Київський національний лінгвістичний університет

Д.П. Борис

Методичний посібник
з основ теорії та практики перекладу
з англійської мови

Київ – 2021
 LECTURE 1
TRANSLATION: GENERAL ISSUES
1. TRANSLATION: DEFINITIONS AND BASIC REQUIREMENTS
2. UNITS OF TRANSLATION
3. TYPES OF TRANSLATION

1. TRANSLATION: DEFINITIONS, DIALECTICS AND BASIC

REQUIREMENTS
Nowadays there exist numerous definitions of translation, depending on which
scientific approach is taken as a point of departure, during which period and in which
culture. The term may refer to a process, a product, a purpose, a hierarchy, a science
etc.
Firstly, one of the most acceptable and yet least controversial is the definition of
translation provided by John Laver and Ian Mason (“A Dictionary of Translating
and Interpreting”, 2018) as the process and the product of all forms of transfer of
written, spoken or signed texts originating in one language (the source language)
into texts that resemble them in some way in another (the target language).
A more profound and multilayered definition, which is known as the ambit of
translation and restricts the scope of translation to written texts exclusively, was
proposed by Basil Hatim and Jeremy Munday (“Translation: An Advanced Resource
Book”, 2004):
1) the process of transferring a written text from source language to target
language, conducted by a translator, or translators, in a specific socio-cultural
context;
2) the written product, or target text, which results from that process and which
functions in the socio-cultural context of the target language;
3) the cognitive, linguistic, visual, cultural and ideological phenomena which
are an integral part of 1) and 2).
Secondly, translation is sometimes taken to mean the theoretical, descriptive
and applied discipline concerned with the analysis and history of the process,
products and uses of texts transferred from one language into another (ibid.). In this
case, translation is seen as a synonym for a more established term, translation
studies.
The basic requirements for translation were proposed by Eugene Nida and
Charles R. Taber (“The Theory and Practice of Translation”, 1969) and rested on the
premise that translation was the creation of a text which was equivalent (of equal
value) to its source text. Their requirements included:
1) making sense;
2) conveying the spirit and manner of the original;
3) having a natural and easy form of expression;
4) producing a similar response.

2. UNITS OF TRANSLATION
The unit of translation is communicative and cognitive unity employed by a
translator/interpreter in the performance of a translation task.
The unit of translation is embedded in a complex relationship with all the other
units in a given text. Amparo Hurtado Albir (“Traducción y traductología.
Introducción a la traductología”, 2001) distinguishes between:
1) micro-units (communicative units conveying sense),
2) intermediate units (paragraph and chapter in written translation; take in
dubbing; subtitle in subtitling; callouts in comic strips, etc.);
3) macro-units (the whole text).
While the examples of intermediate and macro-units are clearly defined, a
question arises concerning what is meant by micro-units as communicative units
conveying sense.
Should we consider a word as a translation unit? Though there exists the notion
of a word-for-word translation, the word can hardly be taken for a translation unit.
Several reasons account for this:
1) a word may be part of a structurally more complex unit (a phrase such as
a collocation or an idiom, or a sentence such as a proverb) which has a meaning
fully deducible, partially deducible or undeducible from its components;
 The English verb clean may be translated as прибирати: He cleaned his room.
as Він прибрав кімнату. However, the collocation clean one’s teeth cannot possibly
be translated as *прибирати зуби, only as чистити зуби. Another example is the
Ukrainian idiom накивати п’ятами, which, if translated word for word, would not
make any sense in English (*to nod away / off one’s feet). As a result, it is necessary
to identify an idiomatic equivalent in English, if available (e.g. to take to one’s heels).
Similarly, the English saying Take it one day at a time! will not be translated as
*Бери це один день за раз! but as Живи одним / сьогоднішнім днем!
2) a word (same as a phrase or even a sentence) may have to be added,
omitted or replaced in translation if it is deemed inadequate by the translator
for conveying the source language idea;
An example of addition would be translating the Ukrainian one-word sentence
Анічичирк! which has no direct verbal equivalent with negative meaning (ані-) in
English as a four-word sentence (Mum’s the word!). An instance of omission would
be translating the English sentence She smiled a happy smile at Roger. as Вона
весело усміхнулася Роджеру. (and not *Вона усміхнулася веселою усмішкою
Роджеру.). Replacement can be seen while translating the English collocation car
bomb as замінований автомобіль. Another English collocation, a sore loser (~
людина, яка не вміє програвати), would be best translated into Ukrainian only in a
sentence: He’s always been a sore loser. as Він ніколи не вмів програвати.
