Hi!
I’ve added a new course for Russian for intermediate learners. It is based on a discussion program at an event for media industry and journalists in Mass Media. Putin is invited to answer questions from the audience. It appeared on the Kremlin web site just a few days ago under a Creative Commons license. This is the 2nd year running that this type of discussion forum with Putin has been held. The event was held in St. Petersburg.
I found it very interesting, as they cover themes such as:
- domestic and foreign taxes in the paper industry which are impacting the newspaper and magazine industry by raising prices for newsprint (more demand and less tax to export paper)
- a request that income earned from advertising on state TV channels be used to fund smaller unprofitable regional stations
- questions about the recently broadcast TV documentary called “President”, which aired last week. It was a positive look at the Putin’s last 15 years. His comments about his involvement were interesting.
- risks for investigative journalists who live under threat of violence and legal prosecution when exposing corruption
- the industry challenges with the decline of advertising revenue and move to online media
- the Russian Postal service’s impact on print media, as it is a state monopoly, and can effectively control the distribution costs of print media
- transparency in the legal system and government
The questions come from media companies from all over Russia. There are 27 lessons, each ranging from one to about six minutes long. The transcription used is the official transcription and in some cases is not 100% verbatim. One lesson contains a few seconds of almost silence while someone looks for a microphone.
The original program can be watched in HD at Медиафорум независимых региональных и местных СМИ • Президент России There are no subtitles, but you can also follow the script there. The video lasts for almost 2 hours. You can study the language used here in smaller chunks broken down into 27 easier-to-handle parts.
In terms of language learning, the skills here are
- how to open an event, welcome and introduce participants and guests
- how to present questions to a figure of authority
- public speaking
- event management, moving from one topic to the next, keeping the theme on track
- talking about personal experiences
- asking for advice or help
- how to avoid answering a question by changing the topic
- how to react in that situation so your question gets answered
- how to thank people and close an event
Enjoy! If you notice any problems, please let me know and I can fix them.
–Keke