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Thread: How do you translate names?

  1. #1
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    How do you translate names?

    How exactly do you translate names? I guessed you'd just change the english to cyrillic like Yassen to Яссен.


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    Pretty much, yeah. Except for things like Igor and Olga that have soft signs in them...

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    No

    Going from Russian to English, we assign each Russian letter an English equivalent.

    From English to Russian, we spell phonetically using the Russian alphabet.

    So a name like Katie is not Катие, because to a Russian that spells "Kah-tyee-ye".

    In Russian we would write Кейти or Кэйти, which is the closest representation of the English name.
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    like, Jayde = Джейда

    Right?


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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yassen
    like, Jayde = Джейда

    Right?
    Возможно и "Джейд"

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    Or Джейди
    In order to make a correct transliteration, we've got to know how exactly this name is pronounced in English.

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    I would say PAY was correct with "Джейд". The e is silent, it just makes the a sound more like "play" instead of "ah"
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yassen
    like, Jayde = Джейда

    Right?
    The 'a' was in the example I gave you because it Джейд is in accustive.
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    Last edited by Darobat on Mon Mar 5, 1759 1:19 am; edited 243 times in total

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    ok, well i get how it works i think. Just make it sound the same but with Russian wording.


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    Exactly. Just spell the word phonetically with russian letters.
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    Last edited by Darobat on Mon Mar 5, 1759 1:19 am; edited 243 times in total

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    How would you translate the name "William" since there is no "wi" sound in Russian? Bиллиам?
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    Quote Originally Posted by kwatts59
    How would you translate the name "William" since there is no "wi" sound in Russian? Bиллиам?
    Уильям or Вильям. Often it depends on tradition. For example Bruce Willis is traditionaly transliterated as Брюс Уиллис but Doyle's Doctor Watson is usually written as "доктор Ватсон".

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    Quote Originally Posted by gRomoZeka
    but Doyle's Doctor Watson is usually written as "доктор Ватсон".
    I have a book where they translate him as Уотсон. It was very funny to read his name each time
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    Quote Originally Posted by Friendy
    Quote Originally Posted by gRomoZeka
    but Doyle's Doctor Watson is usually written as "доктор Ватсон".
    I have a book where they translate him as Уотсон. It was very funny to read his name each time
    Уотснон is not used in classic books by Doyle, as far as I am concerned. The tradition in literature.

    Names AREN'T translated. I am getting tired to explain that.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rtyom
    Уотснон is not used in classic books by Doyle, as far as I am concerned. The tradition in literature.
    checking my three books :
    All three have Уотсон. The earliest of them is of 1956 with Корней Чуковский as a translation editor. So I think the popularity of "Ватсон" vs "Уотсон" is more a movie thing. Once I read that using "у" for "w" is a preferable variant (in general) by modern standards (though personally I prefer "в")
    "Happy new year, happy new year
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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Friendy
    Quote Originally Posted by Rtyom
    Уотснон is not used in classic books by Doyle, as far as I am concerned. The tradition in literature.
    checking my three books :
    All three have Уотсон. The earliest of them is of 1956 with Корней Чуковский as a translation editor. So I think the popularity of "Ватсон" vs "Уотсон" is more a movie thing. Once I read that using "у" for "w" is a preferable variant (in general) by modern standards (though personally I prefer "в")
    We got used to "доктор Ватсон" in Russian movies and popular jokes so much that "доктор Уотсон" sounds disgusting and weird. It's like you're talking about another person.

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