Новогодние пожелания (New Year’s resolutions) are always exciting, even if you didn’t exactly follow through on the ones you made в прошлом году (last year). What will be yours: будете есть овощи (will you eat veggies) regularly, читать больше книг (read more books) or take уроки рисования (painting classes)?
I'm certainly biased, but I think 2024 should be the year you start изучать русский (learning Russian). And here are несколько причин (a few reasons) to learn Russian.
You Can Learn Russian From Home
With quarantine restrictions still in place, you won't probably be commuting to work or travelling much as much. You can spend your time learning Russian instead. Lay the groundwork now to prepare for the time when you можете путешествовать (can travel) to Russia.
If you're absolutely new to Russian, you can start with this online Russian Alphabet course. It takes just under 2 hours to fall in love with every new Russian letter you learn.
You Can Learn Russian With Friends
Представьте (imagine) you could convince your friend or partner to practise Russian with you. Russian may genuinely be one of the most difficult languages in the world, but learning it is hardly rocket science. Being able to speak Russian as you both travel across Russia will expose you to a whole new culture, whether it’s Russian classical music, Russian ballet, or Russian literature, in a way that is often inaccessible to those without the language.
There is so much you can learn about this beautiful land of superlatives. Prepare yourselves for an adventure of your lifetime!
You Can Connect With Like-Minded People
Russian can connect you with people со всего мира (from all over the world): native speakers or Russian learners like you, bilinguals or polyglots. This can widen your perspectives on разные культуры (different cultures), world issues and образы мышления (ways of thinking). With all the new friends you're making, you will belong to a community of adventurous and трудолюбивых людей (hard-working people) who took on a challenge of learning Russian.
It Will Help You With Your Career
Speaking Russian, a less commonly studied and challenging language, is a great way to set yourself apart from the competition. It opens doors to Russian and international companies in the oil and gas, metals and mining, power engineering or defence and machine-building industries. It's also important to mention that Russian is the официальный язык (official language) во многих международных организациях (in many international organisations) such as the International Olympic Committee, the United Nations, and the UNESCO. Have this in mind when you sign up for your first Russian lesson.
You Will Have Fun
Learning Russian means you’ll have access to a whole new world of movies, shows and songs.
Streaming services like Netflix are giving Russian learners more access to Russian shows and movies. Want some good recommendations?
Silver Skates is a beautiful romantic movie revolving around two young people who fall in love against all odds. It gives you a glimpse of the winter atmosphere in pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg during Christmas and New Year at the turn of the 20th century.
Want to watch something apocalyptic instead? Here is one recommendation from Stephen King:
Why not sing along with this hilarious Russian song performed by Dima Bila, a 2008 Eurovision winner. If you speak Russian, not only will you be able to translate what the lyrics are saying but also understand Russian humour.
Or dance to this one?
Speaking Russian can also inspire you to take up a new hobby, such as cooking Russian borscht or pelmeni, taking yoga classes from a Russian-speaking instructor or dancing the Kalinka.
You Will Be Smarter and Healthier
There are многочисленные преимущества (numerous benefits) to learning a language, from improving your productivity and multitasking skills to delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Learning Russian could even unlock new facets of your personality: will you feel more reserved and calm or will it turn you into a new superhero when you speak the language?
So what are you waiting for? Monolingualism — это не очень модно (is very uncool) these days. Во многих частях мира (in many parts of the world), speaking two or even three languages to some degree of competency is common. Choosing to learn Russian in 2022 is a great way to open yourself up to exciting experiences.
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