Thread: Writing a Zombie Apocalypse Story

Hi everyone!

I am going to write the script of a zombie apocalypse story which will be presented as an animated web series.

The scenario is going to be happening in a fictional post-soviet country and I will be needing translations of names of cities and towns and other land masses into Russian.

This story is inspired by the game DayZ and you could see what I mean through this link.

Name of Fictional Country: Lake Peoples


Major Cities:

Log City (coastal-sea)
Wide Fields City (coastal-sea)
Red Stone City (coastal-sea)
Prayers (inland)
Copper Plate (coastal-sea)
High Wood City (inland)
White Wood (coastal-sea)
Mouthful (coastal-sea)
Heroes Grave (coastal-sea)

Towns:
Crown Island (island)
Cut off (inland)
Fins (fish) (coastal-sea)
Hatchet (coastal-sea)
Cliff (coastal-Lake)
Hill Crest (coastal-Lake)
Crucifix (coastal-Lake)
United (coastal-Lake)
Roots (plant) (coastal-Lake)
Jar(coastal-Lake)
Water Drop (coastal-Lake)
New Water (coastal-sea)
Holy (inland)
White Stone (coastal-sea)
Spring (natural fresh water spring) (coastal-sea)
Tall Ground (coastal-sea)
Hope (inland)
Curved (inland)
Frog (inland)
Peace (inland)
General (military) (inland)
Freedom (coastal-Lake)
Citrus (coastal-Lake)

Other Land Mass:

Crater Lake
Cauldron Island
Cauldron Volcano

Thank you in advance for helping!!!

By the way, the story is a Metaphor for consumerism. The people in this fictional country dont call the undead "zombies" but "consumers".

Is there a way to translate the word "Consumer" into "He who eats/consume" in Russian?

Do I make sense?

Originally Posted by Consumer

Do I make sense?

No

Originally Posted by Consumer

By the way, the story is a Metaphor for consumerism. The people in this fictional country dont call the undead "zombies" but "consumers".

Is there a way to translate the word "Consumer" into "He who eats/consume" in Russian?

Do I make sense?

We have a verb "потреблять".

Я не потребляю мясо - I do not consume meat. That means "I don't eat meat". But it is implied that "I also don't buy it".

But when it is used as a noun "потребитель" the meaning will be "a finel user of goods or services".

Originally Posted by Consumer

By the way, the story is a Metaphor for consumerism. The people in this fictional country dont call the undead "zombies" but "consumers".

Is there a way to translate the word "Consumer" into "He who eats/consume" in Russian?

Потребитель (Consumer) in Russian has nothing to do with "devourer" or "eater" or like. As for wordplays in Russian about consumerism there is a word "потреблядь" which is a mixture of "consumer" and "whore". Nothing to do with zombies though.

Also I can think about perfectly translatable but a bit complicated sarcastic "phylosophycal" concept of oranus "the spirit of consumerism driven by the oral (envy) and anal (consumption) wow-factors".

As for the country in DayZ, it is not so fictional. Many features point directly to Belarus, even original name is a historical part of Belarus. Towns mostly do exist really (at list there are towns with such names).

Well, OK. I can try to translate.

Direct translation does not always works though so the translation is very free.

Name of Fictional Country:Lake Peoples Черноозеро Chernoozero ("Black lake" - to keep the reference to DayZ and similar wordplay)


Major Cities:

Log City (coastal-sea) Бревново Brevnovo
Wide Fields City (coastal-sea) Белополье Belopol'ye
Red Stone City (coastal-sea) Краснокаменск Krasnokamensk
Prayers (inland) Богомолье Bogomol'ye
Copper Plate (coastal-sea) Медники Medniki (? "copper-workers" in fact)
High Wood City (inland) Дубрава Dubrava (oakery)
White Wood (coastal-sea) Белорощино Beloroshchino
Mouthful (coastal-sea) Полноустье Polnoust'ye
Heroes Grave (coastal-sea) Курган Kurgan ("burial mound")

Towns:
Crown Island (island) Короний Остров Koroniy Ostrov
Cut off (inland) Дальний Dal'niy "Distant"
Fins (fish) (coastal-sea) Плавник Plavnik
Hatchet (coastal-sea) Рубило Rubilo
Cliff (coastal-Lake) Скальное Skal'noye
Hill Crest (coastal-Lake) Холм Kholm (Hill)
Crucifix (coastal-Lake) Распятье Raspyat'ye
United (coastal-Lake) Спольное Spol'noye
Roots (plant) (coastal-Lake) Коренье Koren'ye
Jar(coastal-Lake) Горшково Gorshkovo
Water Drop (coastal-Lake) Каплино Kaplino
New Water (coastal-sea) Новые Воды Novye Vody
Holy (inland) Святоземье Svyatozemye
White Stone (coastal-sea) Белокаменка Belokamenka
Spring (natural fresh water spring) (coastal-sea) Ключи Klyuchi
Tall Ground (coastal-sea) Высочаны Vysochany
Hope (inland) Надеждино Nadezhdino
Curved (inland) Кривое Krivoye
Frog (inland) Жабье Zhab'ye
Peace (inland) Покой Pokoy
General (military) (inland) Генералово Generalovo
Freedom (coastal-Lake) Свободное Svobodnoye
Citrus (coastal-Lake) Лимонка Limonka (Wrong climate for citrus actually)

