6 Bilingual Books in Russian and English
Reading Russian books can be immensely rewarding, especially if you’re studying the Russian language. Russian literature is some of the world’s most respected, and it can provide marvelous insights into Russian culture and history.
But reading in Russian can also be intimidating for language learners. That’s where bilingual books in Russian and English come in.
Read on to discover six great bilingual books in Russian and English to infuse some Russian culture into your language learning journey.
Contents
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Classic and Enriching Bilingual Books in Russian and English
1. “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy
There’s nothing like reading a Russian masterpiece in the original language. But Russian works are notoriously complex and often difficult to follow. Luckily, there’s a bilingual edition online.
Interlinear Books offers a downloadable bilingual version of Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich,” which follows a dying man as he grapples with how he’s lived his life. You can download the text onto your favorite device or print it out and read a paper copy.
“The Death of Ivan Ilyich” is a novella, so it isn’t as long as most full-length Russian novels. Therefore, it’s a good jumping-off point for anyone looking to try reading authentic Russian literature.
What to expect:
In this bilingual text, the English version appears directly below the Russian text, so it’s easy to switch between the two. Each word is translated directly below its Russian version, so you can not only put together the meaning of the sentence but also know what role each and every word plays in its construction.
2. “Chekhov Bilingual” by Anton Chekhov
If you can’t get enough Russian short stories, “Chekhov Bilingual” is for you.
This edition contains eight pieces by the noted playwright and short story writer Anton Chekhov. The works compiled here include his popular “The Little Trilogy” and an excerpt from the play “The Seagull.”
There’s also some information on Chekhov himself written in both languages, describing his life and eccentricities for anyone curious about the mind behind the literature.
What to expect:
Pages alternate between English and Russian, making it easy to read each story completely in one language or switch fluidly between the two. The Russian text contains accent marks so readers can easily see where to put the stress in each word, and the translations are literal and take few literary liberties—meaning you can usually see the exact translation of each line (even in the poems!).
3. “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky is one of the biggest names in Russian literature. To read his books in the original language, you’ll need an advanced understanding of the Russian language… or a handy bilingual text!
In short, “Crime and Punishment” is about a poor man who commits a murder but ultimately feels guilt over his actions (though not for the reasons you might expect). The story is complex and compelling, but it can be a little difficult to follow, especially if you aren’t fluent in the language. Luckily, this bilingual text can act as a crutch until you can understand it on your own.
What to expect:
This downloadable text is designed to be used on your favorite device. Simply click a sentence (or part of a sentence) to see its English translation. The translations are expertly done and focus on getting the gist and meaning across, rather than the literal translation, so you can’t use it for word-for-word translation. As a result, this one is recommended for more advanced learners.
4. “The Spine of Russia” by Paul E. Richardson and Mikhail Mordasov
Do you enjoy gazing at beautiful pictures of Russia? Do you want to get your cultural and language education all at once? Then “The Spine of Russia” is a great option.
This book is a collaboration between a journalist and a photojournalist that provides a unique look at Russia and its people. The book offers readers a journey across Russia, showing places and people that might otherwise go unnoticed. It’s filled with images of Russia and Russians, along with thoughtful descriptions in both English and Russian.
What to expect:
Because it includes a lot of photographs, it’s an easy read. Some captions describe the image. Others include commentary from the people featured in the pictures. You can enjoy the brief descriptions in Russian or refer to the English versions. Regardless, the photographs will provide you with a clear context to help you understand the descriptions.
For the most part, the text is an exact translation, but some phrases are not translated literally, instead opting to convey the bigger meaning. Challenge yourself by finding these discrepancies and figuring out what a literal translation of each might look like!
5. “Russian Fairy Tales” by Svetlana Bagdasaryan
If you have a soft spot for fantastic tales, you’ll love Russian fairy tales.
“Russian Fairy Tales” features five stories, including familiar tales like “Jack Frost,” alongside Russian classics that any Russian student should know, like “Vasilisa and Baba Yaga.”
Since the stories are intended to be appropriate for children, the language level is good for beginners.
What to expect:
The text is broken up into chunks and jumps back and forth between languages, so if you don’t understand something, it’s easy to check the English translation.
Be warned that the translations here are rudimentary and don’t always use the best English, but they do a good job of getting the meanings across, and often opt for literal translations—perfect if you’re hung up on a particular word or phrase.
6. “Yum! Let’s Eat!” by Thando Maclaren
Want to learn the Russian words for delicious international dishes? “Yum! Let’s Eat!” is a fun, illustrated way to learn all the vocabulary you’ll need to name your favorite foods.
This picture book from Language Lizard is intended for children, so the vocabulary is simple. “Yum! Let’s Eat” is available in a number of different language options. If you want it in Russian and English, just use the drop-down menu.
If you’re learning multiple languages, you might even use different volumes to learn the same words in several languages. Or check out the rest of the “Our Lives, Our Worlds” series, which includes similarly structured books about games and sports and modes of transportation.
What to expect:
This is an excellent book for beginner learners. Each Russian word is accompanied by its English translation and a colorful illustration, so there’s never any doubt regarding what each word means.
Unusually for language learning books, this one is not specific to the Russian culture, and instead uses 11 children from different places around the world to introduce cultural foods and dishes, all in Russian with full English translations. Use it to learn simple sentence structures as well as how to say ethnic food names like “sushi” and “tagine” in Russian.
With these six bilingual books in Russian and English, you can start reading Russian books and stories today, regardless of your current proficiency level. When you’re done with these, take it a step further with a program like FluentU, where you can read along with the subtitles as you watch Russian-language videos.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app. P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
If you love learning Russian and want to immerse yourself with authentic materials from Russia, then I should also tell you more about FluentU.
FluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning the Russian language and culture. You'll learn real Russian as it's spoken by real Russian people!
FluentU has a very broad range of contemporary videos. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of Russian-language content available on FluentU:
FluentU makes these native Russian videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.
Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab. Easily review words and phrases with audio under Vocab.
All definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Russian learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.
And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.
The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
And One More Thing...