3) word borders are not always clear, both in written and spoken English.
In the former case, a compound word is sometimes written solidly, sometimes it
is hyphenated, or the two stems are written separately as a phrase: e.g. moonlight,
fire-light, candle light. In the latter case, it may be difficult to single out separate
words because they tend to fuse with each other into inseparable complexes: Would
you call him? ['wʊdʒǝ 'kɔ:lım] (according to the stress, there should be two words,
while in written speech we can see four words).
The three criteria discussed above are also fully applicable to a word
combination, which can, therefore, barely qualify as a translation unit.
All in all, it is not a language unit that should be considered in translation, but a
discourse (speech) unit. A micro-unit of translation is a group of words united in
speech by their meaning, rhythm and melody, i.e. it is a syntagm, or rhythmic and
notional segment of speech.
3. TYPES OF TRANSLATION
CRITERION TYPES
1. Performer a) human translation (HT) – created by humans
alone;
b) machine/mechanical translation (MT) – created by
machine alone;
c) human-aided/assisted translation (HAT) – created
by humans assisting machine;
d) machine-aided/assisted human translation
(MAHT) – created by machine assisting humans;
e) computer-aided/assisted translation (CAT) –
created by computer assisting humans.
2. Form of speech a) translation – concerning written text;
b) sight translation – oral translation of written text;
c) interpreting – oral translation of oral text.
3. Time lapse between a) consecutive interpreting – oral translation in which
the source text the original speaker and the interpreter take turns to
perception and speak;
translation b) simultaneous interpreting – oral translation in
which the interpreter more or less keeps pace with the
current speaker, although often a sentence or more
behind.
4. Number of a) one-way translation – translation from the mother-
languages in tongue into a foreign language OR translation from a
translation situation foreign language into the mother-tongue in one
translation situation;
b) two-way translation – translation from the mother-
language into a foreign language combined with
translation from a foreign language into the mother-
 tongue in one translation situation.
5. Direction of a) direct translation – translation into the mother-
translation tongue;
b) inverse translation – translation into a foreign
language.
6. Methods of a) note-taking interpretation;
interpreting (in b) phrase-by-phrase interpretation.
consecutive
interpretation)
7. Text type (following a) informative text translation (FOCUS: texts
the text typology communicating knowledge or information on a topic);
designed by Katharina b) expressive text translation (FOCUS: texts giving
Reiss) voice to the creative and aesthetic expression of the
author);
c) operative text translation (FOCUS: texts
persuading the reader to think or act in a particular
manner);
d) multi-medial text translation (FOCUS: texts
accompanied by images and sound);
8. Genre of the source a) literary translation (FOCUS: creative literature,
text (following the prose or verse);
typology proposed by b) general language translation (for which the
Mary Snell-Hornby) translator does not need extensive knowledge or
experience of a specific specialist area; FOCUS: news
articles, travelogues, private or business letters and job
applications, etc.);
c) special-language translation (for which the
translator needs extensive knowledge or experience of a
specific specialist area; FOCUS: academic,
administrative, business, financial, legal, medical,
technical, website, etc. documents).
 LECTURE 2
SCRIPT CONVERSION.
TRANSLATION OF PROPER NAMES
(ANTHROPONYMS)
1. SCRIPT CONVERSION
1.1. MODE-ORIENTED
1.2. DIRECTION-ORIENTED
1.2.1. CYRILLIZATION
1.2.2. ROMANIZATION
2. TRANSLATING ANTHROPONYMS
2.1. FOREIGN NAMES SPELT IN THE ROMAN SCRIPT
2.2. FOREIGN NAMES SPELT IN NON-ROMAN SCRIPTS
2.3. NAMES OF ENGLISH AND UKRAINIAN RULERS
2.4. TRANSPARENT NAMES

1. SCRIPT CONVERSION
A translator transfers a form from one language to another using two basic
techniques:
1) mechanical copying/transfer of the source language units (accompanied
by script conversion for languages with different scripts, such as, for instance,
English and Ukrainian);
2) changing the source language units (by making translation
transformations/shifts).
If, however, the source language unit is fully retained in the target language (e.g.
[корпорація] «Microsoft») with no alterations whatsoever, the process is known as
transplanting.
