h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi!

Came to extend the hand of friendship and make it clear that anything I say in the Club is not a reflection of my true nature.

I also saw your Russian/Mongolian joke, which reminded me of one.

A Texan and Moscovite are in a bar.

Texan: "I could get in my car back home, drive for days and days and still not get all the way round my estate!

Russian: "Oh yeah, we have cars like that too!"

Neagh, you've probably heard it...

Lovely! i heard that one a few times, and each and every time i liked it better!
That little story is something i wrote up on a movie that impressed me heaps, so as not to forget it, "Urga" the movie was, an obscure Russian one, won some highbrow award or other, but is good nevertheless.

Definitely nice of you to come trotting along to my lair. Lovely how some of the chaps do the old Brit over at that place , i lurked a bit and then it became too much for me.

Have you heard the one about the Russian NASA flying to the sun?

Yes, the Club is definitely a place for unashamed, un-PC, war-time rambling. Great fun.

Where in the world are you from incidentally?

No i didn't hear that one, do tell, there's a good boy.

Yes that thread is a breather of old musty air, so reassuring.

I'm a Jerry, i'm afraid, but then, that can happen in the best families what, Hannover, and all that.

Okay so:

The British (say) discovered that Russia had developed their own space agency, and went to check it out.

"Haven't the Americans done everything already?" the journalist asked.
"No, they haven't been to the sun!" the spokesman replied.

"Er.. well yes." replied the puzzled journalist "How do you plan to do that? I mean... isn't the sun... you know... really HOT?"
"Ah!" smiled the spokesman conspiratorially. "We've already thought about that...

(wait for it)

...we're going to go at night!"

*snigger, snort, guffa* Woah, i know that space agency, their headquarters are in Erivan!

It was an Irish agency when I first heard the joke, but since I've moved to Finland the jokes have changed style as well as the scenery.

oh i see, makes sense, for a moment there i wondered, why the Russians. Weren't there were a few tiffs in the past, starting with Peter I wanting access to the Baltic or something? Is there still much feeling over there about it?
And how do you like Finland, i'm fascinated with the idea of going one day, is just across from where i live, see, just take a ferry.

Finland and Russia have been at each others' necks since the end of the last ice age. Nothing particular.

It's a pretty / country, as far as living costs and bureaucracy are concerned (but then, I've lived in France)
The people are sometimes a bit hard to get through to, but friendly and harmless otherwise.

oh i see, just the cordial enmity between neighbors. I hear the Finnish dance Tango a lot. And they sure drink like champs.

Plus the fact that, if it wasn't for Russia, Finland would have substantially less drugs and AIDS problems. Oh, and there was that whole occupation thing...
Yeah, they're proud of their tango. They say it's got more dark passion than the Hispabnic kind.

And the drinking! Whooh!
I could write chapters!

Sound's better 'n better by the minute. What you doing over there anyway, i mean what job takes you to France and then to Finland?

Query to radio station Erivan:
"Is it true that the astronaut Gagarin was awarded a car on the Red Square in Moscow?
Answer:
True in principle, albeit the news doesn't refer to Gagarin the astronaut, but to the worker of the same name. And it didn't happen in Moscow, but in Kiev. Furthermore, it wasn't a car, but a bicycle, and it wasn't awarded to, but stolen from him.

My girlfriend brings me to Finland.

I met her in France, where we were studying.

Was the sort of joke told in the old and gone GDR.

Oh i see, so typical of me to think of work at once. I need a vacation!

Reminded me of The Master and Margarita

by reading The Master and Margarita that you must have entered a whole new and strange world ... Did you read it in Russian, by any chance? Anyway you must know Finnish?

No, I read it in English.
And I don't speak Finnish yet, but I have learnt Swedish.

I did think the English translation didn't come up to the German one, but i have that theory that for some German is more comaptible to Russian than English is. Same applies for Spanish, which can produce hilarious results, for instance the Spanish seem to have an unlucky love for H.P.Lovecraft. You can't really really translate The horror of Dunwich or something like that convincingly into Spanish.
I got a bit of a bee about languages, in case you din't notice yet.

That's fine, so do I!

In fact, if you're interested, go to my page and have a quick look at my entry on the translation of Asterix books.