

You can also top up lexicon. Don't be afraid of nothing. In this case, associative memory is enabled. Each new word will be associated with some plot. In addition, reading will help support knowledge level if you have a break in training. In general, you can list many more advantages.

How to make a choice

Of course, at first the process will seem complicated and boring. It will seem that you do not understand anything. You need to overpower yourself, read the first few pages through "I can't." Remember that further you will definitely get involved in the book and become interested.

It is important to choose the right author and book. When choosing, you should take into account your goals and study, the genre and complexity of the work. Fairy tales are suitable for people who do not know English well. They do not have complex grammatical structures and complex unfamiliar words. For those who study English for a career, you can take professional literature that will expand your vocabulary. If you are in a hurry to master spoken English, then take modern literature.

Read what you like. You must enjoy. When choosing the level of difficulty, there are always many questions. The book should not be too difficult, not too easy. It is necessary to understand the meaning of what is read to maintain interest in the text. My advice to you, read the first 2-3 pages. If you come across a lot of unfamiliar words and you don't get the general idea, leave the book until you move on to the next level.

Some are wondering which book to choose: with or without translation. In my opinion, it is better not to take a book with a parallel translation, because it reduces the effectiveness of training (unless, of course, this is a specially developed technique - for example,)

About the process of learning to read

1. Choose a simple first book. You should not start with your favorite author or those works that you want to read in Russian. Reading the first book will be difficult. You will want to quit this business. And if you don’t enjoy it, then you will lose all desire to read.
2. Choose small jobs first, gradually increase it. Interest must be maintained until the very end.
3. Let it become a habit. Do not overload yourself, do not try to quickly read the book. You have other goals and objectives. Read a little daily. Set aside 30 minutes a day for this.
4. Do not rush to refer to the dictionary, when you see unfamiliar words. He may not be needed. Read the passage to the end, understand the content. If you don't see a new word in context, go back to it and, in this case, take a dictionary.
5. Read aloud. Not the whole text, of course, but some of its sections are mandatory. Thus, you will improve your perception and concentration, remember a lot of new things.
6. Get a notebook to write down new words. This is convenient, because when you write, your visual memory works and you can always reread them, find the ones you need.
7. After reading, listen to the audio or watch the film adaptation without translation and Russian subtitles V. Such actions will consolidate the results.

How best to organize the process and what to do - you determine.

Reading original books

Reading books in the original is a difficult process. There is a chance that you will not understand anything without knowing the language at the right level. It is recommended for more advanced students, starting with intermediate. You will see a "live" language with new words, grammatical structures and idioms.

The main thing to learn is that you do not often refer to the dictionary and do not despair when the first difficulties arise. If some parts of the text are difficult, you can alternate reading with and without a dictionary. A pleasant fact is the vision of the author's style and understanding of his message to readers.

Reading adapted books

Perfect for beginners. Also, this option will be convenient for children. In these editions, the text is simplified. It does not contain complex and rare words, they are replaced by frequent ones. Simple phrases and expressions are used. Such books contain a dictionary, exercises to consolidate the material, and an audio recording. This is the best option if you do not know English perfectly well. Suitable for levels from starter to pre-intermediate.

Common mistakes when reading English books

From the above, you can draw conclusions and see the most common mistakes. Here's what not to do when reading English books.

1. Read a book that does not correspond to the level of language proficiency.
2. Wasting time on books you don't care about. Know that for each level you can find a fascinating text.
3. Avoid using a dictionary. If without this word you do not understand the meaning, or feel something important is eluding you, refer to the dictionary.
4. No need to look up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary. Mark them for yourself. First we read, we try to understand the meaning, then we return to the highlighted words.
5. Don't use machine translation. No program is currently capable of accurately translating the construction.

Useful Services

In the age of information, you need to use all resources. After all, they were created for us to make our life easier. Therefore, I will talk about services that will be useful for learning a language, and in particular when reading foreign literature.

WordsFromText.com - on this site you can download the electronic version of the book and instantly get a translation of all unfamiliar words, as well as set expressions and phrasal verbs. Moreover, it can be either automatic translation, when you choose your level of knowledge on the site (there are 16 of them), or manual. You are guaranteed to save time, because You don't have to look up the dictionary every time.

Lingualeo - here you will find great tools for effective language learning: audiobooks, videos, songs, exercises, lesson plans and much more. They are supplemented with English subtitles.

Anki - a program that will help you easily memorize words using spaced repetitions in training.

multitran.ru - a good Russian-English dictionary.

www. macmillandictionary.com - a wonderful English dictionary that explains the meaning of words. Suitable for pre-intermediate levels and above.

www.zapominalki.ru - this site is for those who have a bad memory. Here you will find associations for words that you cannot learn in any way.

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