When off the beaten tourist track non-Russian
speakers will find that busy shop clerks, devious
taxi drivers, and surly waiters usually have little
tolerance for those who haven't spent years
developing their Russian language ability. On the
other hand, when in a social environment any effort
on your part to speak Russian will serve not only to
break the ice but will also help the listener to feel
more relaxed about trying to speak your language. You
will constantly hear apologies from Russians for
their pronunciation and vocabulary even if they are
quite conversational in your language. When speaking
a foreign language to Russians be aware that modesty
may keep them from asking you to repeat something
that they feel they should have understood the first
time.
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