Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'inoculate'

English Word: inoculate

Key Russian Translations:

• вакцинировать /væk.siˈni.rə.vatʲ/ - [Formal, Medical context]
• иммунизировать /im.mu.niˈzi.rə.vatʲ/ - [Formal, Scientific or broader immunity context]

Frequency: Medium (Common in medical and health discussions, but not everyday casual speech)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires familiarity with medical terminology and verb conjugations, as per CEFR standards)

Pronunciation (Russian):

вакцинировать: /væk.siˈni.rə.vatʲ/

Note on вакцинировать: The stress falls on the third syllable ("ni"), which can be challenging for learners due to the cluster of consonants. Pronunciation may vary slightly in fast speech.

иммунизировать: /im.mu.niˈzi.rə.vatʲ/

Note on иммунизировать: Stress is on the fourth syllable ("zi"); be mindful of the soft sign (ь) affecting the preceding consonant's sound.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. To introduce a vaccine into the body to produce immunity against a specific disease (Literal, medical sense).

Translation(s) & Context:

• вакцинировать - Used in formal medical settings, such as clinics or public health campaigns, to describe the act of vaccination.
• иммунизировать - Applied in broader contexts, including scientific discussions about achieving immunity through vaccination or other means.

Usage Examples:

• Врачи вакцинировали всех детей в школе против сезонного гриппа.

  Doctors inoculated all the children at school against seasonal flu.

• Медицинские работники рекомендуют иммунизировать население для предотвращения эпидемий.

  Medical workers recommend inoculating the population to prevent epidemics.

• Во время пандемии врачи вакцинировали пациентов в поликлинике.

  During the pandemic, doctors inoculated patients at the clinic.

• Иммунизировать группу волонтеров помогло снизить риск инфекции.

  Inoculating the group of volunteers helped reduce the risk of infection.

• Вакцинировать домашних животных от бешенства – обязательная процедура.

  Inoculating domestic animals against rabies is a mandatory procedure.

2. To protect against something harmful by introducing a small amount (Figurative sense, e.g., ideas or influences).

Translation(s) & Context:

• иммунизировать - Often used metaphorically in educational or psychological contexts to mean building resistance to negative influences.

Usage Examples:

• Школа старается иммунизировать учеников от дезинформации через уроки медиаграмотности.

  The school tries to inoculate students against misinformation through media literacy lessons.

• Родители иммунизируют детей критическим мышлением, чтобы они не поддавались пропаганде.

  Parents inoculate children with critical thinking to prevent them from falling for propaganda.

• Книги по психологии помогают иммунизировать человека от стресса.

  Psychology books help inoculate a person against stress.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "вакцинировать" and "иммунизировать" are first-conjugation verbs in Russian, which follow regular patterns but can have irregularities in certain forms. They are imperfective verbs, meaning they describe ongoing or repeated actions. Below is a table outlining key inflections for each verb.

Note: These verbs do not have irregular forms, but aspect changes (e.g., to perfective: привить for вакцинировать) may be needed for completed actions.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • привить (privit') - More specific to grafting or initial vaccination; often used interchangeably in medical contexts.
  • иммунизировать (as above, but can be a synonym in broader senses).
• Antonyms:
  • инфицировать (infitsirovat') - Means to infect, implying the opposite of building immunity.
  • заразить (zarazit') - To contaminate or spread disease.

Related Phrases:

• Сделать прививку - To get a vaccination; used in everyday medical advice.
• Иммунизация населения - Immunization of the population; common in public health discussions.
• Прививка от болезни - Inoculation against a disease; a fixed phrase for preventive measures.

Usage Notes:

• Choose "вакцинировать" for direct medical procedures involving vaccines, as it aligns closely with the literal English meaning of "inoculate." It's more common in formal healthcare settings.
• "Иммунизировать" is preferable for figurative or broader contexts, such as psychological resistance, and can encompass non-vaccine methods of immunity.
• Both verbs are typically used in formal language; avoid in casual conversations. Always consider the aspect (imperfective vs. perfective) for accurate tense usage.
• In Russian, these verbs require the accusative case for the object (e.g., вакцинировать кого-то от чего-то), which differs from English structure.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using "вакцинировать" interchangeably with "иммунизировать" without context, leading to imprecise meaning. Correct: "Врачи вакцинировали пациентов" (specific to vaccination). Incorrect: "Врачи иммунизировали пациентов от идей" (might imply broader protection, but could confuse if not intended).
• Error: Neglecting verb conjugation, e.g., saying "я вакцинировать" instead of "я вакцинирую." Correct: Always conjugate based on subject and tense as shown in the inflections table above.
• Error: Forgetting the preposition "от" (from) in phrases like "вакцинировать от болезни." Correct: Use "вакцинировать от" to specify what is being protected against; without it, the sentence may sound incomplete.

Cultural Notes:

In Russia, vaccination (вакцинация) is a significant part of public health policy, often mandatory for children due to historical experiences with diseases like polio and tuberculosis. Terms like "вакцинировать" carry connotations of state-mandated programs, reflecting a cultural emphasis on collective health and Soviet-era medical legacies.

Related Concepts:

• прививка (vaccination)
• иммунитет (immunity)
• эпидемия (epidemic)