Russian speakers--I need help with translation of a Russia phrase.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

The term is “разведку”.

I know what Google translate gives but I was wondering if there was an additional context for it.

[MineralMan]

1. Without any context, it's impossible to provide any translation better than Google's.

If you can provide the sentence it was in, I can probably help.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

2. Konstantin Rykov describing Carter Page's visit to Moscow

“Он и приехал на разведку, чтобы понять реакцию на Дональда“

[MineralMan]

4. OK.

He came to the intelligence service to understand the reaction to Donald

That's Google's translation. I can't do any better. That would be my translation, too.

[lanlady]

11. "He came to collect intelligence to understand the reaction to Donald"

You could also say, he came to gather information in order to understand the reaction to Donald.

[MineralMan]

3. That word is in the objective case, so it needs context.

The nominative case for it is разведка, which can mean "intelligence service." It might also mean research, reconnaissance, or investigation. Context is essential.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. That's what is puzzling me.

Basically in July 2016 Rykov posts on Facebook that Carter Page is in Moscow to give a speech but the speech is a cover.

He then further explains with the sentence I gave you. Google Translate translated it as “intelligence service” which I took to mean something like the FSB or GRU. And the Steele Dossier alleges Page met with Igor Dyverkin, a Russian intel officer.

But someone else pointed out to me that sentence could have just meant Page himself was gaining “intelligence” from Russians on his visit in the sense of general opinions of Trump from Russians, not necessarily covert intelligence.

It’s a pretty major distinction. Knowing what is alleged about Page I have the sense the Google Translate was originally correct, but I don’t want my biases influencing what was actually intended.

[MineralMan]

9. I think the translation is right.

He went there to find out what the Russians were thinking about Trump. It's very straightforward, really.

[lanlady]

12. The phrase doesn't imply an intelligence service

Rykov simply means that Page is scouting things out.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

15. Hmm.

I suppose that could be the case and still be in line with the greater context knowing what we know.

Page “gathering information” could still imply he met with Russian intelligence but Rykov intended to say it euphemistically. Unfortunately Google Translate betrayed his slyness.

I guess also Page could have just gone to Moscow to get ordinary information but why would Rykov bother to go into detail about that?

Bottom line is it still a mystery that probably only Mueller and our intel guys know for now.

[lanlady]

10. Not quite "intelligence service" MineralMan

Razvedka is intelligence gathering. Intelligence service is sluzhba razvedki

(I’m being too lazy to switch to Cyrillic keyboard!)

[MineralMan]

14. I believe it is commonly used to refer to

the GRU. The old headquarters of it was called "akvar" in transliteration. Aquarium.

Nicknames for organizations are pretty common, and razvedka would fit.

I'm not that current on Russian vernacular language trends.

[MineralMan]

16. The preposition "na" in that sentence implies going to a place.

What place? The "razvedky." That's why I think it's a short form for an intelligence agency.

I learned very quickly when transcribing, translating, and analyzing spoken Russian that academic Russian is not how people speak. Context was everything, and there were shortcut words for many places and things. That was especially true in military and government language.

[MineralMan]

5. By the way, I learned Russian courtesy of

The USAF, back in the 1960s. It's rusty, but still there. Just in case anyone wonders.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

7. Thanks.

I can pick out bits and pieces of Ukrainian, verbally, from my upbringing and some words and phrases are similar to Russian.

No clue in terms of written versions of either language, however.

[MineralMan]

13. I think it's a short name for the GRU, as used

in that sentence. The R in that designation is a long adjectival form of the word with an infix in the middle. That's my bet.

[lanlady]

8. Means "intelligence" or "reconnaissance"

What spies conduct.

Razvedku, as you have it spelled, is in the accusative case. Nominative case (the way you would look it up in the dictionary) would be razvedka.