Rousseau's tourist image of morality is how it is written. Rousseau tourist - Rousseau tourist - the face of morality! Multilingual talking phrasebook! Humor and restrictions

Spring is already on the way, which means that soon the residents of Orsk and Novotroitsk will go to overseas countries to sunbathe. But are they eagerly awaited there? On the eve of the opening of the tourist season, we decided to find out why our people are not loved and feared abroad. We asked Ksenia Bulanova these and other questions. She has considerable experience in the field of tourism, both from the hotel service side and from the management side. Several years ago she had the opportunity to work in Turkey and take a course as a young fighter in the tourism business. Today she is one of the most popular managers helping people realize their dream of a beautiful and safe vacation.

Ksenia, the first thing you are interested in is why Russians are not loved abroad?

Unfortunately, our compatriots have long proven themselves not to be the best. To be honest, the dislike of Russian tourists is largely justified. Remembering my work in Turkey, I can responsibly say that it was easy for me to find a common language with foreigners, knowing a meager vocabulary of English words. But it was incredibly difficult to agree on something with those with whom I spoke the same language. And when now, when booking travel packages, clients ask me why we are treated poorly abroad, I cannot help but smile ironically. Because I know how uncivilized the absolute majority of Russians behave when they reach a foreign paradise.

What exactly does this mean?

In rudeness, inflated and unreasonable demands and drunkenness. It all starts with the fact that tourists, arriving at the hotel, begin to be very indignant if they cannot be immediately shown to their room. Hotels all over the world have a check-in policy after 2 p.m. But many arrive in the morning and refuse to wait for the allotted time, causing scandals. But you can calmly sit in the bar or relax in the reception area, as all the other guests do. Hoteliers always try to help, you just need to be a little patient. But these are just flowers. The berries begin when our guys get into the “All inclusive” system, that is, “All inclusive”. This was my first year working at the hotel. I stood with the boss at the entrance to the restaurant. And then the Germans approached us. My boss, who speaks three languages, began communicating with them. It turned out that the Germans, passing by the Russian table, experienced a terrible shock. The table was literally bursting with plates with numerous dishes, bottles and glasses. “Well, how can you do this with food?” the comrades from Germany were sincerely perplexed. And indeed, Russians, as a rule, always order a bunch of dishes, 7-10 items at a time. They'll surround themselves with them, won't eat more than half of them, but will take pictures. Then they post it on the Internet, boasting about how well they had a rest on the Mediterranean Sea. It seems that they came from a hungry region. The funniest thing is when overfed tourists leave the restaurant and publicly declare: “There was absolutely nothing to choose from!” Zadornov even joked about this topic. They say that people ate too much, got drunk and suddenly discovered one missing cucumber. They created a scandal and didn’t pay... Russians have a special cult of food. In the central pool of a Turkish hotel, an immense lady lay and ate a flatbread. When asked to get out of the water or stop eating, she boldly swore in Russian.

What about drinking alcohol?

This is a completely separate conversation! One day, a group of twenty people flew to Turkey from Ukhta. The hotel bar was simply ruined. Everyone knows very well that at a bar they only pour one drink at a time. So they immediately came up with a tray and asked for a double portion of alcohol for each. After this, hotel security was forced to personally carry the drunken vacationers to their places of residence and put them to bed. It is not surprising that after such a fun pastime, people experience various types of stomach disorders. After all, various drinks of different sizes are often mixed during the drinking process, for example, Baileys and Raki (Turkish vodka). You need to control yourself!

What are the most common cases of injury on vacation, besides stomach poisoning?

If we talk about Turkey, there is a high percentage of child mortality due to drowning. Adults experience fractures due to participation in extreme sports, such as rafting. But, basically, these are, after all, departures. I advise you not to drink tap water. Buy bottled. Take your medications with you. If something happens to you, you will, of course, receive the medical care specified in your insurance. But nothing more. Even if you go to a Turkish pharmacy with a list of tablets, they may not understand you, not even because the pharmacist does not know Russian, but because the drugs are very different. And you may not understand what exactly you should buy. The main thing is to remember that you are responsible for your own life. You can't completely relax on vacation. There was an accident when a man drank for five days in a row. He tired his wife, she locked him in a room on the third floor and left. He took it and jumped out. Below there was an alpine slide. He broke his neck and died.

What other troubles do Russian tourists cause to the receiving party?

All over the world there is such a thing as a “dress code”. However, for some reason it does not apply to Russian citizens... After the beach, it is not customary to go to breakfast in swimwear. Everyone changes clothes, then goes to eat. But they can go to the table in shorts and flip-flops, flaunting a naked torso or a not very slender figure. All hotel etiquette rules are posted in an accessible place, with a Russian translation. But they are ignored. I will always remember the incident when I met guests at the entrance to a restaurant for a gala dinner. All the guests were smartly dressed. But suddenly a huge woman appeared in the hall, dressed in a swimsuit and tight shorts. She had three children with her, looking equally careless. We got from the ship to the ball, as they say. The staff politely tried to explain to her that she needed to change clothes, because it was unacceptable to be in the restaurant in such a “suit”. I listened to everything that could be heard addressed to me. She was sent to a place from which they do not return. It was a Russian tourist - an armored car woman.

Is it true that hot Middle Eastern men call all Russian girls Natasha? How is the image of a Russian woman generally perceived in Turkey and Egypt?

Is it true. Turks address everyone they meet this way: “Hey, hi, Natasha! Let’s get to know each other!” Our girls are, of course, the most beautiful. They are beautiful even in forty degrees of heat. Always with makeup, jewelry, flashy clothes, and unrealistically high heels. Their bright appearance arouses increased interest among men, but, alas, does not increase respect. I would like to recommend that our beautiful ladies familiarize themselves with the rules of etiquette of a foreign country before going to it. In the East you need to dress and behave more modestly, then you won’t be kidnapped or raped. It’s sad that the image of Russian women abroad today is greatly damaged. They consider us easily accessible there. And this is also not surprising. Because Russian women are having a blast, having holiday romances left and right, not even disdaining waiters. This practice is especially widespread among young mothers who come to the sea without their husbands.

Is the moral character of men who vacation without their wives much better?

I would not say. One day, a rich lady booked a place at our hotel in Turkey. She said that she decided to relieve boredom because her husband was flying away on a business trip. The next day, at the reception, she met her husband and his mistress. He also came to relax and chose this hotel! These are the kind of funny things that happen.

The cultural level of our tourists is not yet high. What trends, according to your observations, can be seen in ordering foreign tours from Novotroitsk and Orsk?

People ask to be accommodated away from their compatriots. They are ready to live with Germans, Italians, and with anyone, as long as they are not with their own kind. Once our agency sold about seventy tours to employees of the Novotroitsk plant. Then many people thanked us for meeting everyone in another country from whom they wanted to take a break. In general, it turns out that we interfere with each other with our bad manners. No one except us shakes their license when they reach a foreign state. One client once told me that for the money she paid, she should have a gold toilet in her room. In connection with such attacks, I constantly ask: “People, who are you? You have two maids, two cooks at home and your daily menu includes fifty dishes? Where does so much pathos come from? Why don’t you respect those who serve you, who "You're hosting? Why don't you take into account someone else's culture and traditions?" It must be said that the rich, after all, have some idea of ​​normal behavior in society. The same cannot be said about young people.

Was there anything particularly positive about your experience working in Turkey?

Certainly. Due to the nature of my work, I have to talk a lot, so my throat often hurts. Many Russian clients brought me special gifts - honey or jam, and showed concern for my well-being. It was incredibly pleasant. And Ukrainians generally distinguished themselves by their originality. They gave us a piece of bacon and vodka (Ukrainian vodka).

What offers can local travel agencies please people with today?

Turkey, of course, remains the most popular destination as it is best suited for family holidays. There is a developed infrastructure for children - slides, mini clubs. Plus, you don't need to fly far. There are direct flights from Orsk. Egypt is also in the lead. This year, new destinations opened by flight from Orenburg: Tunisia (North Africa), Bulgaria, Crete and Cyprus.

You have traveled a lot. Would you like to emigrate from Russia?
- No. It was precisely because I spent a lot of time traveling that I really missed my family and friends. Naturally, there was an opportunity, but I prefer to live close to those who are dear to me. Usually, girls either marry a foreigner and stay with him in their homeland, or work as foreign guides. Then they exchange their personal life for constant travel. I was able to realize myself in a profession that I like. I help people get unforgettable experiences, without which our lives have no real joy. The only thing I want is for us Russians to behave decently both at home and abroad. After all, the prestige of the country depends on our behavior.

Interviewed by Natalya Zakharova.
In the photo is Ksenia Bulanova.

It happened in Turkey, more precisely in Istanbul, which in 1969 seemed mysterious and exotic to our citizens.

Semyon Semenych...

