# what's the right word to describe hypocrite people ?



## thedriver51

Hello ! 
I want to know what's the right word to describe hypocrite people  specially people who use religions for their personal interests or to deceive other people in the name of religions . is " ханжеский " the right word to describe them
here is a part of the text : some people pretend that they are religious but they are not and they only use religions to deceive innocent people and use religions for their personal interest .
so i want one word to describe people like this .i think we need word like " pretending to be pious " but if you have any idea . i am all ears


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## rusita preciosa

The person would be *ханжа, лицемер *or *фарисей
*The quality: *ханжество, лицемерие *or *фарисейство
*
Which one to choose depends on the context.


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## Maroseika

I'd say ханжа doesn't have too much to do with hypocricy in the modern language. Ханжество is mostly about moral, not religion, and ханжа doesn't decieve anybody, he believes in what he is saying. 
Фарисей also is not very good here, because in the  religious sense this is also the name of the sincere and phanatical believers. In non-religious sense it really can mean somebody using moral in his own interests, but we need religious connotaion, right?
So looks like лицемер is the most universal, although not associated with religion.
Therefore we really need the context to decide.


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## thedriver51

Maroseika said:


> I'd say ханжа doesn't have too much to do with hypocricy in the modern language. Ханжество is mostly about moral, not religion, and ханжа doesn't decieve anybody, he believes in what he is saying.
> Фарисей also is not very good here, because in the  religious sense this is also the name of the sincere and phanatical believers. In non-religious sense it really can mean somebody using moral in his own interests, but we need religious connotaion, right?
> So looks like лицемер is the most universal, although not associated with religion.
> Therefore we really need the context to decide.



Thanks a lot and i added part of the text in my post to make it much easier to choose the right word


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## igusarov

thedriver51 said:


> [...] some people pretend that they are religious but they are not and they only use religions to deceive innocent people and use religions for their personal interest.


I think "святоша" meets your requirements of religious connotation and hypocrisy.

This word describe someone who is trying to seem saint ("saint" = "святой"), but actually does not. For example, a person who declares that some religious rules should be followed to the letter, who claims that he's living to these rules all the time, who makes sure everyone see him visiting the church and praying, but this is just a fake representation.

Note: dictionary said that this word has an obsolete meaning "truly saint". I've never heard it used in this sense. To me "святоша" conveys a negative quality of false representation and deception.


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## Maroseika

thedriver51 said:


> Thanks a lot and i added part of the text in my post to make it much easier to choose the right word


Pharesees definitely believe in religion (in god?), so this word is not suitable here. 
Святоша would be very good word, unless your comment: "they only use religions to deceive innocent people". Of course, we cannot say this about святоша.

Well, I cannot think of anything else but лицемер.


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## thedriver51

igusarov said:


> I think "святоша" meets your requirements of religious connotation and hypocrisy.
> 
> This word describe someone who is trying to seem saint ("saint" = "святой"), but actually does not. For example, a person who declares that some religious rules should be followed to the letter, who claims that he's living to these rules all the time, who makes sure everyone see him visiting the church and praying, but this is just a fake representation.
> 
> Note: dictionary said that this word has an obsolete meaning "truly saint". I've never heard it used in this sense. To me "святоша" conveys a negative quality of false representation and deception.



Thanks a lot for your help but your note is right because when i look for the meaning of "святоша" in the dictionary ,it told me that "святоша" means puritan so it is the opposite of what i want so are you sure about святоша describes people who use religions for their personal interests and to deceive people ?  
anyway thanks a lot for your help


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## thedriver51

Maroseika said:


> Pharesees definitely believe in religion (in god?), so this word is not suitable here.
> Святоша would be very good word, unless your comment: "they only use religions to deceive innocent people". Of course, we cannot say this about святоша.
> 
> Well, I cannot think of anything else but лицемер.


