Lost In Translation Russian-Language Advertisement Draws Criticism From Some

One man thought there was a printing error. Thinking it was some kind of trick, a woman held it up to a mirror and tried to read it backward.

Most people just wanted to know: “What the heck did it say?”

Only those fluent in Russian knew the answer.

Workers at the St. Vincent de Paul Society thrift store, 2901 E. Trent, knew they were trying something new when they published a Russian-language ad in The Spokesman-Review Jan. 19 and 20. But some of the responses surprised them.

The ad generated about 65 telephone calls and a few letters. Most people just wanted a translation, said sales manager Jurgen Wigen, but some took offense.

“People immigrating to this country should make it a priority to learn our language,” M.D. Stewart of Spokane wrote in a letter to the editor. “… The Saint Vincent de Paul Society was way out of line, placing an ad in Russian in an otherwise English newspaper.”

Store officials know many of their customers are Russian-speaking immigrants, and they wanted to find a way to reach those shoppers.

“It was an invitation,” said Melissa Meyers, assistant general manager. “We were advertising to everyone, but we wanted to make a special note to invite (Russian customers).”

The ad, which drew at least a dozen shoppers, was a coupon for 50 percent off donated merchandise at St. Vincent de Paul.

It included a phone number for curious non-Russian readers to call in.

Several callers complained that the ad was giving immigrants an excuse not to learn English.

“Some of the negative calls we got were from people who said, ‘If they want to live here, they should learn our language,”’ Wigen said.

Sally Grabicki sees things differently.

“Obviously if they’re looking at the newspaper, they are trying to learn the language,” said Grabicki, administrator for the English As a Second Language (ESL) Program offered by Community Colleges of Spokane.

A representative of U.S. English, a Washington, D.C.-based group that wants to make English the official language of the federal government, didn’t criticize the ad. Businesses can have advertisements in whatever language they want, but ultimately people should be able to read documents in English, said Daphne Magnuson.

“We’re not opposed to foreign languages,” Magnuson said. “We simply feel that first and foremost, to succeed in the U.S. you have to learn English.”

Joanna Tackitt, ESL coordinator in Spokane, knows how much immigrants are trying to learn.

“I see people every day begging to get into English classes,” Tackitt said. “If we were in Russia, we would be thrilled to see an ad in English. You just kind of grasp onto anything you can understand.”

About 800 refugees and immigrants are enrolled in the ESL program. At least half are Russian-speaking immigrants.

Alexandr Kaprian, a community worker with the Department of Social and Health Services, says many of the 6,000 Russian-speaking immigrants in Spokane read the newspaper, looking for employment or cars, among other things.

“This is very helpful for the Russian community,” Kaprian said.

Marta Reyes-Lytle, co-owner of International Translating Services in Spokane, said St. Vincent de Paul is the first local organization she knows of that has started to advertise or publicize in non-English languages. She hopes more businesses will catch on.

“Spokane has to recognize that this city is multi-lingual,” Reyes-Lytle said.

The service has more than 70 translators on call who can speak more than 40 languages.

St. Vincent de Paul also pays for radio ads in Russian and Spanish. Meyers said the charity organization plans to run more print ads in foreign languages. Spanish and Vietnamese ads will be next.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo