RUSSIAN 

Safety Plan (House of Ruth) - A plan to help you stay safe in case of domestic violence.
Translation made possible by the Multi-Ethnic Domestic Violence Project of the Women's Law Center of Maryland, Inc. through a grant from the Federal VIctims of Crime Assistance Program and the Maryland State Department of Human Resources.

Safety Tips (House of Ruth) - Tips for staying safe in explosives situations, when seperating, in public places.
Translation made possible by the Multi-Ethnic Domestic Violence Project of the Women's Law Center of Maryland, Inc. through a grant from the Federal VIctims of Crime Assistance Program and the Maryland State Department of Human Resources.

Education Handbook (PDF) (Maryland State Department of Education) - A guide to public school assessment standards and what parents can do to improve their children's scores.

Battered: What Can I do? (PDF) (Women's Law Center) - A guide to legal aspects of domestic violence including protective orders, criminal and civil suits, custody, divorce and other issues.

Safety Planning in the Workplace: Protect Yourself and Your Job (PDF) (NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund) - A guide for women who are victims of domestic violence.

Your Rights to Interpretation and Translation from Maryland State Agencies - Information about and explanation of the Maryland law that requires many of the Maryland state government agencies and programs to help you if you have trouble with English. (May 2007).

Your Right to an Interpreter in Court- You have the right to have an interpreter when you have a case in the Maryland courts. This brochure describes your rights. The Maryland Legal Assistance Network and the Maryland State Bar Associations' Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services created the brochure. You can print it out and take it to court as one way of asking for an interpreter. You can give the brochure to the clerk. There is an English section that tells the clerk which language you speak and notifies the court staff person that you wish to have an interpreter. (2 pages - 2007).

Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants - (PDF) (USCIS)— A guide created by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (in English) that discusses a wide variety of issues pertaining to being an immigrant in the US, such as rights and responsibilities as an immigrant, maintaining current status, federal benefits, and much more. 90 pages, last updated January 2005.

Finding Legal Help

The Maryland Legal Assistance Network (MLAN) supports the work of the organizations providing free legal help to people in Maryland with low and moderate incomes. Many organizations provide help in other languages.  This section is a gateway to the written information currently available in Maryland. 

You may also contact these legal organizations that can provide help using over-the-telephone interpreters in over 145 languages. If you are comfortable reading some English or have a friend who can help, you can find more information on these legal organization and others by searching this directory.

Other sources of legal help:

• Free Legal Advice for Howard County Residents - Foreign-Born Information and Referral Network (FIRN) (410-992-1923) is a Columbia, Maryland based non-profit organization that provides free legal advice on immigration, housing, domestic violence, health, and employment issues.  FIRN recommends that you have an English speaker assist you with the call until the translator comes on the line.  If there is no one in the office able to assist you in Russian, the office will refer you to a volunteer outside the office who will help you.  You must be a Howard County resident to be eligible for this service; exceptions are made in emergency situations.  FIRN is open Monday, Thursday, and Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Immigration Issues Law Firm - USVISA.com Associates (818-999-9088) is a for-profit law firm in Woodland Hills, California that specializes in various immigration issues, including employment and family petitions, national interest waivers, business and investors' visas and visas based on "extraordinary ability."  You may want to first identify a Maryland attorney who can help you in person.  You can call the office and ask to speak with someone in Russian.

• Free Legal Advice - Jewish Legal Services Clinic (410-542-6300, ext. 200) provides free brief legal consultation and advice, in Russian, on any non-fee generating legal matter.  This is a voice mail box.  Messages are checked only occasionally.

Finding Free Translation

Unfortunately, we have not been able to translate all of the material on this website into your language.  There is a great deal of material here that might be of interest.  One way to get an idea of what any website or document says is to use one of the free machine translation websites listed below.  While a machine can only give a very general idea, it can help you to decide which sections might be worth finding a human translator to help you read.  In order to use the sites, you will need to be able to read enough English to follow the instructions. 

• Babel Fish offers an easy and quick translation from English to Russian.  The initial translation page is in English (so you may need help from a friend).  Either enter in text or a URL (website address) to be translated.  Go to the box after “Translate from” and click the down arrow to choose “English to Russian”.  Click the “Translate” box and your text or URL will be automatically translated into Russian, at no cost. 

Finding Information on the Web

• The Social Security Administration (SSA) is the federal government agency that administers social security, a way for Americans to automatically save money for the future.   The SSA offers many of its documents online in Russian.  Here you can find general information on topics such as the various social security programs, applying for retirement, disability and Supplemental Security Income benefits, a glossary of social security terms, and special benefits for World War II veterans.  Also, you can call 1-800-772-1213 to request a free interpreter to assist in social security issues.  An English speaker must go through the phone tree and request an interpreter.
• Employment Discrimination - The Department of Justice – Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) is a federal agency division that investigates employers charged with discrimination based on national origin and citizenship status.  If you know of a possible unfair immigration-related employment practice, or just want to learn more about OSC, call the toll free information number and worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688.  Once you get through to the hotline, dial “0” and say "Russian only," hold on the line and they will get an interpreter for you.
• Ideas and information for women (and men) interested in starting their own business - Small Business Administration's Women's Business Center is a web site that provides resources ranging from checklists to networking opportunities. The main web page for this site is in English, but a button on the left, toward the bottom of the page will lead you to the Russian page. 

Russian Legal Dictionaries/Glossaries Available Online

Legal terms can be confusing. These links provide access to legal dictionaries and glossary in Russian that come from reputable sources, such as state courts, state legal services associations, and federal agencies. Because the glossaries are organized alphabetically by the English word, if you are looking for the English equivalent of a particular Russian word it may be helpful to go over the glossary with someone who understands English, such as a friend or an attorney. While they may require some searching, these glossaries are all helpful resources in trying to understand legal issues and terminology in your native language.

• English-Russian Legal Glossary (PDF) (Superior Court of California)—Extensive glossary of legal terms created by the Superior Court of California—Sacramento County. 162 pages long, last updated June 2005.

About this website. The Maryland State Law Library, a court-related agency of the Maryland Judiciary, sponsors this site. The website was developed (1999-2007) as part of an access to justice initiative by the Maryland Legal Assistance Network (MLAN) in collaboration with a number of legal services providers serving low and moderate income Marylanders.  In the absence of file-specific attribution or copyright, the Maryland State Law Library may hold the copyright to parts of this website. You are free to copy the information for your own use or for other non-commercial purposes with the following language “Source: Maryland's People’s Law Library – www.peoples-law.org. © Maryland State Law Library, 2007.”

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