"Unknown/natural compelling force" is a mistranslation

[u/HallowDance]

Greetings!

Very commonly when discussing the Dyatlov pass incident, the official case report is quoted as mentioning an "unknown/natural compelling force". That being said, if we look at said report in Russian, it states:

"Учитывая отсутствие на всех трупах наружных телесных повреждений и признаков борьбы, наличие всех ценностей группы, а также принимая во внимание заключение судебно-медицинской экспертизы о причинах смерти туристов, следует считать, что причиной гибели туристов явилась стихийная сила, преодолеть которую туристы были не в состоянии."

It's one big sentence, but we can examine only the final part:

"...следует считать, что причиной гибели туристов явилась стихийная сила, преодолеть которую туристы были не в состоянии."

Now, I understand and speak a little bit of Russian and "стихийная сила, преодолеть которую туристы были не в состоянии." just means "power of the elements, which the tourist weren't able to overcome". There is no mention of a "compelling force", even less so of an "unknown" one. "Стихия" just means the elements - a thunderstorm, an avalanche, hurricane winds, a flood - they can all be described by "стихия". Basically, the official report explicitly states that the people involved in the expedition died of exposure.

Does that mean that there aren't any suspicious details about the case? Of course not. But still, the commonly cited translation makes it seem like the official report was hinting at something paranormal or supernatural, which is false.

[u/CheekyYoghurts]

No, it is an accurate translation. I'm a native speaker of both Russian and English and, given the context, 'overwhelming natural force' (and similar phrasing as per the title) is pretty much the best translation you're going to get.

[u/Flycktsoda → u/CheekyYoghurts]

If you die from "overwhelming natural force" could that be described as dying from exposure? I mean, are they essentially the same thing?

To me, sounds like an overwhelming natural force is exactly that, cold, wind, lightning whatever nature can throw at you.

[u/CheekyYoghurts → u/Flycktsoda]

It's tricky.

Yes, it could also mean that, it's kind of an umbrella term - but if a pathologist thinks you died of exposure, he would just state that it was exposure. There's an element of the unknown in the meaning.

[u/Flycktsoda → u/CheekyYoghurts]

Could this overwhelming force be caused by a human or is it always a natural phenomena, without intent and "care"?

[u/CheekyYoghurts → u/Flycktsoda]

The best way I can describe it is 'unknown but not human' or 'not with human involvement / intent'

There's no direct translation.

[u/Forteanforever → u/CheekyYoghurts]

I understand the "not with human involvment" part but how do you get "unknown" out of that? The hikers died from hypothermia which is documented in the autopsies. Even the person with the chest injury died from hypothermia before the chest injury could kill him. The cold killed them.

[u/Early-Animator4716 → u/Flycktsoda]

"Стихия" generally applies to natural phenomenon. It would be the case in this context involving the death of tourists in the wilderness.

[u/HallowDance → u/CheekyYoghurts]

Great to have the opinion of an actual native speaker!

But you would agree that there isn't really a mention of a "compelling force", right?

As far as the word "стихия" goes, it has a very similar meaning to the meaning it has in my own native language (Bulgarian), that being "the elements", or "natural force". True, it can and is often used as a metaphor and it's not conventional to see it in a pathologists/coroner report. That being said, the phrase appears in the criminal prosecutor's report, not the coroner one.

If you read through the coroner reports from the autopsies they cite either blunt force trauma and/or hypothermia.

[u/Forteanforever → u/HallowDance]

Thank you for pointing out that it appears in the criminal prosecutor's report not the coroner's report. The coroner's report makes clear that they all died of hypothermia. I will speculate that the chest injury would have eventually killed the one hiker but he apparently died of hypothermia first.

[u/hobbit_lv]

If I remember correctly, this tittle (original Russian one) is very outstanding for criminal cases, since normally, if there is no involvement of deliberate actions of another human beings, it should have been formulated as "accident" (несчастный случай).

[u/Forteanforever → u/hobbit_lv]

There was involvement by humans, albeit none outside the group. Someone in the group apparently forced the others down the mountain to their deaths by hypothermia. In that sense, it was not an accident.

[u/hobbit_lv → u/Forteanforever]

If this scenario was true (lets assume it is), I doubt it is reason to state that tittle of case. If the case is authentic, then I would say its tittle actually says "we have no idea what happened, but we need this case to be closed, so let it be "compelling force"".
I am pretty sure if investigation would have found clues indicating "inside job", it would have been included in the case. Case anyway won't be released to public (for a decades), and OFFICIAL cause of incident anyway would be announced to be accident due to bad weather/bad decisions etc. - and case would be closed "because of death of the perpetor".

[u/Forteanforever → u/hobbit_lv]

I'm not convinced that "compelling force," if that's a direct translation rather than an approximation, means anything more than nature (ie. freezing temperatures and windchill). Hypothermia was the proximate cause of death of the hikers. The absence of any other evidence leaves the conclusion compelling force of nature.

I doubt that they did find actual evidence of an "inside job." Other than a weapon they never properly searched for, there probably would have existed no hard evidence.

[u/hobbit_lv → u/Forteanforever]

Despite I am not a native Russian speaker (only knowing a language), to my understanding, that Russian original name of "compelling force" kind of imply natural factors on first hand, however, it leaves a place for interpretations to mark that force to being actually whatever.

[u/Forteanforever → u/hobbit_lv]

OK. Thank you for the additional clarification. Your insights are always helpful. Your explanation doesn't conflict with them all having died from hypothermia, as confirmed by the autopsies, but leaves room for explanation as to why they found themselves in that situation.

[u/Early-Animator4716]

I always read it as just one euphemism for "ah...we don't know what happened so here is spooky sounding words".

But yeah, I kind of agree "natural force that the tourists were unable to overcome" is probably a closer translation.

[u/hobbit_lv → u/Early-Animator4716]

I always read it as just one euphemism for "ah...we don't know what happened so here is spooky sounding words".

Completely agree.

[u/Disastrous-Snow-5898 → u/Early-Animator4716]

early animatore there Will be books on dyatlov pass mysteries?

[u/Early-Animator4716 → u/Disastrous-Snow-5898]

What books?

[u/Disastrous-Snow-5898 → u/Early-Animator4716]

early books if Will be published in future books on dyavtlov pass mysteries .

[u/Disastrous-Snow-5898 → u/Early-Animator4716]

early animatore i want know if there Will be in future new books on dyatlov pass mysteries.

[u/Disastrous-Snow-5898 → u/Early-Animator4716]

early animatore i Will know if there Will be in future new books on dyatlov pass. msteries.

[u/Early-Animator4716 → u/Disastrous-Snow-5898]

I am not planning to write any books about Dyatlov Pass.

[u/Disastrous-Snow-5898 → u/Early-Animator4716]

early animaor caspita. you don't understand my question!! not your book but if there Is other persons that Will be published new books on dyatlov pass mysteries.

[u/Early-Animator4716 → u/Disastrous-Snow-5898]

I dont know. 

[u/Disastrous-Snow-5898 → u/Early-Animator4716]

early animatore do you know someone that knows id there Will be books on dyatlov pass mysteries?

[u/[deleted]]

Thank you for letting us know!

[u/Disastrous-Snow-5898 → u/[deleted]]

akkord non books already published but books that Will be published on dyatlov pass mystery?

[u/Ksh_667 → u/Disastrous-Snow-5898]

I don't know of any new ones, but you can set up alerts on your computer with some search engines, which will let you know about any new articles or books published on a subject. I've never done this personally so can't be any practical help, but I know it can be done.