Thanks and seems лицемер is the right word because that was told by the dictionary when i searched for святоша it means saint or puritan but is there a difference between лицемер and ханжеский because dictioanry says both of them means hypocrite but i know in russian you can find many words means the same but every one of them can be used in a specific occasion


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## Fortunio

Тартюф - is to my mind just what you need


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## Maroseika

thedriver51 said:


> Thanks and seems лицемер is the right word because that was told by the dictionary when i searched for святоша it means saint or puritan but is there a difference between лицемер and ханжеский because dictioanry says both of them means hypocrite but i know in russian you can find many words means the same but every one of them can be used in a specific occasion


Yes, there is big difference between лицемерный and ханжеский, лицемер and ханжа: ханжа and ханжеский usually presume sincere beleif in what he is doing and saying, and, besides, mostly refers only to moral and behaviour aspects. The one indignant at the kissing people in the street, sexual scenese in the movies and so on is ханжа, we cannot call him лицемер, he is really indignant and is not deceiving anybody.
But the one who admires his chief whatever he does, but in fact considers his chief an idiot, this guy is лицемер, but not ханжа.


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## igusarov

thedriver51 said:


> [...] are you sure about святоша describes people who use religions for their personal interests and to deceive people ?


Your first post was asking for a word "pretending to be pious", and "святоша" is exactly that. However, the only deception of святоша is in his representation: he deceives other people to think that he's a holy man. He doesn't derive any other profit.

If "personal interests" means something along the lines of: "I'm the incarnation of the God. The doomsday is coming! Give me your house, all your possessions, join my sect and spread these words to other pitiful mortals", then, of course, you need another word.


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## Fortunio

Уважаемые Сеньоры, честно говоря, удивляет, что Вы не заметили (или не поняли) предложенного мной тартюфа, который гораздо больше подходит под тот образ, который нарисовал автор вопроса, чем ханжи, лицемеры и пр., ибо этот герой Мольера как раз-таки использовал религию ради обмана и собственной выгоды.
Тартюф фигурирует во всех приличных словарях синонимов в одном ряду с ханжами и лицемерами и давно уже является словом нарицательным наряду с донжуаном, ловеласом, донкихотом и другими литературными героями.
Жалаю хорошего дня и интересных вопросов!


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## Maroseika

К сожалению, ваш замечательный тартюф совершенно не годится по той печальной причине, что непонятен большинству носителей языка. С ловеласами и докихотами он в этом отношении не идет ни в какое сравнение. Не верите - поэкспериментируйте на первых попавшихся носителях.


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## Fortunio

Согласна, донжуана и робинзона, наверняка знают лучше, однако добросовестный переводчик не имеет права ориентироваться на среднего носителя языка, я же полагаю, что вопрос задал именно такой переводчик, раз он не поленился задать вопрос. Если переводчики будут руководствоваться не текстом и автором, которого они переводят, а исключительно тем, поймет ли "средний носитель" или нет, то все переводы будут на одно лицо и к тому же лицо очень серое. Это первое. Второе: в подобных случаях переводчики прибегают к нехитрому приёму, который позволяет и уровню и смыслу оригинала соответствовать, и  не вызвать лишних трудностей у читателей. В данном примере можно написать приблизительно так: "этот ханжа, этот тартюф ..."  Думаю, вы поняли, что я имею в виду. Третье. В крайнем, но только в самом крайнем, случае можно прибегнуть к примечанию, хотя я считаю, что если переводчик прибегает к объяснениям  перевода, то он расписывается в собственном бессилии. 

Простите за длинную речь.


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## Maroseika

Мы не знаем, для чего нужен этот перевод. Но в любом случае тартюф - слово книжное, редкое и, как мне кажется, если не устарелое, то устаревающее, поэтому органично смотрится далеко не в любом тексте.  Тартюф требует в своем окружении очень специфических слов, и, например, зловредных подстрекателей-исламистов в газетной заметке тартюфами называть просто смешно, так что переводчик с чувством языка и стиля вряд ли применит его в современном контексте без особой необходимости.
Кроме того, стилистически тартюф выбивается из ряда ханжа, лицемер, святоша - в отличие от вполне нейтрального hypocrite, причем заметьте, что в английском тоже есть Tartuffe, которое вовсе не соответствует по стилю hypocrite.


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## Fortunio

Вы правы, могу подписаться под  каждым вашим словом, конечно, контекст и стиль - это главное. Сдаюсь.


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