Can the figures be trusted in Russian
Two employees check a report: where the figures come from and whether they can be trusted in Russian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Эта цифра кажется мне сомнительной. Откуда она?» — This figure seems doubtful to me. Where is it from?; «Из чужого отчёта, то есть понаслышке.» — From someone else's report, that is, by hearsay.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two employees check a report: where the figures come from and whether they can be trusted. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Эта цифра кажется мне сомнительной. Откуда она?Eta tsifra kazhetsya mne somnitelnoy. Otkuda ona?This figure seems doubtful to me. Where is it from?
- Из чужого отчёта, то есть понаслышке.Iz chuzhogo otchyota, to est ponaslyshke.From someone else's report, that is, by hearsay.
- Тогда перепроверим или вычеркнем. Достоверного источника нет.Togda pereproverim ili vycherknem. Dostovernogo istochnika net.Then we will recheck or cross it out. There is no reliable source.
- Есть ещё один замер — он опровергает первое число.Est eshchyo odin zamer — on oprovergaet pervoe chislo.There is one more measurement — it refutes the first number.
- Хорошо. Метод опиши досконально, а не вкратце.Khorosho. Metod opishi doskonalno, a ne vkrattse.Good. Describe the method thoroughly, not briefly.
- На основании нового замера вывод поменяется.Na osnovanii novogo zamera vyvod pomenyaetsya.Based on the new measurement the conclusion will change.
- Если выяснится, что ошиблись мы, поправим сразу.Esli vyyasnitsya, chto oshiblis my, popravim srazu.If it turns out that we were wrong, we will fix it at once.
- Идёт. Довод один: честные числа дороже красивых.Idyot. Dovod odin: chestnye chisla dorozhe krasivykh.Deal. The argument is one: honest numbers are worth more than pretty ones.
Lines one by one
| Russian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Эта цифра кажется мне сомнительной. Откуда она? | Eta tsifra kazhetsya mne somnitelnoy. Otkuda ona? | This figure seems doubtful to me. Where is it from? |
| Из чужого отчёта, то есть понаслышке. | Iz chuzhogo otchyota, to est ponaslyshke. | From someone else's report, that is, by hearsay. |
| Тогда перепроверим или вычеркнем. Достоверного источника нет. | Togda pereproverim ili vycherknem. Dostovernogo istochnika net. | Then we will recheck or cross it out. There is no reliable source. |
| Есть ещё один замер — он опровергает первое число. | Est eshchyo odin zamer — on oprovergaet pervoe chislo. | There is one more measurement — it refutes the first number. |
| Хорошо. Метод опиши досконально, а не вкратце. | Khorosho. Metod opishi doskonalno, a ne vkrattse. | Good. Describe the method thoroughly, not briefly. |
| На основании нового замера вывод поменяется. | Na osnovanii novogo zamera vyvod pomenyaetsya. | Based on the new measurement the conclusion will change. |
| Если выяснится, что ошиблись мы, поправим сразу. | Esli vyyasnitsya, chto oshiblis my, popravim srazu. | If it turns out that we were wrong, we will fix it at once. |
| Идёт. Довод один: честные числа дороже красивых. | Idyot. Dovod odin: chestnye chisla dorozhe krasivykh. | Deal. The argument is one: honest numbers are worth more than pretty ones. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Russian in this situation?
“Эта цифра кажется мне сомнительной. Откуда она?” (Eta tsifra kazhetsya mne somnitelnoy. Otkuda ona?) — This figure seems doubtful to me. Where is it from? The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.