priiskatel'

English translation: см.

14:10 Mar 29, 2004
Russian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Russian term or phrase: priiskatel'
Novel circa 1990.
Any idea whether this would have been:
1. a prospector, ie. someone who looked for new sources of gold etc..
OR
2. a miner, ie. someone who actually worked down the mines.
Emily Justice
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:48
English translation:см.
Explanation:
Ожегов дает: "Работник прииска". "Прииск: Место разработки драгоценного ископаемого" (gold-mine), so it's a miner.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 35 mins (2004-03-29 14:45:47 GMT)
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http://www.slovarik.ru/slovari/efr/?slovo=90195&search_in_zn...

Also, in Dal\'s dictionary:

ПРИИСКИВАТЬ ... Приискиватель, приискатель, -ница, ищущий что-либо; приискавший, нашедший искомое.

http://vidahl.agava.ru/P177.HTM

It means there is still a chance, that in XIX-XX century \"приискатель\" was a prospector (like \"старатели\", placer miners in California or at Yukon), but later, in the Soviet times, when there were private goldmines, the word \"приискатель\" changed its meaning.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 45 mins (2004-03-29 14:56:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"...when there were NO private old-mines already...\" I mean :))

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 16 mins (2004-03-29 15:26:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I found an example from Russian literature. Vladimir Korolenko (circa 1900 too):

...
Эту станцию с нами вместе ехал случайным попутчиком Иван Родионович Сокольский, начальник разведочной приисковой партии. [...]
- Да, - ответил * приискатель. * - Это правда.

http://www.mumidol.ru/taiga/corol.htm

So, it seems that at those times \"приискатель\" was anyone who worked at a gold mine, but not only the miner who worked in the mine itself. In this example, this is quite a top-level official !

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 22 mins (2004-03-29 15:32:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And yet another quote:

\"Бешеное золото\" Урюма
С самого начала золотодобыча была монополией государства. Все прииски принадлежали \"Кабинету\", на них работали каторжане и крепостные крестьяне. В 1840 годах возник второй тип золотодобывающей промышленности-частный, по своей сути капиталистический. Квалифицированной и планомерной разведки недр, естественно, тогда не было. По Западному и Северному Забайкалью разбрелись искатели фарта. С деревянным лотком и мешком сухарей за плечами старатели забирались в невероятную глушь таежных дебрей, не щадя сил и здоровья, перемывали породу по берегам ключей и рек, копали глубокие шурфы. Выбор места для промывки золота определялся чутьем, а порой простой случайностью. Приискатель обычно, облюбовав место, подбрасывал вверх рукавицу, и куда она падала напальни-ком-там и копал яму. И несмотря на все это, поиски часто оказывались успешными благодаря тому, что Забайкалье представляло поистине золотое дно.

http://www.vitim.ru/index.php?sSrc=library&sSubSrc=3&nId=12&...
Selected response from:

Kirill Semenov
Ukraine
Local time: 14:48
Grading comment
Thanks for all answers. It was hard to decide as Kirill and Nuclear both gave very well researched answers. I found Kirill's 'safest' however. I may revise my opinion as the story progresses but at the moment 'gold mine worker' seems to fit the best.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +5см.
Kirill Semenov
5 +1gold digger
myrafla
4 +1>>>
shlepakoff
4 +1miner
Sergei Rioumin
3 +1>>
nuclear


  

Answers


23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
>>>


Explanation:
ПРИИСКАТЕЛЬ - тот, кто работает на прииске; прииск — gold mine therefore "GOLDMINER" (one who works in the mines - your #2)

shlepakoff
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Сергей Лузан
1 day 5 hrs
  -> Спасибо, Сергей!
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25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
miner


Explanation:
It's a miner (see the reference, #4). A prospector is поисковик.


    Reference: http://neisri.magadan.ru/AcademNet/smu/philolog/russian/ikon...
Sergei Rioumin
Australia
Local time: 21:48
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sergei Tumanov: miner, прииск - приискатель, шахта - шахтер
9 mins
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
gold digger


Explanation:
Обратите внимание на само слово, не шахтер (miner), а именно - золотоискатель. Поскольку прииск is gold works, gold digging e.t.c, то лучше дать версию gold digger, что будет стилистически соответствовать Вашему тексту.

myrafla
Local time: 07:48
Specializes in field
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Сергей Лузан: Or this way, perhaps.
1 day 5 hrs
  -> thanks
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23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
см.


Explanation:
Ожегов дает: "Работник прииска". "Прииск: Место разработки драгоценного ископаемого" (gold-mine), so it's a miner.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 35 mins (2004-03-29 14:45:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://www.slovarik.ru/slovari/efr/?slovo=90195&search_in_zn...

