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Glossary entry

Russian term or phrase:

подъезд

English translation:

staircase, stairwell

Added to glossary by Irene Woodhead
Sep 20, 2006 15:08
17 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Russian term

подъезд

Russian to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
Hello all, and thanks in advance!

The sentence goes,

"Она жила в соседнем подъезде, но добралась коротким путем: через общий балкон."

We're talking a block of flats here, so I can't say "next door" because it will mean another apartment on the same landing, and that's not what the writer means. I don't even know the word for this! :-)

Thanks a lot again,

Rina
Proposed translations (English)
3 +1 staircase
3 +6 entrance; approach
3 +4 they lived in different parts of the same apartment building, but she took a shortcut via a balcony
2 +2 other side of the building
4 adjoining building
3 +1 Next door
4 -1 porch
3 her building entrance was next to (whatever)

Discussion

Irene Woodhead (asker) Sep 21, 2006:
Oh, sorry Mikhail, I didn't notice you said "stairways", either, but as I use Kari's wording in the translation literally (in a neighboring stairwell/staircase), then the most accurate and helpful answer is still his, anyway.

Proposed translations

+1
1 hr
Selected

staircase

Obviously this is a less literal translation, but I think this is what I would more naturally say. The different entrances do of course lead to different staircases. "He lived in the next staircase over, but..." (or, "...on a neighbouring staircase...")

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Note added at 1 hr (2006-09-20 16:18:56 GMT)
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In my example sentence I should have said "she", but you get the idea!
Peer comment(s):
agree Mikhail Kropotov : I take my words back.
4 mins
Sorry I did not notice you had said "stairways". You live "in a staircase" the same way you live "in" or "on" a street or road; it's idiomatic.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks a lot to you all, people! You're amazing! All answers make perfect sense, but I tend to think that Kari's suits the given context best. I've also found quite a few bits using a "stairwell" version, like here: "There are several entrances each with their own stairwell; so that in our building on the right side of us (next stairwell over) Jerry and Susan live on the third floor. [...] You come out your stairwell and go outside to the sidewalk and go in the next doorway etc." http://www.dcwi.com/~des/Doppelfeld/Stories/MongoliaMarySmith/20040616.shtml Makes sense to me! Thanks a lot again, Have a nice day everyone, Rina"
+6
3 mins

entrance; approach

.

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Note added at 8 mins (2006-09-20 15:17:08 GMT)
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"She was living the next extrance, but she found a shorter way - via the connecting balcony".

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Note added at 9 mins (2006-09-20 15:17:49 GMT)
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"She LIVED the next entrance..."

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Note added at 10 mins (2006-09-20 15:18:53 GMT)
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И... "via the adjacent balcony"
Peer comment(s):
agree Smantha : entrance
3 mins
agree Olga Layer : I also think "entrance" works best here
40 mins
agree Jack Doughty : Living OFF the next entrance would be better.
59 mins
aha, I was not aware about the construction, thank you
agree nuclear
1 hr
agree Ashok Garlapati
1 hr
agree yourtranslator : "Entrance" is the first word for "подъезд" in my dictionary
5 days
Something went wrong...
-1
9 mins

porch

porch [pawrch] (plural porch·es) noun
1. covered entrance: a covered shelter at the entrance to a building

Encarta® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.


please see illustration on what it is in reality :)))

http://www.kovka.ruweb.ru/kozirki/3.jpg
Peer comment(s):
disagree Mikhail Kropotov : По-русски это будет крыльцо
0 min
Something went wrong...
10 mins

her building entrance was next to (whatever)

At least in the North East, these entrance have separate street numbers and are called "buildings" even though there can be several to one bulding. Saying "next building", would be confusing.

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Note added at 13 mins (2006-09-20 15:21:54 GMT)
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...these entranceS...
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+4
11 mins

they lived in different parts of the same apartment building, but she took a shortcut via a balcony

You may also be able to use "stairways."
Peer comment(s):
agree Sergei Tumanov
12 mins
Спасибо
agree Dmitry Venyavkin
51 mins
Спасибо
agree Henry Schroeder : Of the accurate answers, this sounds the most natural to an American
58 mins
Alas, it's way too wordy. Thank you, Henry.
agree Tatiana Nero (X) : I would say in the "next section", that would presuppose a different entrance.
1 hr
Something went wrong...
+2
34 mins

other side of the building

This is obviously an incorrect translation, but it has the benefit of clarity.

Our apartment building in NYC is divided into two sides (however with a common lobby, which is not the case in your example) and we say that people live "on the other side". This is the clearest for foreign readers, though if this passage is particular important to the whole, I would not recommend my translation.

You might want to look around through this website of Stuyvesant Town. As far as I could tell, it doesn't offer anything you can use, but you may see something I didn't. It is in any case the most famous example in America of what you are looking for: more or less project housing.

http://www.pcvst.com/home.asp
Peer comment(s):
agree Mikhail Kropotov : That's a good idea
31 mins
Thanks, Mikhail. Your's is a good one, too - and accurate on top of that!
agree Kirill Semenov : there are many buildings here having 3, 4 or more entrances. "the other" or "another" does not work in this case, although I see your idea and I appreciate it
50 mins
Yeah, I know, my own building in Moscow has five of them. And in NY no building has even two. It's one of these things that doesn't really work, unless it is different in the UK.
Something went wrong...
1 hr

adjoining building

She lived in the adjoining building, but she took the shortcut - via the shared balcony.
Something went wrong...
+1
3 hrs

Next door

The asker wrote:
We're talking a block of flats here, so I can't say "next door" because it will mean another apartment on the same landing

Why can't you say "next door?" It is understood from the context that it is the apartment building, right?
You can hear this expression all the time, in reference to a block in the same apartment building or to adjacent house:
"She lives next door to me," or just "She lives next door."
Peer comment(s):
agree Alexandre Khalimov
27 mins
thank you
neutral Mikhail Kropotov : But then it wouldnt make sense to refer to a balcony as a shortcut, would it? Respectfully yours.
1 hr
You prove my point: she could use the balcony because she was just next door:-)
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