The Soviet-naive Semyon Semenych, who had no experience of communicating with women of the most ancient profession, showed human sympathy. He tried to understand what the lady who approached him wanted, believing that she was preoccupied with some problem that required his intervention and help. His new comrade Kozodoev, more experienced in these matters, rejected the claims of the “priestess of corrupt love”, using a pseudo-foreign language. He explained that his friend has “a sense of morality” and is not interested in any “cigel” on the side. This scene is recognizable to everyone who watched the wonderful comedy “The Diamond Arm” directed by Gaidai. She still makes me laugh today.

Goltepa, studing and other “foreign” words

The tradition of giving Russian words a foreign sound in art is not new. Suffice it to recall Leskov with his “studing” (pudding) or the explanation of the French concepts of “promenade” (walk) and “goltepa” (goal) by the mother of the unforgettable Balzaminov. In the post-war years, the popular language was enriched with other pearls, this time of German origin (for example, “guten morgen saccharin”, or “Hende hoch shoe polish”), comically imitating the dialect of former opponents. Humor is contained in the sound of these phrases, combining foreign and Russian words. The remark “Russian tourist face morale” also “works”, supplemented by the German question to reinforce the effect: “Ferstein?” By the way, in this wonderful comedy there are other moments that play on the mentioned “ai liu liu” in combination with an untranslatable play on words, the meaning of which is easily guessed from the gestures and articulation of foreign characters.

Comedy joke and party program

In the sixties, the order in the country became much more liberal than in the 30s or 50s, but joking about the “shape of morality” was still an act done, if not beyond the boundaries of what was permitted by censorship, then certainly right on it. The fact is that the concept of “the moral character of the builder of communism” was part of the party program, a document that did not provide for the possibility of any ridicule. Another question is that this document was adopted during the reign of the previous Secretary General, N.S. Khrushchev, whose achievements could already be subject to humorous play, however, very delicately (like the “queen of the fields” in the 1964 film “Welcome, or No Trespassing”). The moral code of the builder of communism (hence the “shape of morality”) was studied in all schools and institutes, no one canceled it, so everyone then, unlike the present generation, understood the essence of this joke.

Humor and restrictions

Any prohibitions and taboos refine humor, like a blade exposed to a sharpening stone. Permissiveness and freedom to say anything under any circumstances lead to the exact opposite effect. In 1969 or 1970, in order to successfully play with a forbidden topic and not pay anything for it (and the film could easily be “put on the shelf”), it was necessary to strain the mental capabilities of the cerebral cortex of both the screenwriter and the director.

Thanks to the popularity of Italian neorealism in the sixties, many foreign words became known to our fellow citizens. The Italian “Russo”, “shape of morale”, consisting of our “guise” and international “morality” did not need translation.

Today, the product of this work has become just a common phrase, sounding fun and loud, but nothing more. It is still popular, especially since our fellow citizens travel abroad much more often than at the turn of the seventies. The simple group “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” even had a song called “The Shape of Morale,” about cheerful travelers who begin to relax “right at the station.”

Very often, in my trips abroad and on travel forums, I come across discussions about how badly Russian tourists sometimes behave abroad. Stories about unimaginable drinking, excessively noisy behavior and excessive love for Duty free have already become, perhaps, the talk of the town. To be honest, I myself have witnessed the somewhat antisocial behavior of Russians many times, but at the same time, people from other countries “amused” us no less.

And so I began to wonder, are Russian tourists really as ill-mannered and terrible as public opinion sometimes portrays them to be?

What I personally had the “fortune” to observe in the performance of our compatriots was noisy libations on the beach and obscene language. And if I take the first one, under certain conditions, on vacation calmly, then the second one irritates me beyond measure, especially if there are children nearby. Moreover, it’s not so much the swearing itself that makes you angry, but the inappropriateness of its use. In a public place, as they say, both the tail and the mane - just to connect words? Sorry, gentlemen, but you are humiliating, first of all, yourself.

As for the representatives of other countries, the Germans delighted us with a very loud display of flatulence and frank staring, the Chinese with profuse belching and a desire to take pictures with us in the outdoor shower by the pool, the Dutch with smoking marijuana in public places, the French with arrogant behavior, well Mr. Zadornov talks well about Americans.