Also, in Dal\'s dictionary:

ПРИИСКИВАТЬ ... Приискиватель, приискатель, -ница, ищущий что-либо; приискавший, нашедший искомое.

http://vidahl.agava.ru/P177.HTM

It means there is still a chance, that in XIX-XX century \"приискатель\" was a prospector (like \"старатели\", placer miners in California or at Yukon), but later, in the Soviet times, when there were private goldmines, the word \"приискатель\" changed its meaning.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 45 mins (2004-03-29 14:56:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"...when there were NO private old-mines already...\" I mean :))

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 16 mins (2004-03-29 15:26:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I found an example from Russian literature. Vladimir Korolenko (circa 1900 too):

...
Эту станцию с нами вместе ехал случайным попутчиком Иван Родионович Сокольский, начальник разведочной приисковой партии. [...]
- Да, - ответил * приискатель. * - Это правда.

http://www.mumidol.ru/taiga/corol.htm

So, it seems that at those times \"приискатель\" was anyone who worked at a gold mine, but not only the miner who worked in the mine itself. In this example, this is quite a top-level official !

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 22 mins (2004-03-29 15:32:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And yet another quote:

\"Бешеное золото\" Урюма
С самого начала золотодобыча была монополией государства. Все прииски принадлежали \"Кабинету\", на них работали каторжане и крепостные крестьяне. В 1840 годах возник второй тип золотодобывающей промышленности-частный, по своей сути капиталистический. Квалифицированной и планомерной разведки недр, естественно, тогда не было. По Западному и Северному Забайкалью разбрелись искатели фарта. С деревянным лотком и мешком сухарей за плечами старатели забирались в невероятную глушь таежных дебрей, не щадя сил и здоровья, перемывали породу по берегам ключей и рек, копали глубокие шурфы. Выбор места для промывки золота определялся чутьем, а порой простой случайностью. Приискатель обычно, облюбовав место, подбрасывал вверх рукавицу, и куда она падала напальни-ком-там и копал яму. И несмотря на все это, поиски часто оказывались успешными благодаря тому, что Забайкалье представляло поистине золотое дно.

http://www.vitim.ru/index.php?sSrc=library&sSubSrc=3&nId=12&...

Kirill Semenov
Ukraine
Local time: 14:48
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 381
Grading comment
Thanks for all answers. It was hard to decide as Kirill and Nuclear both gave very well researched answers. I found Kirill's 'safest' however. I may revise my opinion as the story progresses but at the moment 'gold mine worker' seems to fit the best.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sergei Tumanov: miner, 49ner
10 mins
  -> спасибо :)

agree  huntr
27 mins
  -> спасибо :)

neutral  nuclear: I don't disagree, but look at the definition from Dal's Dic you quote. Isn't it "seeker"? Isn't the meaning and origine of "priiscatel" more complex than "alluvial miner". Also, incidently staratel is not exactly a prospector
49 mins
  -> according to examples of the word usage in novels (found through Rambler), it was anyone who worked at a gold mine, not always a mere digging miner

agree  Sergey Strakhov
1 hr
  -> спасибо :)

agree  mk_lab
1 hr
  -> спасибо :)

agree  Alexandra Tussing
8 hrs
  -> спасибо :)
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22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
>>


Explanation:
I'm afraid it's more complex than simply that - this appears to be an "occasional" word created by author out of at least three words:
priisk - (alluvial) (gold) mine
staratel - alluvial miner, and
iskatel - a high flown, poetic word for "seeker"

Good luck with this one...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs 12 mins (2004-03-29 16:22:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The point I was trying to make is fairly simple - the word \"priiskatel\" is not normally used in the modern Russian. One of the meainings (from Dal\'s dictionary, Kirill\'s quote):
Also, in Dal\'s dictionary:
ПРИИСКИВАТЬ ... Приискиватель, приискатель, -ница, ищущий что-либо; приискавший, нашедший искомое. Somebody siiking something or having found something.

It doesn\'t have anything to do with mining, prospecting, gold or whatever. The modern Russian word for that would be \"iskatel\". I suspect that the author intentinally used this rather unusual word to keep the second meaning - \"seeker\", in a very general sence, nothing to do with geology or mining.

If you think it is the case - probably \"Gold seeker\" or something of the kind would do it - in my view it maintains both meanings.


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Note added at 2 hrs 13 mins (2004-03-29 16:23:25 GMT)
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somebody sEEking, off course

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Note added at 2 hrs 13 mins (2004-03-29 16:24:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

and intentiOnally

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs 16 mins (2004-03-29 16:26:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or even \"The Seeker\" - depending on what\'s in the novel...

nuclear
Local time: 14:48
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 10

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Kirill Semenov: the word is in Ozhegov's dictionary... ADDED: I also found it in Dal's dict. I'm very suspicious that the meaning might change by Ozhegov's times, though. Just a feeling.
2 mins
  -> Novel circa 1990... Still strange...The word sounds archaic at best (actually it still sound bad Russian to me, but I might ber wrong here. I really don't have an opinion.

agree  Alexandra Tussing: well researched
8 hrs
  -> Thanks :)
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