The movie “Russian translation” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian...28TV_series%29 ) was created thanks to a book “Journalist” by Andreij Konstantinow (the real name is Andreij Baconin). The book was published in 1996 and it is based on a real story. Some facts of the book happened with the author of the book who was working during 1984-1991 as a translator. His working years included a period when he was working in Yemen and Libya.
The main hero of the movie is a young translator, Andrey Obnorskij. In 1985, he was sent to the Aden (the capital of Yemen) for his Arabic language practice. This year was the last year of his studying at the university. The hero met with the complex situations there. The reason of them was the fact that Yemen was on the brink of a war. After several years he was sent into another country, Libya. And there he found himself in the center of an another war conflict again.
In spite of the fact that movie describes events which is close to policy I would say that mostly the movie is about a human life and feelings which a decent person can have living in the hard time.

One of the first scenes of the movie begins with the attempt of the hero to speak in Arabic with an Arab man at the Aden airport. And the hero was not understood at all. His speech sounded strange at least! It was like that because he was learning the Literary Arabic language which is not equal to many of spoken varieties of Arabic. Of course some his practice removed this error.
The original scenario had not had any dialogs in Arabic. But the director of the movie decided that his movie would be brighter and closer to the real events with using the language. It was supposed that phrases of the scenario would be translated into Arabic and then they would be written down (???transliterated???) by Russian letters. And those texts would be memorized and reproduced by the Russian actors. It was a difficult task, of course. And the consultants, war translators had a very difficult question: which spoken varieties of Arabic did they have to use?
Inhabitants of each Arab country, city, and region speak in their own spoken dialect. These dialects differ from one territory to another. They look like kindred but almost independent languages which don’t have own writing form.
As a result they selected a variety of the language which the Arabic East had in those years. And as the hero was improving his skills inside of the movie story his language was changing as well. The variety of the Arabic language which was used in the movie has a Palestine dialect accent.
The Arabic language was used in the movie so often that it would be correct to say that Arabic became one of the main hero of the movie as well.

And there were some curious facts which are connected with the movie.
Having read the scenario, the government of Libya didn’t allow making a movie in Libya.
Yemen government invited the team of the movie very much but as the situation in Yemen was not safe the part of movie was making in Tunisia.

The music for the movie was created by Igor Korneljuk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Kornelyuk ). He used an oriental style for the music. I have to mention that some years ago he performed songs as a singer and he was pretty popular in Russia. Now he often works like a compositor.
The music for the movie was so good that the invited consultant who was an Arab asked the director to record this wonderful music for him. And the consultant was extremely astonished when he learned that the music had been created by the person who is very far from oriental culture. (http://www.korneluk.ru/kino.php ).
Among the movie music is a song which you can hear with the subtitles in the beginning of the movie. It is a rap and it was the first Korneljuk’s rap experience.

The song is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrXy5...eature=related

The letter / Письмо
music by Igor Korneljuk
words by R.Lisits
Performance by Pavel Ostroumov & Nina Vedenina

Я приеду, я приеду, я приеду домой
И расскажу тебе всё на свете.
Но когда это будет: зимой, весной?
Мне никто не ответит.

Думал, скоро вернусь,
Боюсь, что это не светит.
Ничего, я держусь, но очень жарко,
И ветер обжигает висок.
Я ненавижу пустыню – этот жёлтый песок.
Он никогда не остынет!
Ни мозги, ни тела не могут выдержать это.
Вот такие дела. Такое вечное лето!

Это ладно, а тут недавно,
Самолёты кружили и непонятно, главное,
Где свои, где чужие.
Спасибо, кто-то сказал:
«Парень, не делай резких движений»
Я-то раньше не знал, что люди – просто мишени.
Да… пока не забыл, моё здоровье в порядке.
Я всегда говорил, всё будет тихо, мирно и гладко.
Я всё смогу. Я – такой! Тебе не надо бояться
Тебе нужен покой, (тебе нельзя) тебе нельзя волноваться.

Припев:
По небу кружит листопад,
(По небу кружит листопад).
И разве кто-то виноват,
(И разве кто-то виноват),
Что ты оставил уходя
(Другие сны), другие сны
(Под шум дождя), под шум дождя
Ложатся капли на стекло
(Ложатся капли на стекло)
И лишь одно произошло
(И лишь одно произошло)
Что на излёте сентября
(Я вижу сны), я вижу сны
(Не про тебя), не про тебя.

Сегодня третье число
Всё хорошо, я – везучий.
К тому же, время прошло,
Оно любого научит
Ни о чём не жалеть,
Иначе туго придётся,
И никогда не смотреть
На раскалённое солнце.
Иногда самолёты пролетают над нами,
И тогда, сразу, кто-то вспоминает о маме.
Я уже не из тех, кто сейчас падает первый,
Но вообще-то у всех, у нас, натянуты нервы.
Привыкать привыкаю думать и дышать по-другому,
Но скучаю безумно по тебе и по дому.
Это – обычный синдром
По вечерам, на закате
Ушел бы, к чёрту, пешком,
Да только силы не хватит.
Моё второе письмо
Вчера вернулось обратно,
Может, всё – ничего,
А может, что-то – неладно.
Невозможно понять,
Что это всё означает:
На конверте печать –
”Такие не проживают”

Припев:
(…)

Я приеду, я приеду, я приеду домой…

In English

I will come, I’ll come, I’ll come home
And tell to you all.
But when will it happen: in winter, spring?
Nobody will give an answer

I’ve thought I would be back soon,
But I’m afraid it will not promise to be like that.
I’m ok I don’t loose a hope, but it is very hot here
And wind scorches the temple.
I hate a desert, this yellow sand!
It’ll never get cold!
Neither brains nor bodies can bear this.
It’s my life here. It’s such an eternal summer!

It doesn’t important. Recently
Plans were circling in sky over us and it was fairly incomprehensible
Which ones were ours and which were enemies’.
Thanks to anyone who told me:
“Guy don’t make any jerk”
I had not known before that people are targets.
And till I don’t forget to tell you I say “I’m well”
I have always said everything would be quite, peaceful and ok.
I will do everything. I’m such a courageous man! You don’t have to fear.
You need quiescence, you don’t have to worry.

Refrain:
Fallen leaves are circling in the sky
(Fallen leaves are circling in the sky)
And is somebody guilty,
(And is somebody guilty)
That when you was coming away you left
(The other dreams) the other dreams
(Under rain noise) under rain noise?
Drops are falling on the glass
(Drops are falling on the glass)
And only one thing has happened
(And only one thing has happened)
That by the end of the September
(I see dream pictures) I see dream pictures
(Which don’t have you) which don’t have you.

Today is third day.
Everything is good, I’m lucky.
In addition the time flew by
Which teaches anyone
Not to regret anything
Otherwise you will have difficulties,
And never to look at
The incandescent sun.
Sometimes plans fly over us
And then, at once someone recall his mother.
I am not already among those who fall down first being smote to deaf.
I’m accustoming to be used to think and breathe in another way.
But I miss you and the house terribly.
It is a usual syndrome:
Each evening, at sunset
To have a wish to walk away
But I know that I will not have power enough.
My second letter
Returned yesterday.
Maybe you are ok,
And maybe something is bad.
It is impossible to understand
What all of it means:
There is a stamp with the inscription
On the envelope:
“Such persons don’t live here”

Refrain:
(…)

I will come, I’ll come, I’ll come home…

I will be very much obliged for correcting of my English