English and russian proverbs



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7. ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN PROVERBS


ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN PROVERBS
Each language has proverbs, those simple, concrete sayings that crystalize common sense. Proverbs are a genre of folklore. They were created by people and passed from one generation to another as an oral tradition. They reflect the values and unique experience of the nation, and being the accumulated wisdom of many, they are a big part of culture. It would be logical to assume that, since cultures are different, proverbs should be different, too. Yet, quite a lot of proverbs exist in more than one language. Sometimes it happens because people borrowed proverbs from another language or from some common sources, such as the Bible, and sometimes similar proverbs simply show that different cultures made similar observations.
Russians love proverbs. Witty words have always been appreciated in the Russian conversational tradition. Though Russian and English cultures have many differences, there are dozens of proverbs that exist both in Russian and English. Sometimes, they are similar to a word, and sometimes, they express the same meaning in completely different ways, which makes it even more interesting. Here are nine popular English proverbs and their Russian analogues.
1. “Strike while the iron is hot,” the proverb that suggests acting on an opportunity promptly, while conditions are favorable, in Russian would be “Куй железо, пока горячо”, literally, “Forge the iron when it’s hot.”
2. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” a proverb saying that it takes time to create something big, got localized in Russian: “строилась”, literally, “Moscow wasn’t built at once.” Other cities in Russia may have a history as long and rich as Moscow, but the capital city takes a special place in the Russian culture, and thus it is in the proverb. Does your language have a similar saying, with the capital city in the place of Rome?3. “Still waters run deep.” The English proverb teaches that a person with a calm appearance may have strong inner emotions, character, and intellect. A similar Russian proverb says, “
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