Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'manpower'

English Word: manpower

Key Russian Translations:

• рабочая сила [rɐˈboʧɪjə ˈsʲilə] - [Formal, often used in business or economic contexts]
• кадры [ˈkadɨrɨ] - [Formal, more specific to personnel or workforce in organizational settings]
• человеческие ресурсы [ʧʲɪlovʲɛˈʃʲeskʲɪɪ rʲɪˈsursɨ] - [Formal, modern and corporate-oriented, equivalent to 'human resources']

Frequency: Medium (commonly encountered in professional, economic, and governmental discussions, but less frequent in everyday casual conversation).

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of abstract concepts and nominal phrases, with variations depending on context. For 'кадры', it may be B1 if focused on basic vocabulary; for 'человеческие ресурсы', it could lean towards B2 due to compound structure.)

Pronunciation (Russian):

рабочая сила: [rɐˈboʧɪjə ˈsʲilə]

кадры: [ˈkadɨrɨ]

человеческие ресурсы: [ʧʲɪlovʲɛˈʃʲeskʲɪɪ rʲɪˈsursɨ]

Note on рабочая сила: The stress falls on the second syllable of "рабочая" and the first of "сила"; be mindful of the soft 'ч' sound, which can be challenging for English speakers. Variations in regional accents may soften the vowels.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: Workforce or labor force (referring to the total number of people available for work, often in an economic or business context)

Translation(s) & Context:

• рабочая сила - Used in formal discussions about employment, economics, or demographics, such as in reports or policy documents.
• кадры - Applied in organizational or HR contexts, emphasizing skilled personnel rather than general labor.
• человеческие ресурсы - Common in modern corporate settings, akin to English "human resources," focusing on management and development.

Usage Examples:

• В нашей стране рабочая сила составляет значительную часть экономики.

  In our country, the workforce makes up a significant part of the economy.

• Компания инвестирует в развитие кадров для повышения производительности.

  The company invests in staff development to increase productivity.

• Человеческие ресурсы являются ключевым активом любой успешной фирмы.

  Human resources are the key asset of any successful firm.

• Из-за миграции рабочая сила в регионе сокращается.

  Due to migration, the workforce in the region is decreasing.

Meaning 2: Available personnel or manpower in a specific project or military context

Translation(s) & Context:

• рабочая сила - Used in project management or military scenarios to denote available workers or troops.
• кадры - More specific to trained personnel, such as in the armed forces or skilled labor pools.

Usage Examples:

• Для завершения проекта нам нужна дополнительная рабочая сила.

  To complete the project, we need additional manpower.

• Во время войны кадровые резервы были мобилизованы.

  During the war, personnel reserves were mobilized.

• Человеческие ресурсы в армии должны быть хорошо подготовлены.

  Manpower in the army must be well-trained.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

"Рабочая сила" is a noun phrase where "рабочая" is a feminine adjective and "сила" is a feminine noun. It follows standard Russian inflection rules:

• сила (feminine noun, 1st declension): Inflects by case and number. For example:

  Case	Singular	Plural
  Nominative	сила	силы
  Genitive	силы	сил
  Dative	силе	силам
  Accusative	силу	силы
  Instrumental	силой	силами
  Prepositional	силе	силах

• рабочая (adjective): Agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case. In plural, it becomes "рабочие силы".
• кадры (plural noun, indeclinable in modern usage): Typically remains unchanged in most cases, e.g., "кадры" in nominative and genitive plural.
• человеческие ресурсы: "Человеческие" is an adjective that inflects (e.g., genitive: человеческих ресурсов), while "ресурсы" follows standard plural noun inflections.

Note: These are regular inflections, but context may dictate variations.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • персонал (staff; more general and interchangeable in corporate contexts)
  • трудовые ресурсы (labor resources; emphasizes economic aspects with subtle differences in formality)
• Antonyms:
  • безработица (unemployment; highlights the absence of workforce)
  • недостаток кадров (shortage of personnel; specific to availability issues)

Related Phrases:

• дешевая рабочая сила - Cheap labor; refers to low-cost workforce, often in economic discussions.
• квалифицированные кадры - Qualified personnel; used for skilled workers in professional settings.
• управление человеческими ресурсами - Human resources management; a common phrase in business for overseeing staff.

Usage Notes:

When translating "manpower" to Russian, choose based on context: "рабочая сила" for general economic or labor force discussions, "кадры" for organizational personnel, and "человеческие ресурсы" for modern HR terminology. Be aware of formal restrictions—avoid "кадры" in casual speech. Grammatically, ensure adjectives agree with nouns in case, number, and gender. In Russian, these terms often appear in singular or plural forms depending on the subject, so pay attention to sentence structure for accurate usage.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using "сила" alone without "рабочая," which might imply physical strength rather than workforce. Correct: рабочая сила. Explanation: In Russian, the full phrase is needed for precision; omitting "рабочая" changes the meaning entirely.
• Error: Incorrectly inflecting "кадры" as if it were a singular noun. Correct: Always treat it as plural (e.g., "кадры нужны" instead of "кадр нужен"). Explanation: "Кадры" is inherently plural, so learners often forget to adjust verbs and adjectives accordingly.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture and history, terms like "рабочая сила" are tied to the Soviet era's emphasis on industrialization and collective labor. For instance, during the USSR, manpower was a central theme in propaganda, symbolizing national strength and economic planning. Today, it reflects ongoing discussions about labor migration and workforce challenges in Russia, such as in regions with demographic shifts.

Related Concepts:

• экономика (economy)
• труд (labor)
• персонал (staff)