The dual-language text has been arranged into sentences and shorter paragraphs for quick and easy cross-referencing. The source text is the Russian language edition of Voice of America (VOA). The Russian text has been translated into English for this dual-language project.
The reader can choose between four formats:
Section 1: English to Russian
Section 2: Russian to English
Section 3: English
Section 4: Russian
A methodology for getting the most out of this bilingual format is explained in the book’s Foreword.
The primary purpose of this text is to equip a foreign language learner with the ability to start reading news in the particular foreign language: to be able to read only in the foreign language, and extract enough understanding to continue the language learning process fruitfully this way.
A reader might like to go back to reading dual-language news for reinforcement and further development, returning to foreign language only news with a deeper understanding. By going back to the same ‘old’ news, you are going over words, word patterns, and passages with which you already have a certain familiarity. The process of reinforcement, learning or retaining of what is new, and exposure to what is unfamiliar, is much easier this way — even though the news may seem a little dated.
The aim of informing the reader about actual news is secondary, especially given that the content will become less current (and less relevant) over time.