Thread: Hello, I'm having problems with pronouncing this name!! :(

Hello, it is me again. I hope you don't mind me asking for help, but I don't understand how you would pronounce this Russian name!!! O__O

The name is Jelena and it is the equilivent of Helena, I believe. I'm so confused with these Russian names of yours! lol!!

Maybe, Elena?

I think it's Елена (short form is Лена - Lena).

Originally Posted by flowforever

Maybe, Elena?

I'll trust you on that one.

To answer your question, in English it would sound like Yelena (Yeh-Leh-Na) because the Russian "e" is actually like a "ye" -- that's why Eltsin becomes Yeltsin.

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Originally Posted by flowforever

Maybe, Elena?

I'll trust you on that one.

The proper English form is Helen, or Hellena, Hellen, Helena, Ellen. The names Lena, and Elena, etc have entered English from other languages later on.

In Greek the name is spelt with an ' at the beginning which used to denote an short exhailation like that of English H. In today's Greek the name is pronounced Elena however.

'Ελένη - (h)Elene. It means "torch" or something

Also Greece's proper name is the "Hellenic Republic" or "Hellas".

TATY
thx a lot for this information+)))
BlackMage

Originally Posted by TATY

The proper English form is Helen, or Hellena, Hellen, Helena, Ellen.

Rubbish. Elena is a Russian name, therefore Russians abroad should be called by it. It's a common enough name around here, even for non-Russians.

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Originally Posted by TATY

The proper English form is Helen, or Hellena, Hellen, Helena, Ellen.

Rubbish. Elena is a Russian name, therefore Russians abroad should be called by it. It's a common enough name around here, even for non-Russians.

Elena is NOT a Russian name.
It's very common and was adopted about 15 centuries ago but it's NOT a Russian name. I agree with TATY - its Greek (Byzantine actually adopted by the Slavs and spoken slightly different).


P.S. By the way there are very little truly russian names are in use. Most of so called "russian names" are biblical (jewish), so as the most of "european names". The rest are Byzantine (like Helena or Elena) or Turkik (like mine, for example).

If it REALLY matters, I could look for additional info.

Originally Posted by Ramil

Elena is NOT a Russian name.

You're NOT a Russian name!

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Originally Posted by Ramil

Elena is NOT a Russian name.

You're NOT a Russian name!

I've never pretended to be.

Not me, though, but my name

Originally Posted by Ramil

Elena is NOT a Russian name.

That depends on what one means by the term "Russian name". It can mean "a name of Russian origin" in which case your statement is true but it can also mean "a name common in Russia". I think that both terms are valid depending on the context, like when you are talking about the names' origins you would certainly use the former but when you talk about how a name sounds in a certain language or discussing the popularity of names it's quite appropriate to use the latter.

Сall the person by their name the way the want to be called. Don't think up English equivalents and call them that. If my name was Ivan and I go to England, I wouldn't like it if people called me John. The name is IVAN.

English is just as random a language as Russian.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

Сall the person by their name the way the want to be called. Don't think up English equivalents and call them that. If my name was Ivan and I go to England, I wouldn't like it if people called me John. The name is IVAN.

English is just as random a language as Russian.

True, but if you are in a place where your name is butchered frequently, you might want to adapt it a bit. This is why Pavel wants to be called "Paul." I used to know an Iranian guy whose name was Kambiz. He is a businessman and at meetings he would frequently hear "Kambiz??! Where the hell do you have to be from to get a name like that?" So he called himself Ken.

I were to go to Russia I would want to be called "жанет."
Hey, come to think of it, a lot of Americans can't seem to get my name right, either -- and it's one of the most boring names possible!

That's why I wrote: Call them by what they want to be called. Randomly inventing names for people is not kosher

If my name was Ivan and I go to England, I wouldn't like it if people called me John. The name is IVAN

The only thing is that you'll have to put up with people calling you EYE-vun instead of ee-VAN. Russian names don't do too well in English. Sad, really.


Tosha

"Evan" won't be a way out either.

Originally Posted by Rtyom

"Evan" won't be a way out either.

"Yvonne" is very close, but then people would think he's a woman.

Eewon?

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Originally Posted by TATY

The proper English form is Helen, or Hellena, Hellen, Helena, Ellen.

Rubbish. Elena is a Russian name, therefore Russians abroad should be called by it. It's a common enough name around here, even for non-Russians.

That is irrelevant.

The name came from Greek and became Yelena in Russian, and Helen, Helena etc. in English.

The names Elena and Lena in English came from other language much more recently.


And why are we on this discussion about translating names. No one in this thread actaully said we should call people by the English equivilents, we just mentioned what they ARE.

Yes, I don't think Russian Ivan should be called John in England, but that doesn't mean we can't discuss the origins of the names and that John is the Russian equivalent of Ivan.