Other Land Mass: (out of imagination, sorry)

Crater Lake
Cauldron Island
Cauldron Volcano

Hope (inland) Надеждино Nadezhdino

Hello, it-ogo, the name Nadezhdino is already used in DayZ so I cannot use this word. Is there any similar words to this or do I have to change the city name entirely?

Maybe "Светлый путь" Svetlyy Put' (The Way of Light) - the name is typical for Soviet times.

Светлый путь" Svetlyy Put' (The Way of Light)

Sounds good. DD

By the way, the country name Черноозеро Chernoozero "Black lake" is already taken by DayZ, any better ideas?

I hope to make this name very good because its going to be the center point of the entire story.

Приозерье Priozyorye (Lake Country)?

Приозерье Priozyorye (Lake Country)?

I wish it would mean "people who live by the lake" but this will do for now. Unless someone out there who is reading this thread have better ideas.

By the way, if you want, you may private message me your real name so that I can add your name to the credits section maybe for "Special Thanks to our Russian Translators" part.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

П
Also I can think about perfectly translatable but a bit complicated sarcastic "phylosophycal" concept of oranus "the spirit of consumerism driven by the oral (envy) and anal (consumption) wow-factors".

I am interested to know what you can make of this.

Originally Posted by Consumer

Светлый путь" Svetlyy Put' (The Way of Light)

Sounds good. DD

By the way, the country name Черноозеро Chernoozero "Black lake" is already taken by DayZ, any better ideas?

I hope to make this name very good because its going to be the center point of the entire story.

Must it be "lake" in the name? Black water - Черноводное or Черные Воды.

Originally Posted by Consumer

Hope (inland) Надеждино Nadezhdino

Hello, it-ogo, the name Nadezhdino is already used in DayZ so I cannot use this word. Is there any similar words to this or do I have to change the city name entirely?

Надёжино - there are villages with such name in Russia, "надёжа" is an old fasion way to say "надежда".

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Wide Fields City (coastal-sea) Белополье Belopol'ye

Not "white" but "wide" - Широкие Поля - Раздолье or Раздольино (if you want it to sound like a name of a Russian town)

Originally Posted by Consumer

Приозерье Priozyorye (Lake Country)?

I wish it would mean "people who live by the lake" but this will do for now. Unless someone out there who is reading this thread have better ideas.

By the way, if you want, you may private message me your real name so that I can add your name to the credits section maybe for "Special Thanks to our Russian Translators" part.

Приозёрцы - it is the name of people living in the town next to a lake and also sounds good as a name of a town itself.

Originally Posted by Consumer

By the way, if you want, you may private message me your real name so that I can add your name to the credits section maybe for "Special Thanks to our Russian Translators" part.

Not necessary, Thnx.

Originally Posted by Consumer

I am interested to know what you can make of this.

Well, you can call your "consumers" "orani" (as a plural from latin-like word "oranus"), and explain it with a reference to Pelevin's book in an epigraph. It is concidered to be a literary classic here. Overall it would be a kind of intellectual postmodern play. If this kind of play is acceptable in your script and web series or not depends on its expected style.

Here

Economics is the name of a pseudo-science that deals with the illusory relations between subjects <...> as they are involved in the hallucinatory process of their imaginary enrichment.<...> it is called simply ORANUS (which translates <...> as ‘moutharse’). <...> each individual, when regarded as an economic entity -possesses a kind of social membrane that allows money (which plays the role of blood and lymph in the organism of oranus) to pass into and out of the cell. From the point of view of economics, the function of each of these cells is to absorb as much money as possible through this membrane and to release as little as possible back through it.
etc.

Crater Lake -озеро Кратерное
Cauldron Island - остров Провальный
Cauldron Volcano - вулкан Кальдера

Hill Crest - it is something on the top of a hill (not just a hill), so I guess it should be - Верхнее or Пик
Crown Island (island) Короний Остров I'd say it doesnt sound "right" in Russian, can it be "остров Венец" for example?
United (coastal-Lake) Спольное Spol'noye - in Russia we won't recognise this word, maybe it works for Ukraine but not for us, we say "Сопредельное" or "Сопределье".
Peace (inland) Покой Pokoy may also mean a room in a palace - Мирное, Спокойное

How exciting!!! But i should admit your avatar is way so scary! Anyways good luck with the help of our awesome community!^^