Mechanical copying/transfer of the source language units includes:
1) transcription – copying the sound form of the source language unit (most
commonly – word) by means of the target language letters, e.g. business – бізнес (not
*бусінесс), file – файл (not *філе);
 2) transliteration – copying the letters of the source language unit (most
commonly – word) by means of the target language letters, e.g. folklore – фольклор
(not *фоуклор), water polo – ватерполо (not *вотерпоулоу).
Translation transformations/shifts are, following Anton Popovič’s definition
(“The Concept “Shift of Expression” in Translation Analysis”, 1970), all that appears
as new in the target text with respect to the source text, or fails to appear where it
might have been expected. This technique will be discussed in detail in the
subsequent lectures.
1.1. MODE-ORIENTED
According to the mode-oriented script conversion typology, translators
distinguish transliteration and transcription.
Transliteration is a one-by-one alphabetical rendition of a lexical unit in the
source language by means of the alphabet of the target language, such as English
Kirsten → Ukrainian Кірстен or Ukrainian Шовковський → English Shovkovskyi.
Transcription is a one-by-one phonemic rendition of a lexical unit in the
source language by means of the alphabet of the target language, such as English
Nancy → Ukrainian Ненсі.
Transcription, in its turn, falls into two types: phonetic (e.g., the female name
Maeve is transcribed in English as /meıv/) and orthographic (e.g., the female name
Maeve is transcribed into Ukrainian as Мейв). Translations studies focus primarily on
orthographic transcription which establishes rules for mapping spoken words onto
written forms as prescribed by the orthography of a given language.
Although transliteration and transcription are extensively used by translators, for
instance, in the rendition of proper names and internationalisms, they should not be
confused with translation proper. One and the same source unit may sometimes be
transliterated, transcribed or translated, depending on the context.
SOURCE TRANSLITERATED TRANSCRIBED TRANSLATED
LANGUAGE TARGET TARGET TARGET
UNIT LANGUAGE UNIT LANGUAGE LANGUAGE
UNIT UNIT
Eng. Peter Ukr. Петер Ukr. Пітер Ukr. Петро
(e.g., a German male (e.g., an English (e.g., in the name
name used in English male name) of the Russian
 text) emperor Петро І)
1.2. DIRECTION-ORIENTED
According to the direction-oriented script conversion typology (i.e. depending
on which script is rendered into the other – the Roman script of English into the
Cyrillic script of Ukrainian or vice versa), Ukrainian students who major in
translation from and into English must distinguish between Cyrillization and
Romanization.
1.2.1. CYRILLIZATION
Cyrillization is the process of rendering words of a language that normally uses
a writing system other than the Cyrillic script into a [Bulgarian / Macedonian /
Serbian / Russian / Ukrainian] version of the Cyrillic alphabet. While historically this
script conversion was often performed in an ad hoc fashion, nowadays it presents a
consistent system applied, for example, to render English personal names for use
in Bulgarian / Macedonian / Serbian / Russian / Ukrainian newspapers and books.
To Cyrillize a source language unit, a translator may resort to:
1) transliteration (reflects the graphic form of an English word, i.e. how the
word is spelt, e.g. hamburger – гамбургер);
2) transcription (reflects the phonemic form of an English word, i.e. how the
word is pronounced, e.g. scooter – скутер);
3) a combination of transcription and transliteration (a random part (or
parts) of an English word reflects the graphic form, whereas the other part (or parts)
reflects the phonemic form; it accounts for traditional historically established
equivalents, e.g. Disneyland – Діснейленд (the fully transliterated form being
*Діснейланд and the fully transcribed form being *Дізніленд)).
