I am a Russian Translation major at Hunter, going into the medical field. Half of my family immigrated to America after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the other half stayed in Belarus and Israel. However, we have always kept close contact with the other side, so communicating in any language other than Russian was out of the question. Speaking Russian and understanding Russian culture, to me at least, are two different things. I chose the Russian major and have participated in Tamizdat Project as an intern to get a better understanding of the culture and history of my heritage, as well as to try my translation skills on a professional level.