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Other issues important to a Minsk tourist: Belarus state holidays, Minsk internet cafes, Minsk weather, Belarus draniki recipe, Belarus travel safety, etc.Any Russian phrases to learn for my Belarus travel?
Those who have traveled to Belarus noticed that outside tourist places such as hotels, travel agencies and nightclubs there are not too many English-speakers among Belarusians who can maintain a decent conversation.
Even in such important places as ticket offices of Minsk Central Railway Station you will have to use all the fingers and probably toes to get your message to the ticket assistant. Also, about 99 per cent of road signs in Belarus are either in Russian or in Belarusian (which is quite similar to Russian, but is still a different language) which makes it even harder to navigate.
Most local pointers are in Belarusian
Sure enough, it is for mixing up with the locals and learning more about the true way of life in your tourist destination that makes you pack your things up and go on a trip. But knowing a few Russian words does no harm, especially if your itinerary takes you via Belarus to the former USSR countries – where they haven’t quite forgotten the sound of the Russian language (just don’t try Russian in Western Ukraine!).
Being a linguist and a former travel agent, I finally decided to cook up a sort of a travel dictionary with some simple Russian phrases you might need during the trip. While there are a few books that explain the basis of Russian for travelers available in the market, mine is free of charge and is updated more often.
The phrasebook was slightly adjusted to Belarusian circumstances (Minsk street geography, etc.) and is available for a free download. In return I would appreciate your feedback that will help to improve this stuff and make it really good for a curious traveler.
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