ENGLISH-TO-UKRAINIAN CYRILLIZATION RULES
ENGLISH UKRAINIAN
SOUND /
LETTER / LETTER / TARGET
SOUND SOURCE
№ LETTER LETTER UKRAINIAN
COMBINATIO ENGLISH UNIT
COMBINATIO COMBINATIO UNIT
N
N N
[α:] Lana a Лана
[eı] Tracy ей Трейсі
1. а [æ] Daniel е Деніел
[ə] Stella а Стелла
air [eə] Alistair ер Алістер
2. b [b] Beatrice б Беатріс
[s] Cecil c Сесіл
3. c
[k] Ciara к Кіра
[ʧ] Charles ч Чарл(ь)з
4. ch
[k] Christopher к Крістофер
5. ck [k] Roderick к Родерік
6. d [d] Daisy д Дейзі
[e] Vanessa е Ванеса
[ǝ] Valerie е Валері
[і:] Phoebe / Leo і/e Фібі / Лео
7. e
[ı] Owen е Оуен
er [ɜ:] Albert ер Альберт
ere [іə] Sincere ір Синсір
8. ee [і:] Eileen і Айлін
9. ew [ju:] Lewis ю Льюіс
10. f [f] Felicity ф Фелісіті
[dʒ] Paige дж Пейдж
11. g
[g] Godfrey ґ Ґодфрі
Hannah х Ханна
12. h [h]
Helen г Гелен
[ı] Elizabeth / і/и/й Елізабет /
Cheryl / Abigail Шерил /Ебіґейл
13. i [i:] Christina і Крістіна
[aı] Caroline ай Керолайн
ir [ɜː] Virginia ір Вірджинія
14. j [dʒ] Judith дж Джудіт
15. k [k] Kevin к Кевін
16. l [l] Lawrence л Лоуренс
17. m [m] Michael м Майкл
[n] Nicholas н Ніколас
18. n
ng [ŋ] Channing нґ Ченнінґ
[oʊ] Joe / Rose о / оу Джо / Роуз
[ɒ] Jonathan о Джонатан
19. o [ɔ:] Paul о Пол
[ə] Raymond о Реймонд
or [ɔ:] / [ə] Gordon / Victor ор Ґордон / Віктор
20. oi [ɔı] Lois ой Лойс
21. oy [ɔı] Elroy ой Елрой
22. p [p] Peter п Пітер
23. ph [f] Philip ф Філіп
24. qu [kw] Quincey кв Квінсі
25. r [r] Rachel р Рейчел
[s] Sandra c Сандра
26. s
[z] Basil з Безіл
27. sh [ʃ] Shirley ш Ширлі
28. t [t] Timothy т Тімоті
29. tch [ʧ] Fletcher / Stitch тч / ч Флетчер / Стіч
[ð] Heather з Гезер
30. th
[θ] Ethel т Етель
31. tion [ʃən] Carnation шон Карнейшон
[ʊ] Joshua у Джошуа
[u:] Julian у Джуліан
[ju:] Hubert ю Г'юберт
32. u [ʌ] Chuck а Чак
[jʊə] Muriel юр Мюріел
[ɜ:] Ursula ур Урсула
[ə] Angus у Анґус
33. v [v] Vincent в Вінсент
34. w [w] Wayne в/у Вейн (Уейн)
[gz] Alexander ґз Алеґзандер
35. x
[ks] Max кс Макс
[аı] Kyle ай Кайл
[ı] Gladys / Cynthia і/и Ґледіс / Синтія
36. y
[j] Fay й Фей
yr [ɜ:] Myrtle ер Мертл
37. z [z] Zachary з Закарі (Зекері)
1.2.2. ROMANIZATION
Romanization is the process of rendering words of a language that normally
uses a writing system other than the Roman (Latin) script into a version (in our case,
the English version) of the Roman alphabet.
To Romanize a source language unit, a translator may resort to:
1) transliteration (reflects the graphic form of a non-Roman-script word, i.e.
how the word is spelt, e.g. суржик – Surzhyk);
2) transcription (reflects the phonemic form of a non-Roman-script word, i.e.
how the word is pronounced, e.g. Chinese 鮭汁 (kê-chiap) – ketchup);
3) combination of transcription and transliteration (a random part (or parts)
of a non-Roman-script word reflects the graphic form, whereas the other part (or
parts) reflects the phonemic form; it accounts for traditional historically established
equivalents, e.g. Arabic ‫( ال ج بر‬al-jabr) – algebra).
 When it comes to Romanization / Latinization of Ukrainian, translators
employ only one of the three methods above – transliteration. The motivation
behind this is that the Ukrainian orthography is majorly phonemic, i.e. its graphemes
(written symbols) generally correspond to its phonemes (significant spoken sounds).
That is why in Ukrainian it is customary to say that “words are pronounced as they
are written”. Exceptions are rare, e.g. in the verbal word-final -ться pronounced as
/ц':а/.
The Ukrainian National transliteration is the official transliteration system of
Ukraine, also employed by the United Nations and many countries' foreign services.
