IN THE ROUND WITH MICHELE BERDY FROM THE MT DATED 22 JAN 2010

: circle, scope, range Circles are delightfully simple: round and endless. In Russian, the noun and the adjective have many of the same literal and figurative meanings as circle in English, except, of course, when they mean something else entirely. But lets start with the easy stuff. refers to anything circular in shape, like (the Polar Circle) or (life buoy; literally, [life-]saving circle). In GAI-speak, a rotary is (literally, an intersection with circular traffic), but informally it can also be called . Actually, because of the constant confusion over right of way, they should be called rotary death traps. Like circle in English, can also refer to various groups of people, like (circle of friends) or (political circles). Sometimes the circle net is cast widely, as in (broad sections of the public), which can mean anything from the diversified various socio-economic groups to the undifferentiated public at large. And everyone has experienced or (vicious circle, Catch-22): , , (We cant break out of the vicious circle were in). can also refer to a sphere or range of activity, such as (scope of activity) or (range of interests). You might also hear in one of my least favorite Russian phrases: (literally, that doesnt fall within my scope of responsibilities). In my sad experience, this response to a request is usually uttered in a withering tone of voice by the lady at after a three-hour wait in an airless, fetid room with 250 worried pensioners clutching shopping bags filled with old receipts. can be used to describe anything round, including, say, (a round/chubby face). But sometimes the adjective can mean entirely or allaround: is a total moron, while is an allaround A student. is any big birthday or anniversary, although big is in the eye of the beholder: : , ! (My first milestone: six months as a freelancer!) And or more often the diminutive is major moolah: : 38 , - (Thats serious money: 38 billion rubles, the prime minister said). Russians often use the phrase / (everything comes full circle), which can be used to mean that events repeat or that there is nothing new under the sun. But when said ironically, it has the sense of business as usual. : (Back to where we started: Capital flight from Russia is all the rage once again). Despite the often jocular usage, this phrase is from Ecclesiastes and quite lovely in Russian: , , , , . I wondered why English didnt use a similar expression until I read the King James translation: The wind goeth toward the south and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. Doesnt exactly tripeth off the tongue, does it? On the other hand, it does capture my experience of Moscow traffic circles: I goeth and turneth and whirleth and returneth according to my circuits. #30