But this is all my humble experience. But what about the total mass? To a simple request, Gasha and Yasha (Google and Yandex) answered that, it turns out, I’m not the only one who is so curious. For example, the largest travel resource Tripadvisor four years ago already conducted a survey among 32 million people on the topic “which tourists are the most rude?” As a result, the Russians took only sixth place after the Americans, French, Germans, Chinese and British. The British, apparently offended, immediately conducted their own survey on the airline ticket booking site Skyscanner, and... put themselves in third place. Our tourists, however, took second place, after the French.

However, later, in 2012, Mr. Andy McFarlin, who is the director of the visa department of the Albion Embassy in Moscow, told the press that in 2011 they increased the number of visas issued to Russian citizens by 33%. Moreover, the overall percentage of visa refusals for Russians is much lower than average and is only 8% versus 14%. This means that the British, who not so long ago put the Russians in second place in the competition for bad manners, are now more willing to visit us.

But this is all Europe. What does the kingdom of smiles think about our brother? Buddhists must be even more shocked by our manners? Only Thais can answer this question. But these guys are tactfully silent. I did not find any ratings conducted by the Thai side. But I learned that after the Chinese, we rank second in the number of vacationers in Thailand, and the government of the kingdom wants to further increase this number. Well, I would like to think that if we were so unpleasant, we would not be so insistently attracted to visit. Or is it all about the money that our tourist brings on vacation?

So, hurray, comrades! We are not the most ill-mannered. I was, of course, pleased with the fact that Russia did not take first place in the standings, but sixth and, even more so, second positions were unpleasant to me as a Russian person. As they say, there is nothing to be proud of. I reassure myself that the concept of a Russian person in the world is somewhat blurred. Although the USSR collapsed a long time ago, people from our former republics continue to be perceived abroad as Russians, and this, unfortunately, does not add points to us.

In addition, apparently, the image of crimson jackets from the dashing 90s, when our country showed the world not the best representatives of our society, is still alive. So this template of criminal redneck has stuck to us, who believes that big money makes him a big man. But restoring your reputation, you see, is still more difficult.

I would like to single out a separate category of tourists from Russia, imbued with an amazing hatred of their compatriots. Honestly, I have never met a single German, French, Thai, Mexican, American... who would speak with such contempt about his fellow citizens, as Russians sometimes do. I even have a suspicion that these copies played an important role in the formation of our negative rating. When I listen to the poisonous statements of Russians about Russians, Semyon Slepakov’s song from the Comedy Club “I’m not like that” comes to mind. And one becomes sincerely sorry for these people who, wanting to present themselves in the best light, do not find anything more effective than humiliating others.

To be fair, it should be said that today our average tourist continues to have, to put it mildly, an extraordinary character. A lot of alcohol, a lot of noise, a peculiar culture of feasting, gloomy faces and an irrepressible, almost childlike curiosity - these are the main distinguishing features of Russians abroad. But who will undertake to judge where the line is between a disadvantage and a national trait? After all, tourists from other countries also have their own clichés: unceremonious Americans and Germans, noisy Italians, arrogant French or aggressive British. “He who is without sin, let him throw the first stone at me.”

Of course, sometimes in our ranks there are individuals whose behavior makes you blush to the roots of your hair from the fact that you speak the same language with them. But, thank God, there are not so many of them. And judging all Russian people by them would be stupid and narrow-minded.

Answering my question, which I posed in the title of the article: “Russian tourists - the face of morality?”, I will answer, probably no. We are not perfect, we have something to think about and work on. But not only for us.

Yes, we have our own national characteristics, but it is worth remembering that we are all different, all countries are bearers of their own traditions and foundations, which sometimes shock our neighbors. This is how the world works, and thanks to this it develops. There are fools and geniuses everywhere, and no one can say that somewhere their concentration is higher.

About the author

I am a very big travel lover. I love discovering new countries and seeing how different people can be. Thailand captured my heart in 2007, and since then, I have been returning here again and again. My true passion is writing.

Anastasia Komarova

“Russo is a tourist. The face of morality. Fershtein?- who doesn’t know this catchphrase from the popular film by Leonid Gaidai?! Those who watch the film “The Diamond Arm” for the first time will immediately remember this expression.

Meaning of the phrase

If you delve deeper into the history of origin, you can compare this phrase with a moral character - one of the cliches of socialist times. At that time, it was customary to give lectures and publish articles on the topic of the moral character of the Soviet person, and the rules of behavior of a Soviet citizen abroad. Moreover, the rules were especially strict.