It is currently widely used to represent Ukrainian geographic names, which were
almost exclusively Romanized from Russian before Ukraine's independence in 1991,
and for personal names in passports. It is based on English orthography and does not
require any diacritics.
UKRAINIAN NATIONAL TRANSLITERATION SYSTEM (2010)
ENGLISH
SOURCE TARGET
UKRAINIAN LETTER / EXCEPTIONS
№ UKRAINIAN ENGLISH
LETTER LETTER
UNIT UNIT
COMBINATION
1. а Андрій a Andrii
2. б Бажан b Bazhan
3. в Чорновіл v Chornovil
Гайдай h Haidai *only in the letter
4. г combination зг
Згуровський gh* Zghurovskyi
5. ґ Ґалаґан g Galagan
6. д Дашкевич d Dashkevych
7. е Теодорович e Teodorovych
*at the beginning of
Єльченко ye* Yelchenko a word
8. є
Коломієць ie** Kolomiiets **elsewhere in a
word
9. ж Жовтобрюх zh Zhovtobriukh
10. з Залізняк z Zalizniak
11. и Миклуха y Myklukha
12. і Ірина i Iryna
*at the beginning of
Їжаченко yi* Yizhachenko a word
13. ї
Сингаївський i** Synhaivskyi **elsewhere in a
word
 *at the beginning of
Йосипенко y* Yosypenko a word
14. й
Бойчук i** Boichuk **elsewhere in a
word
15. к Клапатий k Klapatyi
16. л Лемех l Lemekh
17. м Михайлишин m Mykhailyshyn
18. н Нижанківський n Nyzhankivskyi
19. о Вернигора o Vernyhora
20. п Панібрат p Panibrat
21. р Романенко r Romanenko
22. с Степанків s Stepankiv
23. т Турчин t Turchyn
24. у Уманець u Umanets
25. ф Фагот f Fahot
26. х Химчишин kh Khymchyshyn
27. ц Пацюк ts Patsiuk
28. ч Черкасенко ch Cherkasenko
29. ш Пашинський sh Pashynskyi
30. щ Ліщинський shch Lishchynskyi
31. ь Шовковський – Shovkovskyi
*at the beginning of
Юрій yu* Yurii a word
32. ю
Сосюра iu** Sosiura **elsewhere in a
word
*at the beginning of
Яворський ya* Yavorskyi a word
33. я
Паляниця ia** Palianytsia **elsewhere in a
word
34. ’ Реп’ях – Repiakh

2. TRANSLATING ANTHROPONYMS
An anthroponym (from Ancient Greek anthrōpos 'human' and onoma 'name') is
a name of a human being. Anthroponyms are studied by anthroponymy, also known
as anthroponomastics, which, in its turn, is a branch of onomastics (addressing
proper names in general).
Anthroponyms are traditionally rendered through transcription or
transliteration, e.g. George Gordon Byron – Джордж Гордон Байрон; Barack
Obama – Барак Обама; Van Cliburn – Ван Кліберн or Вен Клайберн.
 Nowadays, preference is given to transcription when translating from English.
Interestingly, George Washington was initially rendered as Георг Вашингтон,
Ivanhoe – as Івангое, Michael Faraday – as Михайло Фарадей, Isaac Newton – as
Ісаак Невтон, Thomas Edison – as Фома Едісон, while Shakespeare was called
Шакеспеаре, then – Шейкспір.
In rendering names of living people, personal preferences should be taken into
account. When Van Cliburn, the first International Tchaikovsky Competition prize
winner, came back to Moscow after a long absence, he was offended by the Russian
papers calling him Ван Клайберн, as in Russia he had become accustomed to being
called Ван Клиберн.
