7/31/2019 "America: Found in Translation" Project (10-11 graders) - I Prize (Anastasia Chernomorets)

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America: Found in Translation Project

Translation of an episode from TV series One-Storied America

I prize (10-11 graders)

Anastasia Chernomorets (School # 1)

The smell of America isnt just the smell of money. It is also the smell of freedom and

the smell of promises and wishes coming true. When brought together it is called an

American dream. People from all other the world have been striving here for the sake of it.

Its here that ships come and the Statue of Liberty meets absolutely all of them. I

remember it very well when I a fifteen year old boy was leaving America, saying goodbye to

her. I had such a heartbreaking feeling. Of course, I couldnt even imagine that I wouldnt be

able to see the city for a great many years. I had a feeling of parting when we were passing

by.

Ilf and Petrov like everybody arriving to America by sea for the last hundred years

were welcomed by Miss Liberty, the official name of which is The Liberty, Lighting up the

World. It was created by a sculptor Frederic Bartholdi and placed October 28, 1886 onLiberty Island or former Bedloes Island.

The pedestal stands on the foundation which has the form of a star with eleven rays.

This reminds us there was a Fort on the island which had eleven rays. Close to Liberty Island

there is one more island which is no less if not far more famous. Its Ellis Island, which

opened its gates for the immigrants January 1, 1892 and they were closed in 1954. During the

62 years twelve million striving for freedom further Americans citizens, passed through the

gates of the filtration post on Island of Tears as Ellis Island was often called.

Once a Kazak came. For example, his family name was Shostakovitch, which

embarrassed the policeman a lot.What? - He says his surname is Shostakovitch. - OK.

Youll be Kollin - No. - Do you want to pass? - Of course. - So you are Kollin and thats

all. Many family names were changed in this way. They were too difficult to be pronounced

thats why they were altered.

Exhausted from a long voyage, people had to spend long tiresome hours in an endless

queue waiting for humiliating medical checks, close studies of their papers and more than

that they had to answer unceasing and hardly intelligible questions like Are you an

anarchist? or Are you going to take up prostitution? and even Have you got money?

7/31/2019 "America: Found in Translation" Project (10-11 graders) - I Prize (Anastasia Chernomorets)

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They were a few hours of fear before getting a long-awaited permission or refusal.

It was all done for the sake of getting away from home to a foreign country with no

language skills, no idea about the culture!-Well, have a look at the faces!They have

different characters-the Germans, the French, the Irish, the English, the Jews, the Russian, -

all of them have their own traits. Just imagine that all these characters once jumped into a

pot and a new personality came out. It was called an American character. What is it? Well,

its a mixture of greediness and generosity, adventurism and persistence, belief in victory and

diligence and above all their main trait called optimism.