Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'immunize'

English Word: immunize

Key Russian Translations:

• иммунизировать [ɪm.mu.nʲɪ.zʲɪ.rʲo.vatʲ] - [Formal, Medical]
• вакцинировать [vək.tsʲɪ.nʲɪ.rʲo.vatʲ] - [Formal, Commonly used in healthcare contexts]

Frequency: Medium (Frequently encountered in medical, health, and public service discussions, but not in everyday casual conversation)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires familiarity with medical terminology and verb conjugations, though basic forms can be grasped at A2 level)

Pronunciation (Russian):

иммунизировать: [ɪm.mu.nʲɪ.zʲɪ.rʲo.vatʲ]

вакцинировать: [vək.tsʲɪ.nʲɪ.rʲo.vatʲ]

Note on иммунизировать: The stress falls on the fourth syllable ("zʲɪ.rʲo"), which can be tricky for beginners; ensure a soft pronunciation of the 'нʲ' sound, common in Russian verbs.

Note on вакцинировать: Stress on the second syllable ("tsʲɪ"); the 'ц' is pronounced as [ts], similar to English 'ts' in "cats".

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

To protect against disease by vaccination or inoculation.

Translation(s) & Context:

• иммунизировать - Used in formal medical contexts, such as public health campaigns or clinical discussions, to refer to making someone immune through various methods.
• вакцинировать - Specifically applied in scenarios involving vaccines, often in everyday healthcare settings like doctor visits or immunization drives.

Usage Examples:

• Врачи рекомендуют иммунизировать всех детей от опасных инфекций в раннем возрасте.

  Doctors recommend immunizing all children against dangerous infections at an early age.

• Правительство планирует вакцинировать население для предотвращения эпидемий.

  The government plans to immunize the population to prevent epidemics.

• Родители должны иммунизировать своих детей перед поездкой в тропические страны.

  Parents should immunize their children before traveling to tropical countries.

• В клинике можно вакцинировать против гриппа, чтобы повысить иммунитет.

  At the clinic, you can get immunized against the flu to boost immunity.

• Специалисты настаивают на том, чтобы иммунизировать пожилых людей от пневмонии.

  Specialists insist on immunizing elderly people against pneumonia.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "иммунизировать" and "вакцинировать" are first-conjugation verbs in Russian, following regular patterns for imperfective verbs. They are imperfective aspects, meaning they describe ongoing or repeated actions. Below is a table outlining key inflections for each verb in the present tense (as an example; full conjugations vary by tense).

Note: These verbs are regular, so they follow standard patterns across tenses (e.g., past tense: иммунизировал/вакцинировал). No irregular forms exist, making them relatively straightforward for learners.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • вакцинировать (Similar to иммунизировать but more vaccine-specific; often interchangeable in medical contexts)
  • профилактировать (More general, meaning to prevent through prophylaxis)
• Antonyms:
  • инфицировать (To infect, directly opposing the idea of protection)
  • заражать (To contaminate or spread disease)

Related Phrases:

• Прививка от гриппа - (Vaccination against the flu; used in routine health check-ups)
• Иммунизация населения - (Immunization of the population; refers to large-scale public health programs)
• Вакцинация детей - (Child vaccination; common in pediatric contexts, emphasizing preventive care)

Usage Notes:

"Иммунизировать" directly corresponds to the English "immunize" in a broad sense, covering any method of building immunity, while "вакцинировать" is more precise for vaccine-based immunization. Use "иммунизировать" in formal or scientific discussions, but opt for "вакцинировать" in everyday medical scenarios. Both verbs require agreement with the subject in person and number, and they are often used with prepositions like "от" (from) to specify the disease, e.g., "от COVID-19". English learners should note that Russian verbs can have aspectual pairs; for perfective actions, use "иммунизировать" with prefixes if needed.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Confusing "иммунизировать" with "иммунитет" (immunity, a noun), leading to incorrect sentence structure. For example, learners might say "Я иммунитет" instead of "Я иммунизирован".
  Correct: "Я был иммунизирован от вируса" (I was immunized against the virus). Explanation: "Иммунитет" is a state, not an action, so use the verb form appropriately.
• Mistake: Overusing "вакцинировать" for non-vaccine contexts, e.g., saying "вакцинировать от аллергии" when it doesn't apply.
  Correct: Use "иммунизировать" for general immunity-building. Explanation: "Вакцинировать" is vaccine-specific, so reserve it for inoculation scenarios to avoid inaccuracy.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture and healthcare systems, immunization is a highly emphasized public health measure, influenced by historical events like Soviet-era vaccination programs. Words like "иммунизировать" carry connotations of state-mandated health initiatives, reflecting a collectivistic approach to medicine, which contrasts with more individualized practices in some Western countries.

Related Concepts:

• иммунитет (immunity)
• вакцина (vaccine)
• эпидемия (epidemic)
• профилактика (prevention)