Some helped, others fled: how Americans are treated in Russia

Author of the channel «Записки Макса из Китая» на «Яндекс.Дзен» поделился опытом эксперимента, в ходе которого он и его подруга разговаривали на публике в Москве по-английски и наблюдали за реакцией людей. Далее — от первого лица.

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I want to tell you about a small experiment that I conducted last summer in Russia. A friend from China came to visit me, there was a very cheerful atmosphere. For some reason we decided to check how well people in Moscow speak English.

Nothing better than pretending to be a foreigner crossed my mind. And so he did.

I have good English, which will be difficult for ignorant people to distinguish from an English American, so the experiment began. I gathered all my accent together and began to improvise.

The first thing I did was go to McDonald's. I wanted to check how the employees there talk to foreigners. I liked the reaction! The guys were not at a loss and immediately offered me to place an order in English through the terminal. Helped to pay. Everything was quick and respectful.

On the subject: About those who were not in America, but at the same time hates her

Но Макдоналдс — это слишком просто. Следующим мы решили проверить магазин «Перекрёсток». Набрали продуктов, которых не хватало дома в холодильнике, а потом нашли консультанта и попросили помощи в поиске миндального молока.

Then the girl in the hall was confused. At first she just spoke to me in Russian, and then she ran away altogether and hid behind another rack. Apparently, mentally she was not ready for such surprises.

Это было забавно, после магазина мы решили перейти на следующий уровень — поспрашивать у прохожих дорогу к станции метро. Тут уже всё стало гораздо интереснее. Сначала некоторые люди делали вид, что вообще нас не замечают, игнорируя наши просьбы.

The first to respond was a young girl who spoke the language very well. She opened the map in her phone and showed us the way with a smile.

I was surprised that later pensioners began to help too! It was very nice to watch how they tried to speak Russian louder, as if foreigners would understand the meaning of the sentence.

On the subject: Speak like an American: what idioms and turnovers will help to become “yours” in the USA

I am very pleased to see caring people on the streets, especially if they help the guests of our country.

In general, I can say that the level of English in our country leaves much to be desired, but once again I was convinced that the Russians can really come to the rescue.

Original column published on the blog. «Записки Макса из Китая» на «Яндекс.Дзен»

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