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A Soviet soldier served as a language specialist in Northern Kabul, Afghanistan, before being recruited by the private military company Diamond Dogs.

Biography[]

The language specialist participated in the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, whose job was to translate West-related information from English into Russian for the Soviets' use.[1] However, the soldier secretly sought to defect to the West in order to be able to live a free life.[2] During his time in Afghanistan, he taught a fellow soldier the innuendo-laced phrase "I spent last night with your girlfriend."[3]

In 1984, the Diamond Dogs received intel on his existence and deployment into the region.[1][4][5] With Venom Snake and Ocelot unable to speak or efficiently translate Russian, respectively, recruiting a skilled interpreter became necessary.[6] Upon being extracted to Mother Base via the Fulton recovery system, the soldier was very cooperative with his captors, largely because they allowed him to leave communist suppression behind. Kazuhira Miller then moved him to the Support Unit, where the soldier proceeded to supply Venom Snake with Russian translations.[2]

Behind the scenes[]

The Russian interpreter is a key character in a Side Op for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The character and his role was shown in the E3 2015 gameplay demo. His appearance reiterates what early press releases stated about the game in terms of needing an interpreter in order to understand foreign languages. His code name on Mother Base is Ochre Capybara.

In the E3 demo, he was located at Lamar Khaate Palace's second floor, and Snake needed to have DD distract him in order to knock him out, and then Fulton him via a gap in the ceiling. In the actual game, however, he is at a checkpoint near the Eastern Communications Outpost with two other soldiers, and can be heard trying to "train" another soldier nearby to speak English. Because of most Side Ops being blanked out upon being completed, including the side op he appears in, his dialogue with the soldier is the only one that cannot be translated at all. However, Piggyback Guides did supply a translation for his dialogue in their extra section.

Gallery[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ^ a b Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain E3 game demo, Kojima Productions (2015).
    Kazuhira Miller: We've found out there's an English-speaking soldier somewhere in the region. He's a language specialist. His role is to translate information relating to the West into Russian. If we can get him to join us, we'll have the upper hand in information warfare. Find this language specialist and extract him.
  2. ^ a b Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain E3 game demo, Kojima Productions (2015).
    Kazuhira Miller: Boss, that language specialist you extracted has been very cooperative. Says he's always dreamed of living a free life like folks in the West. What are the odds, huh? I've gone ahead and placed him in the Support Unit. His job is "Russian Interpretation." Now you'll know what Soviet soldiers are saying. You can even interrogate them. Should give you an edge in the mission.
  3. ^ Soviet soldier: You do speak English, right? Interpretation section for Western information must be pretty hard. I see the light turned on until late in the evening. // Interpreter: Yes, we read their newspapers or magazines the whole day. I also dream in English. // Soviet soldier: Really? Tell me something interesting that I can tell an American someday. // Interpreter: Alright, then repeat after me. // Interpreter: I spent... // Soviet soldier: I spent... // Interpreter: ...last night... // Soviet soldier: ...last night... // Interpreter: ...with your girlfriend. // Soviet soldier: ...with your girlfriend. // Interpreter: Not bad. // Soviet soldier: Fine. What does this mean? // Interpreter: It means, "I'm a good friend of your friend." // Soviet soldier: Nice sentence! Even in the Cold War, nothing is better than to be friends. // Interpreter: Yeah, so that we can exchange blows. // Soviet soldier: Ha ha, indeed! Teach me more someday. // Interpreter: Sure. Bye.
  4. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain E3 game demo, Kojima Productions (2015).
    Kazuhira Miller: He [Soviet soldier] speaks Russian. What we need is an interpreter. The main principle of intelligence work is intel gathering. That's a problem if you don't speak the enemy's language. We need a staff member with the interpreter skill to simultaneous interpretation.
    This conversation is only accessed if the player attempts to interrogate a Soviet soldier before recruiting the Russian interpreter.
  5. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015).
    Ocelot: Boss, you don't understand what he said? Ahh... I guess that makes sense... It looks like that "horn" stuck in your head has impacted the language center of your brain. If only we had a recruit with the Russian "Interpreter" skill, we could get by with simultaneous interpretation...
  6. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015).
    Ocelot: Understanding a language, and being able to interpret from that language for somebody else, are two different things. Juggling languages at a rapid-fire pace is more difficult than you might think, so... in other words, while I do speak Russian, don't expect me to do your interpreting.
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