?§???°?€???‚??: to bully (slang)
Although I adore most things about the Russian language, there is a group of verbs I detest. ?§???°?€???‚??, ???????µ?‚?°?‚??, ???±???¶?°?‚??, ???·???µ???°?‚?????? and ???€???‚?µ???????‚?? all mean to persecute, bully, make fun of, oppress, torture or defile. Obviously I don't like the activities they express. But I especially loathe them as a translator, since the meaning almost always depends on context. In some cases, the word ???·???µ???°?‚?????? can mean to tease someone. In other cases, it means to defile. And in still other cases, it means to torture.
So every time I see one of these words, my fingers twitch over the keyboard as I try to determine where the author is on the scale of atrocity.
Let's start with ?‡???°?€???‚?? (also ?‡???‹?€???‚??, ?‡?????€???‚??), a slang word that means to make fun of someone, to bully, to harass. It seems to be youth slang — in any case, almost all the examples I found are connected with schools or schooldays. ???°?»???‡???? ???µ ???????????°?µ?‚, ?‡?‚?? ?»???·?µ?€ ?? ???‚???? ?????€???????€?µ ???µ ???‡???°?€????, ?????‚???€?????? ???? ?‡???°?€???‚, ?° ???? ???°?? (The kid doesn't get that he's the loser in the hallway, not the nerdy guy in glasses he is bullying).
???????µ?‚?°?‚?? means to oppress. Often it is used to describe a psychological state caused by an emotion: ?‘?µ?·???‹?…???????????‚?? ?????‚???°?†???? ???°?? ???????µ?‚?°?»?° (The hopelessness of the situation weighed heavily on us). Circumstances can oppress, too: ?”?????°???????? ?‚?????????° ???‚?°?»?° ???????µ?‚?°?‚?? ?µ???? (The quiet at home began to oppress him). But the oppression can also be external. One woman blogger laments the workplace pattern of bonuses going only to her male colleagues. When she and her female cohorts complained to their boss, he said: "?? ???????????? ???µ ???????µ?‚?°?»!" ("I didn't discriminate against anyone!") In the end, she writes: "?????‚?°?‘?‚???? ?‚???»?????? ???‹???»??, ?‡?‚?? ???????µ?‚?°???‚ ???°?? ???°?????µ-?‚?? ?????????»?°???µ?‚?????µ" (we're left with the thought that we are discriminated against by some kind of aliens from outer space).
???€???‚?µ???????‚?? is also often used to describe oppression, persecution or discrimination of classes, races or religious groups. ???????‹?? ?????€???»?? ?????»?????? ???€???‚?µ???????» ?????€???‚?°?? (The new king brutally persecuted the Puritans). Or what Russians call ???€???·???? ???? ?????‚?µ?€?µ???°?? (interest groups): ?’?»?°???µ?»???†?‹ ???°?„?µ ???°???‚?°?????°?»??, ?‡?‚?? ?????? ???µ ?????€?°???µ ???€???‚?µ???????‚?? ?????????… ?????€???‰???… ???????µ?‚???‚?µ?»?µ?? (Cafe owners insisted that they didn't have the right to discriminate against their clients who smoked). But it can also be personal and vicious: ???µ???°?»?‘?????? ?? ???µ?»???‡???‹?? ???‚?µ?† ?¶?µ???‚?????? ???€???‚?µ???????» ???‹???° (The stupid and petty father cruelly tormented his son).
We all know that ???±???¶?°?‚?? means to insult someone. When you ask your significant other whether he's really sure he can fix the dishwasher all by himself, he might respond: ???±???¶?°?µ????? (Don't insult me!) And then he might continue: ?’ ?????µ?????? ?€?°?±???‚?°?‚?? ?€?????°???? ?‘???? ???µ???? ???µ ???±?????µ?» (God didn't begrudge me the ability to work with my hands).
In other contexts, ???±???¶?°?‚?? is much darker and can mean emotional, physical or sexual torture: ?? ???‚???‚ ?????????????? ???€?????‘?€???? ???· ???????µ?? ???µ?€?µ??????, ?‡?‚???±?‹ ???µ?‚?????µ?? ?‚???‚ ???±???¶?°?‚?? (That lowlife crawled over here from his village to abuse our children).
???·???µ???°?‚?????? also has a wide range of meaning. When someone is joking around, you can say: ???·???µ???°?µ????????? (Are you teasing me?) But at the other end of the spectrum, when police are vicious, you use the same verb: ???µ???‚?‹ ???·???µ???°?»?????? ???°?? ???? ?? ?‡?‘?? ???µ ?????????????‹???? ?»?????????? (The cops tortured completely innocent people).
???·?‹?? ???·???µ???°?µ?‚???? ???°?? ???°????? (Is the language tormenting us on purpose?)
Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.