# Kickback



## RhoKappa

This is a very popular slang term in the world of business.  A kickback is usually a sum of money or something of value in exchange for business given.  For example, Yuri introduces a friend Sergei as a new client to Anna, who works as a real estate agent.  Soon after, Sergei buys a house with Anna's help and Anna receives a $1000 commission for the sale of the house.  Anna shows appreciation to Yuri by giving him $100--hence, the kickback.

Kickbacks are not always given directly as cash.  For example, Yuri can also be a wine distributor and can choose any winemaker to buy from.  He chose to buy 10,000 cases of wine from a smaller winemaker.  As a kickback, the winemaker treats Yuri and his wife to a lavish vacation to St. Petersburg.

Variants are endless.  Как сказать по-русски?


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## Maroseika

If you mean something illegal, this is откат. But for legal variant, I think, there is no special term in Russian.
Maybe just благодарность as in: 
Найди мне хорошего клиента, а я тебя отблагодарю (or в долгу не останусь).


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## RhoKappa

I did a quick Google search and the word отдача was offered. Would this be correct?


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## estreets

No, _отдача _doesn't sound correct. _отдача _is mostly a physical effect, but not something pecuniary.
An absolete word would be _магарыч_. If I could use a colloquial verb, I would say _отстегнуть_. 
_В долгу не остаться_ offered by Maroseika sounds OK as well.
Another colloquial phrase (not a noun again) is _за мной не заржавеет_.


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## Maroseika

RhoKappa said:


> I did a quick Google search and the word отдача was offered. Would this be correct?



No, this is wrong. Отдача means return, i.e. that something is given back in the same amount as has been taken, and usually is applied to something not valuable, so that return is not presumed by default:

- Можно твой карандаш?
- Можно, только с отдачей.


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## horace.mik

I've found the term "взятка" (I never heard it before in Russian, I  specify that my Russian is rather lacking), that should be something acting  as payment (money or goods) to corrupt the diplomatic staff or  functionaries. As the RhoKappa case, I don't think the question is about  illegal acts (at least not grave). As I've understood, the kickbacks,  in that case, would be a kind of tips (чаевые), is it plausible?


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## Maroseika

horace.mik said:


> As I've understood, the kickbacks,  in that case, would be a kind of tips (чаевые), is it plausible?



Unfortunately, чаевые is also incorrect, this word is used only with regard to the waiters, porters, cabmen, etc.


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## mosquit

Безусловно, *отка**т*, как совершенно точно ответил Maroseika в #2.
Откат - по сути, разновидность взятки, но часто может быть оформлен вполне легально. Кроме того, такой перевод этого термина можно считать уже достаточно устоявшимся: см. 1, 2.


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## flance_j

Мне кажется, что в легальном значении можно использовать термины "вознаграждение" или "бонус" (в зависимости от характера сделки).
Хотя у этих слов и так много значений, использовать их можно и тут. Собственно, они и используются часто в этой ситуации.

То есть легальный вариант отката можно назвать вознаграждением или бонусом. На мой взгляд.


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## rusita preciosa

flance_j said:


> Мне кажется, что в легальном значении можно использовать термины "вознаграждение" или "бонус" (в зависимости от характера сделки).


 
(only if the kickback is *legal*).


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## amazingenough

I can suggest two words - магарыч и алаверды but both are informal. For business we use бонус, [агентская] комиссия, процент от сделки, благодарность or [агентское] вознаграждение as it was said here previously.


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## rusita preciosa

amazingenough said:


> алаверды


Isn't it a toast response to a toast (when drinking)?


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## RhoKappa

I want to make it very clear that I am not talking about взятка, which are blatant bribes.  What is the difference between a bribe and a kickback?

A bribe is something you give with the intention of getting something to your benefit.  For example, a policeman gives you a speeding ticket and you present him a $100 bill and he tears it up.

A kickback is something you give after you received something.  A good example was stated above, with the smaller winemaker kicking back a St. Petersburg vacation to Yuri and his wife in exchange for ordering 10,000 cases of wine.


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## Budspok

I can't agree more with flance_j. “ВознаграждЕние”  is the most proper translation for “kickback” when both legal and illegal aspect is involved, while “откат”  always implies that one gets money or other rewards illegally.


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## igusarov

RhoKappa said:


> A bribe is something you give with the intention of getting something to your benefit. For example, a policeman gives you a speeding ticket and you present him a $100 bill and he tears it up.
> 
> A kickback is something you give *after* you received something. A good example was stated above, with the smaller winemaker kicking back a St. Petersburg vacation to Yuri and his wife in exchange for ordering 10,000 cases of wine.


Do I get you right...

Situation 1: Yuri came over to a smaller winemaker. The winemaker told him: "If you order the wine from my winery, you'll receive a personal complimentary vacation". This promised vacation has influenced Yuri's mind, and he decided to order from this provider. I.e. the winemaker was offering something with the intention of getting a big order to his benefit. This would be a bribe, right?

Situation 2: Yuri came over to a smaller winemaker. The winemaker said nothing. Yuri decided to order from this provider on his own. And only after the deal had been sealed the winemaker told him: "You know, I'm going to present you with a complimentary vacation, as a sign of gratitude for your decision". This would make it a kickback?

So, the key point to tell a kickback from a bribe is "after, with no previous agreement"? Some could argue that this is a minor difference, because a kickback received after the first deal could influence the decision of making the next deal...

Anyway, if this key point is correct, then "откат" doesn't seem right. Because it is negotiated _before_ the deal. In case of real estate agent you may also find "пре́мия за приведЁнного клие́нта" or "вознагражде́ние за приведЁнного клие́нта", but they are negotiated up front too. I don't think there's a special word for this kind of present. You can say "*пода́рок в знак благода́рности*", if it's not too long for your purposes.

P.S. Nitpicking... From a legal standpoint, "взя́тка" is a bribe offered to a state official person. When one business bribes another business, the legal term would be "комме́рческий по́дкуп". But in everyday talks people would say "взятка" regardless.


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## Enquiring Mind

I think we're on a wild goose chase here. The problem is that we are looking for a word in Russian for a word that is being used incorrectly in English. A kickback in English - even in AE (source OAAD) - is illegal or at least dishonest. If the "commission", "compensation", "reward", "favour", "little something for your trouble", "recompense for services rendered" (or however you want to express it in English) is not illegal, it can't correctly be described as a kickback.


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## blind pew

there is a verb "подмазать кому-либо" ,which implies something dishonest. But I think it is obsolete and colloquial. And I don't know the corresponding noun.


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## Maroseika

blind pew said:


> there is a verb "подмазать кому-либо" ,which implies something dishonest. But I think it is obsolete and colloquial. And I don't know the corresponding noun.



Usually it is not подмазать кому-либо, but подмазать кого-либо. Etymologically it is from wheels not running  withoit oil, so you grease smb's palm to let the deal run smoothly.
Anyway, this expression is not applicable here, because подмазать means to grease smb's palm before the deal rather than after.


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## blind pew

anyway, in Dal's dictionary it stands _подмазать кому-то_.


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## Maroseika

blind pew said:


> anyway, in Dal's dictionary it stands _подмазать кому-то_.



Not exactly. Here is what's written there:

Подмазывать кому, льстить, подбиваться лестью, подольщаться. | -кого , подкупить, дать взятку, задарить, надеть золотые очки. 

I.e. there are two different meanings of the verb подмазывать with different government.
Подмазывать кому-либо - to flatter smb. This meaning looks obsolete.
Подмазывать кого-либо - to bribe smb.


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