Placing a singles ad in Russian: how I can help
- I'll help you to express your essence in 25 words. A singles translated direct from English, without cultural adaptation, is likely to either bring no result (if you are lucky), to result in misunderstandings (if you are not), or to expose you to manipulations. At this state mine (and Pasha's help is essential). If you don't plan on using our services you can still send us your ad for comments.
- We'll confine your search to a certain geographical region. If you are looking for a traditional woman who wants to stay at home and needs a breadwinner husband, I recommend small-town and rural Russia. If a modern professional woman would make a better mate for you, I would recommend concentrating on Moscow, St. Petersburg, and a few other major cities.
- I'll submit your ad to the singles sections of newspapers of your choice (10 submissions, of which 3-5 will realistically be printed outside of Moscow, while in Moscow we can easily monitor that all ads are printed as submitted)
- Replies can be sent to our post-office box in Moscow. That's quicker and more reliable than sending them directly abroad. Also, for some of the small-town women, the 50 cent cost of postal stamps may be a discouragement.
- Processing of responses. While the probability if running into scam is pretty low if you proceed the route suggested it is wise to have me look at the replies you get. While on the subject, I urge you to alert me of anything suspicious, and especially of the "I love you - send me money for the ticket" motive. Responses can be translated and e-mailed to you. Same with photos.
- Facilitation of communications. You can e-mail your response to us, we'll print it out, and send it "registered" locally.
On the average, the above process results in 10-30 suitable replies. The total amount of administrative time I put into a typical singles ad project, from conception to translating and forwarding replies, is two days. The cost of actual advertising and correspondence is around $50. thus the total will be in the neighbourhood of $200. This includes processing of correspondence for one month after the publication for 1.5 months after the publication of your ad.