As for “Stalker” and “Roadside Picnic”, I have to say that before yesterday I even didn’t know the novel’s events have been in CANADA (!). I always supposed that Strugatsky brothers just thought up some Middle-Western-European location in unknown elsewhere ;))) pure fantastic way… Some Babylon, it’s mix of nations, locations under label O.U.N. (United Nations). But yesterday I have found in Internet English introduce to the novel and read that “Zone in Canada’s Harmont”. It’s interesting that Western publishers emphasis this detail!
By the way, here is parallel Russian-English text of “Road picnic”. It’s very interesting to compare the original and translation ;)
In particularly, I have noticed that Stalkers’ jargon word «хабар» (stuff from Zone) is translated as “swag” (if I’m not mistaken). Interesting that ‘Russian’ «хабар» has clear Turkish origin (in any way, for Russian hearing).
As for word «калоша» as “boot” is direct translation, but I think there something is lost (and, maybe, something is added in sense halftones). Russian word «калоша» sometimes is used as jargon archaism yet…
Roadside Picnic - Russian and English texts
By the way, here is parallel Russian-English text of “Road picnic”. It’s very interesting to compare the original and translation ;)
http://www.shnaresys.com/roadside/picnic/parallel.htm
In particularly, I have noticed that Stalkers’ jargon word «хабар» (stuff from Zone) is translated as “swag” (if I’m not mistaken). Interesting that ‘Russian’ «хабар» has clear Turkish origin (in any way, for Russian hearing).
As for word «калоша» as “boot” is direct translation, but I think there something is lost (and, maybe, something is added in sense halftones). Russian word «калоша» sometimes is used as jargon archaism yet…