Here is an example of an extract from protocol No. 167 § 3c of the Secretariat of the Central Committee Top Secret No. St-167/3c dated 17.VII.1979:

“On some additions to the Basic Rules of Conduct for Soviet Citizens Traveling Abroad”

— While in a socialist country, a Soviet citizen is obliged to highly bear the honor and dignity of a citizen of the USSR, to honestly and conscientiously fulfill his official duties, to be disciplined and impeccable in his personal behavior, and to strictly observe the principles of the moral code of the builder of communism.

— While staying abroad, Soviet people must carefully and constantly monitor their appearance and always be neat and tidy.

And every citizen was obliged to comply with these rules.

Now, of course, it’s hard to believe that a tourist from 1960 confidently refused a girl with the phrase “moral image.” But at that time, observing the above rules, the tourist may not even understand why this same girl is so persistently pulling him into the house. And all because Soviet people were characterized as the most modest of the representatives of all countries who did not know the concept of “sex”. What can we say about the decorated ladies pestering with the phrases “Tsygel Tsygel, ay-lu-lyu” - for a Soviet person this was an incomprehensible and inexplicable phenomenon.

Nowadays, the phrase is remembered only after watching the film again. And what kind of moral character, education, modesty can we talk about when Russian tourists (of course, not all of them, but some individuals) so diligently earn a bad reputation abroad with their indecent behavior. And the holistic impression of the people and the nation is formed precisely from these ill-mannered people, because the bad is remembered, as we know, better than the good.

Let's hope that someday the title of the most modest and highly moral nation will return to us again. And in order to achieve this, let everyone begin to cultivate their own “shape of morality.”

The holiday season is approaching, and many compatriots will travel to distant and not so distant countries. Most of us, at best, can communicate in one, less often in two or three languages, including our native one ☺ . Therefore, the Russo Tourist application will be simply necessary when away from home. This is a multilingual illustrated and speaking phrasebook from Russian into foreign languages. With its help, you can explain yourself in a variety of life situations: book a plane ticket, a hotel room, give a compliment, order a dish in a restaurant, call a doctor, etc. in 29 languages!!!

You can use the following languages: English (US), English (British), Arabic, Hungarian, Greek, Danish, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, German, Dutch, Polish, Bulgarian, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Slovak, Turkish, Finnish, French, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Hindi and Farsi.

According to the manufacturer: “Each phrase is voiced in 29 languages ​​by native speakers.”

The application contains more than 2,100 useful phrases, divided into clear categories. Each phrase is provided with a colorful thematic illustration. Convenient phrase search.

I haven’t been using this application for a long time, but after trying a lot of different translators and phrasebooks for Android, I settled on “Russo Touristo”, and here’s why. It's simple. Works offline. A lot of languages. Loud and clear speech through the speaker. I think it will be possible to simply include the necessary phrase, and the interlocutor will hear all the necessary information himself.

This winter, my wife’s sister and her fiance went to Italy, and her fiance downloaded a phrasebook into his phone, which simply wrote the translation and text in Italian. He tried to order food in a restaurant and spent about ten minutes trying to pronounce Italian phrases until they finally found a Russian-speaking waitress for them. The others never understood them ☺ .

After that, I began to prepare for possible trips in advance ☺.

I want to warn people who will install this application. When installing from the market, only the initial software is installed. After the first login, it asks you to install a graphics package weighing about 76 megabytes. In principle, this is not a problem if you have unlimited Internet. After installation, you will be prompted to install more language packs for each language. Each packet weighs about 25 megabytes. Therefore, I advise you to use free Wi-Fi, unlimited 3G, or be prepared for additional expenses when installing these packages.

The application itself is paid, it costs 324 rubles 47 kopecks. There is also a free 5-day trial version of the program on the market. But in the trial version you can only try 2 languages.

I must also warn you that in the Russo Touristo application, when translating, only the English transcription comes out, there is no Russian transcription.

This is not critical, since the application perfectly speaks the text in the selected language. In addition, knowing the Latin alphabet, you can easily read any phrase if the need arises. Even if your interlocutor is a deaf-mute resident of a provincial mountain village and cannot understand you and read the text from the screen of your tablet or phone (suddenly he is illiterate) - then he will still understand you when he looks at the illustrations for each phrase ☺ .

After looking through many similar applications, I couldn’t find any worthy competitors! Yes, there are some good bilingual phrasebooks: Learn Korean Pro, Learn Japanese Pro and others. There are also similar multi-combines: Phrasebook PRO and others. But, in my opinion, all these applications are inferior to Russo Touristo in terms of simplicity, number of languages, size of the vocabulary base, and ease of use.