2.1. FOREIGN NAMES SPELT IN THE ROMAN SCRIPT
Names of foreign origin spelt in the Roman script are usually written in English
in their original form, whereas in Ukrainian they are rendered mostly by their sound
form, in transcription:
ENGLISH ETYMOLOGY UKRAINIAN
ANTHROPONYM OF EQUIVALENT
FOREIGN ORIGIN ANTHROPONYM
Andersen Danish Андерсен
Björk Icelandic Б’єрк
Ceaușescu Romanian Чаушеску
Coelho Portuguese Коельйо
Coetzee Afrikaans Кутзеє
Čapek Czech Чапек
Dante Italian Данте
Djokovic Serbian Джокович
Grieg Norwegian Гріг
Hồ Chí Minh Vietnamese Хо Ші Мін
Horace Latin Горацій
Jogaila Lithuanian Ягайло
Karimov Uzbek Карімов
Liszt Hungarian Ліст
Lundgren Swedish Лундгрен
Mägi Estonian Мяґі
Mickiewicz Polish Міцкевич
Nietzsche German Ніцше
Niyazov Turkmen Ніязов
Pelšs Latvian Пельш
Richelieu French Рішельє
Srna Croatian Срна
Tarja Finnish Тар’я
van Buuren Dutch ван Бюрен
Velázquez Spanish Веласкес
Several Renaissance and eighteenth-century figures adopted classical names
which were then naturalized: Columbus (Ligurian Corombo; Italian Colombo) –
Колумб; Copernicus (Polish Kopernik) – Коперник; Erasmus (Dutch Erasmus) –
Еразм; Linnaeus (Swedish Linné) – Лінней; but Nostradamus (French Nostredame)
– Нострадамус.
2.2. FOREIGN NAMES SPELT IN NON-ROMAN SCRIPTS
Names of foreign origin spelt in non-Roman scripts are usually rendered in
English in their transcribed or transliterated forms (each following the Romanization
standard established for a particular non-Roman script language), whereas in
Ukrainian they are rendered mostly by their sound form (each following the
Cyrillization standard established for a particular non-Roman script language) or
according to tradition.
ENGLISH ETYMOLOGY UKRAINIAN
ANTHROPONYM OF EQUIVALENT
FOREIGN ORIGIN ANTHROPONYM
Chiang Kai-shek Chinese Чан Кайші
Dzhigarkhanyan Armenian Джигарханян
Dosto(y)evsky Russian Достоєвський
Gandhi Hindi Ганді
Hippocrates Greek Гіппократ
Kim Jong-un / Kim Jong Korean Кім Чен Ин
Un
Khayyam Persian Хаям
Lukashenko/Lukashenka Belarusian Лукашенко
Meiji Japanese Мейдзі
Netanyahu Hebrew Нетаньягу
Pacquiao Filipino (Tagalog) Пак’яо
Radev Bulgarian Радев
Rustaveli Georgian Руставелі
 Oriental names differ from English names in that the former contain the family
name before the given name, whereas the latter normally use the family name after
the given name. Thus, the name of Mao Zedong (Мао Цзедун) suggests that Mao is
the family name and Zedong is the given name. Therefore, the courtesy title word
Mr/Ms/Mrs/Miss should be added to the family name. Chinese and Korean people,
except for those travelling or living outside China and North/South Korea
respectively, rarely reverse their names to the western naming order (given name,
then family name). Western publications usually preserve the Chinese and Korean
naming order, with the family name first, followed by the given name. Modern
Japanese names, however, are usually reversed to fit the western order in English,
e.g. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (Japanese Akutagawa Ryūnosuke) – Рюноске Акутаґава.
As for Russian names, when the given name has a close phonetic equivalent in
English, this equivalent is used in translating it, as in Alexander [Blok], Alexander
[Kuprin], Alexander [Pushkin], Alexander [Solzhenitsyn] rather than Aleksandr;
Joseph [Brodsky] and Joseph [Stalin] rather than Iosif; Leo [Tolstoy] rather than Lev.
Yet, this rule is generally not applicable to Ukrainian given names: Oleksander or the
now-standard Oleksandr [Arkhypenko / Bohomolets / Dovzhenko / Oles].
Furthermore, Russian names never end in -off in transliteration, except for
several now-traditional mistranslations such as [Sergei] Rachmaninoff – [Сергій]
Рахманінов. Instead, they should end in -ov: Romanov.
Ukrainian patronymics pose another problem for translators. Unless particularly
required by some documents, it is desirable to abbreviate patronymics to the first
letter (Михайло Сергійович Грушевський – Mykhailo S. Hrushevskyi), as it is
difficult for foreigners to pronounce and is sometimes mistaken for a family name.
Besides patronymics, a proverbial problem for translators is Ukrainian given name
forms that can have affectionate, patronizing or friendly overtones (Марія –
Марійка, Марієнька, Марієчка, Марічка, Маруся, Марусина, Марусенька,
Марусейка, Маня, Манюня, Манюра, Манюся, Манюта, Маша, Машуня, Мура,
Муся etc.). It is recommended to avoid the variations of the name referring to the
same character in the target language text.
