Translating Ideals: Soviet Postcards and the Great October Day

Today’s date reminded me of a translation project I worked on, on and off, for over two years. It involved translating dozens of Soviet postcards for a book published earlier this year: Industrial Modernity. Soviet Era Postcard Design by Archidustrial.

A substantial number of those postcards were dedicated to celebrating the Great October Revolution on 7 November. To the uninitiated, that date may seem at odds with the name. The explanation lies in the difference between the calendars used in Russia at the time. The revolution began on 25 October 1917 according to the Julian calendar, overthrowing the tsarist regime and the provisional government under the slogan “Power to the Soviets!” However, when the country adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1918, the date shifted to 7 November. It became a public holiday that same year and remained so until 2005.

The Great October Day was one of those occasions when Soviet people sent postcards to friends and family, genuinely congratulating each other on the hopes that historic day symbolised for ordinary people. We wished one another good health and success in studies and work - “career” might have sounded a little too self-serving back then. Postcards were also a chance to share snippets of personal news, as very few had telephones at home; letter and postcard writing were an essential part of communication.

Translating the personal messages on the backs of those cards reminded me how deeply people believed in their ideals of equality and how they strived to build a better future for themselves and generations to come - something others might now dismiss as propaganda.

These postcards are a window into an era, an incredible insight into Soviet life, which has always fascinated people on the other side of the Iron Curtain. For me, they were a blast from the past; for others, they may be a revelation.

[Tip: The book Industrial Modernity. Soviet Era Postcard Design is available to purchase online.]