10 English words that don't mean what you think
Tips / / January 02, 2021
1. Hospital vs hospital
In Russian, a hospital is called a military hospital (or the one that was previously assigned to the military). But in the USA and Great Britain hospital means any medical institution, including civil. The most interesting thing is that the verb "hospitalize" was formed from the English word - and it no longer has anything to do with the military.
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2. Episode vs episode
The first word that every fan of English-language TV series remembers is episode. This is what one series is called in English. In Russian, an "episode" is only a fragment, not a completed work. Although, given the popularity of Netflix, the word is gradually taking root in its English meaning.
3. Student vs student
It is an honor to be a student. Maybe that's why we increasingly call our students so - following the example of the English language. If you want to object: "What about the word pupil?" - know that this pupil itself is outdated. Now both children and adults are called students.
4. Velvet vs velvet
Ironically, velvet Is velvet, not corduroy. If you are not a fashionista, then you can distinguish fabrics by the scars that corduroy traditionally has (corduroy). Why such a linguistic confusion occurred is unknown, although both materials are similar in their soft surface - one would like to call them in one word. You can remember the example of the famous dessert: Red Velvet - translated as "Red Velvet".
5. Ultimate vs ultimate
Both words came from the same Latin root, which means "extreme", but acquired different shades in Russian and English. "Ultimate" refers only to ultimatums, while the English lexeme is about the most important thing, as in the phrases "ultimate goal" (ultimate goal) and "basic principles" (ultimate principles).
6. Routine vs routine
English-speaking bloggers managed to make the routine enjoyable. True, under routine they do not mean in any way gray everyday life, but "regime", "usual order" - as in the expression skincare routine (skin care scheme). The main difference is in the emotional coloring: in English it is a neutral word, in Russian it is negative. This may soon change - judging by how often the phrase “my routine” sounds on YouTube.
7. Decade vs decade
Greek deka, which means "ten", became a decade (or ten days) in Russian and decade (or a decade) - in English. These words are so often confused that they have become false friends of the translator.
8. Technically vs technically
Sometimes Russian words cannot be translated into English (although they would be useful to foreigners!). It also happens the other way around: some English lexemes are so capacious that they are missing in Russian, and technically - one of them. This word, like the Russian “technically”, can mean “from the point of view of technology,” but most often it is used in the meaning of “formal”, “in the strict sense”. This semantics is no longer in the Russian version.
9. Expertise vs expertise
The word comes from Latin expertus ("Experienced") and was fixed in Russian as the name of the process - "providing expert opinion", and in English - as the very designation of expert opinion.
10. Patron vs patron
The word "patron" has not lost its connection with financial relations. But in English patron lost its pathos of patronage. Now it is just a client or sponsor who is ready to financially support a museum, theater or initiative. The Russian version of the word is limited by the historical context, although more and more viewers who donate money to bloggers through Patreon are called patrons.
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