Lynn Visson holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University, taught Russian language and literature at Columbia University, and was a staff interpreter at the United Nations. She teaches interpretation and translation at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and at other American and European universities. Of Russian background, she is the author of several books including Wedded Strangers: The Challenges of Russian-American Marriages (Hippocrene Books, 2001), and numerous books and articles on Russian language, literature, and culture. Dr. Visson travels frequently to Russia; she is a member of the editorial boards of Mosty, a Moscow-based journal on translation and interpretation, and the American-based journal SlavFile.

This is the only text that actually teaches the student how to cope with practical Russian-English interpretation and translation problems which are becoming ever more important in today's global village. All those to whom I have recommended the first edition have found it a highly useful if not indispensable tool, and this revised and expanded version will be welcomed by advanced students of Russian as well as future interpreters and translators. Dr. Visson is to be commended for her emphasis on the importance of using correct and appropriate English equivalents for a broad range of Russian formal and informal colloquial expressions. --Frank J. Miller, Russian Language Coordinator, Columbia University President, AATSEEL