If you are going to the World Cup in Russia, it may come as surprise to you that outside Moscow and Saint Petersburg, very few people speak English or any other foreign language. Moreover, it’s hard to find someone who could understand you even in the two capitals. We discussed the challenges that tourists may face, with Kristina and Alena – the creators of a course called “How to talk to a bear”, made specifically for foreign fans.
How did you come up with the idea of creating this course?
Alena: In 2014, my husband and I went to see the World Cup in Brazil. We soon found out that only one person out of maybe 30 could speak English. We tried to make ourselves understood using almost completely forgotten Spanish and a few Portuguese words from an online dictionary. Now, it’s just a funny story, but back then it was a real challenge. And we couldn’t stop thinking – what would happen in Russia in 4 years? Nothing would help you there – whether it is your half-gone Spanish or any French words you managed to remember.
Kristina: And then we came across Udemy. We were watching one promo after another, were reading Russian language course descriptions…
Alena: And we were completely shocked! And not in a good way. We both graduated from Moscow State University, one of the most prestigious seats of learning in Russia, with a major in Teaching Russian as a foreign language, so we couldn’t just turn a blind eye to incompetence like that. Even if you took these courses, it would be simply impossible to learn anything! Some random phrases with no explanation, utterly incomprehensible ways of mastering the alphabet… well, I could go on. And that’s where we decided, that it was our responsibility to create a truly good course. A course that really teaches you to speak and understand Russian.
Kristina: Moreover, we bear in mind the fact that the World Cup is held not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg. For a foreigner, life in other Russian cities without at least the basic knowledge of our language would be quite challenging, let’s put it that way. And we want the World Cup to be great for everyone!
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What are your relations with football?
Alena: I’ve supported CSKA for as long as I can remember. When I was a child and a teenager, I was the most knowledgeable person in football in any company. I was breaking all the gender stereotypes and was very proud of that. And then I met my husband and found out that I knew nothing about football. But I still watch it, still supporting CSKA Moscow – although without Slutsky it will never be the same – and I still go to big football events! I’ve been to the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, Europa League.
Kristina: Well…I’m not really into football, to be honest. But I used to have a notebook with Diniyar Bilyaletdinov’s picture on it, when I was in high school. So I was told to say that I support Lokomotiv. That’s the right name, yeah?
Alena: Come on! We once were at a rock concert and some famous people announced the singers. And the famous people themselves were announced by the hosts. The hosts were building up the suspense and were not giving away the names of stars right away… and they started naming some facts about one football player’s career… I’m just beginning to think who it could be, and here my “I-do-not-know-anything-about-football” friend Kristina says: “Oh, that’s Smertin, right?”
Kristina: *laughing* Well, actually, I’m quite interested in the big championships like this one. I’m not into football as much as Alena, but the World Cup is different. Especially, when it takes place in Russia.
Why did you call your course “How To Talk To A Bear”?
Alena: In fact, we were sitting together, making up a bunch of titles, we were laughing, having fun… and I was sure that this idea was not serious…
Kristina: Well, we could come up with a nice story!
Alena: Actually, you will get it when you’re done with our course. The real answer is hidden in the very end. Seriously, it’s not a trick. The last video reveals everything, yeah.
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According to your promo, it is pretty uncomfortable to stay in Russia without knowing the language. Is the situation that bad?
Kristina: Well, it depends on how you define ‘bad’. Of course, we exaggerated a little bit. Your gestures and facial expressions would probably help you to be understood in most cases. But one can’t rely on English, because the absolute majority of Russians remember only a couple of very useful phrases learnt at school.
Alena: Yeah, stuff like “Sorry, I’m late” and “London is the capital of Great Britain”.
Kristina: Exactly. Of course, there will be volunteers who can guide you at the stadium, but in everyday life – either in a shop or in a café, etc. – you might face serious problems. So it could be really useful for anyone coming to Russia to learn the language at least a little bit.
Alena: Of course, there’s only a little time left, but it’s still enough to master the language at the basic level. Our course includes everything that you need for your everyday communication, as well as Russian football vocabulary that will help students not to forget why they’re doing it in the first place.
Kristina: Join our course! It’s useful and fun.
Alena: Oh, yeah, excepy cases and conjugations…
Kristina: Just be quiet, okay? Russian is fun, really! Check out our promo, by the way! It’s fun too.
by Ilya Sokolov
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