 Some proper names are adapted to the translated language by adding or
dropping female endings: Lizette – Лізетта; пані Зеленська – Mrs Zelensky; пані
Іванова – Mrs Ivanov. Feminine endings in Ukrainian names are used only if the
woman is not married (e.g. the writer Ольга Кобилянська – Olha Kobylianska) or if
she is known under that name (e.g. the opera singer Соломія Крушельницька –
Solomiia Krushelnytska). Otherwise, in the formal style the masculine forms are
used: Раїса Горбачова – Raisa Gorbachev, not Raisa Gorbacheva. However, if an
individual has a preference for a name with a feminine ending, the individual
preference should be followed.
There are names, which, when translated, sound obscene or ridiculous in the
target language (like the Russian family names of Факов or Вагина). It is then
desirable for the translator to inform the person bearing such a name about the
potential negative associations that the transliteration of their name may cause and
slightly change the name by adding or deleting a letter, e.g. Faikov or Waggin.
Similarly, translator’s sensitivity is indispensable when rendering foreign English
anthroponyms into Ukrainian, e.g. Khui (ancient Egyptian kinglet) – Хуі; Pippi
Longstocking (the fictional main character in an eponymous series of children's books
by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren) – Пеппі Довгапанчоха; Tipu Sultan (the ruler of
the Kingdom of Mysore in India) – Тіпу Султан.
2.3. NAMES OF ENGLISH AND UKRAINIAN RULERS
Given names of kings and queens are of special interest, as they are traditional
in form: King Charles – король Карл; King Frederick – король Фрідріх; King
George – король Георг; King Henry – король Генріх; King James – король Яків;
King John – король Іоанн; King Louis – король Людовик; King Stephen – король
Стефан; King William – король Вільгельм; Queen Anne – королева Анна; Queen
Elizabeth – королева Єлизавета; Queen Mary – королева Марія.
Some nicknames of kings and queens are not transcribed or transliterated but
rather translated, e.g. Æthelred the Unready – Етельред Безрадний; Bloody Mary –
Марія Кривава; Eadwig the All-Fair – Едвіг Красивий; Edgar the Peaceful – Едгар
Мирний; Edmund the Magnificent – Едмунд Прекрасний; Edward Longshanks –
Едуард Довгоногий; Edward the Confessor – Едуард Сповідник; Edward the
Martyr – Едуард Мученик; Harold Harefoot – Гарольд Заяча Лапа; John Lackland
– Іоанн Безземельний; Louis the Lion – Людовик Лев; Richard the Lionheart –
Річард Левове Серце; Stephen of Blois – Стефан Блуаський; William of Orange –
Вільгельм Оранський; William the Conqueror – Вільгельм Завойовник.
The above rule is applicable to the rendition of nicknames of Ukrainian and
Russian rulers too (with many of the given names borrowed by English from Russian,
which is reflected in their transliteration), e.g. Андрій Боголюбський – Andrei the
Pious; Василь Косий – Vasily the Squint-Eyed; Василь Темний – Vasily the Blind;
Володимир Великий – Vladimir the Great; Всеволод Велике Гніздо – Vsevolod the
Big Nest; Всеволод Чермний/Рудий – Vsevolod the Red; Всеслав Чародій – Vseslav
the Sorcerer; Данило Галицький – Daniel of Galicia; Дмитро Донський – Dmitry of
the Don; Іван Красний – Ivan the Fair; Іван Грозний – Ivan the Terrible; Мстислав
Удатний – Mstislav the Daring; Олег Віщий – Oleg the Seer; Олександр
Визволитель – Alexander the Liberator; Олександр Миротворець – Alexander the
Peacemaker; Святополк Окаянний – Sviatopolk the Accursed; Семен Гордий –
Simeon the Proud; Юрій Долгорукий – Yuri the Long-Armed (also Yuri
Dolgoruk(i)y); Ярослав Мудрий – Yaroslav the Wise.
However, in some cases the English nickname is likely to be replaced with the
full given name in Ukrainian, e.g. Catherine the Great – Катерина ІІ; Leo of Galicia
– Лев Данилович; Peter the Great – Петро I; Roman the Great – Роман
Мстиславич.
