Babushka

Hi everyone!

Recently I learned that the word "babushka" in English doesn't mean the same thing as the Russian word "бабушка [BA-bush-ka] (grandmother)." spoken by Americans

Funnily enough, it means a shawl with tips under the chin. Most elderly Russian grandmothers really do wear the same shawls. =)
This was a little wonder for me. Despite that, there are many words in Russian which hint us a correct writting are similar in sound and meaning to the English word. For example, "сюрприз [sur-PREEZ] (surprise)" or "финал [fee-NAL] (final)," "babushka" is an exception. :)

Then there are "the treacherous translater's friends," words which sound the same, but they have an absolutely different meaning. For instance, words such as a "magazine" (магазин [ma-ga-ZEEN]; means "shop" in Russian), "genial" (гениальный; means "incredibly clever" in Russian). These words have confused me. :)

Sorry for my weird Russian transcription. :)

How is your success in learning foreign languages? :)

*Do not be disheartened by all the red marks, you were completely understandable, I am just correcting the grammar and improving the flow. =) 

I wish my Russian was as good as your English! Grammar and pronunciation have been giving me headaches for too long. I remember trying to buy Vodka in Moscow, and the lady stared at me blankly because I pronounced it as [VAhd-ka]. She started listing out every liquor they had and when she said "vodka," [VOhd-ka] it sounded exactly the same to me. Anyway, the lady looked at me like I was an idiot, and walked off mumbling something, probably about stupid foreigners. =o