2.4. TRANSPARENT NAMES
Transparent names pose a special problem for translators. Peter Newmark (“A
Textbook of translation”, 1988), a well-known translation theorist, suggests the
following procedure: “first to translate the word that underlies the source language
proper name into the target language, and then to naturalize the translated word back
into a new source language proper name – but normally only when the character’s
name is not yet current amongst an educated target language readership.” A good
example would be the names of fairy tale characters, e.g. Bluebeard – Синя Борода;
Cinderella – Попелюшка; Goldilocks – Золотоволоска; Hop-o’-My-Thumb –
Хлопчик-мізинчик; Little Mermaid – Русалонька; (Little) Red Riding Hood –
Червона Шапочка; Nutcracker – Лускунчик; Snow White – Білосніжка;
Thumbelina – Дюймовочка.
The same tactics can be employed in Ukrainian-to-English translation, e.g. Іван
Голик – Ivan Not-A-Stitch-On; Іван-Побиван – Ivan the Dragon Killer; Івасик-
Телесик – Telesik-Little Stick; Кирило Кожум’яка – Kirilo the Tanner; Коза-дереза
– Nibbly-Quibbly the Goat; Колобок – Little Round Bun; Котигорошко – Pea-Roll-
Along; Пан Коцький – Sir Puss O’Cat / Sir Cat-o-Puss.
Unfortunately, it is not infrequent that personal name connotations are lost.
Below you can see how English, Russian and Ukrainian translators rendered the
Swedish names of the Moomins from an eponymous series of children's books by
Swedish-speaking Finnish author Tove Jansson. The transparency “lost in
translation” is in bold.
SWEDISH (original) ENGLISH RUSSIAN UKRAINIAN
Mumintrollet Moomin(troll) Муми-тролль Мумі-троль
(invented mumin + troll ‘troll’)
Muminpappan Moominpappa Муми-папа Мумі-тато
Muminmamman Moominmamma Муми-мама Мумі-мама
Lilla My Little My Малышка Мю Маленька
(my ‘micron, mu’) Мю
Sniff Sniff Снифф Чмих
(sniffa ‘to snuff/sob; to sniff’)
Snorken Snork Снорк Хропусь
(snorkig ‘snooty, snotty’)
Snorkfröken Snork Maiden Фрёкен Хропся
(snorkig + fröken ‘Miss’) Снорк
Snusmumriken Snufkin Снусмумрик Нюхмумрик
(dialectical snusmumrik or
mumrik ‘old man who talks
carelessly; old codger, old bore;
old snuff-taker; snotty or scruffy
old man’)
Hemulen Hemulen Хемуль Гемуль
(hemul ‘authority or warrant for
something (n.); entitled (adj.)’)
Mårran The Groke Морра Мара
(morra ‘to growl; to grumble’)
Tofslan och Vifslan Thingumy and Тофсла и Чупсля і
(tofs ‘tuft’ + dialectical vivsa Bob Вифсла Трясля
‘tuft’)
In case of such a loss, some translators tend to explain the loss in commentaries,
but a number of critics consider commentaries to hinder text perception.
 LECTURE 3
TRANSLATION OF PROPER NAMES
(TOPONYMS AND ERGONYMS)
1. TRANSLATING TOPONYMS
1.1. NATURALIZED AND SUBSTITUTED PLACE NAMES
1.2. CALQUED PLACE NAMES
1.3. BRITISH AND AMERICAN PLACE NAMES
1.4. UKRAINIAN PLACE NAMES
2. TRANSLATING ERGONYMS
2.1. NAMES OF COMPANIES
2.2. NAMES OF POLITICAL PARTIES
2.3. NAMES OF CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
2.4. NAMES OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
2.5. COMMEMORATIVE NAMES

1. TRANSLATING TOPONYMS
A toponym (from Ancient Greek tópos 'place' and onoma 'name') is a place
name. Toponyms are studied by toponymy, also known as toponomastics, a branch
of onomastics.
Toponyms are traditionally rendered through transcription or transliteration,
e.g. Newcastle – Ньюкасл; Edinburgh – Единбург; Хмельницький – Khmelnytskyi.
Nowadays the tendency towards transcription and/or transliteration prevails over
the tendency towards calquing. For instance, the German city of Frankfurt am Main
was historically calqued into English as Frankfurt on the Main. Nowadays, however,
this form is no longer used, being fully replaced by the German Frankfurt am Main.
Similarly, it is no longer advisable to translate Приморський край as the
Maritime Territory/Province, which can have English speakers mistake it for the
Canadian Maritime provinces. Therefore, the name is to be transliterated as
Primorsky Krai.
 It is noteworthy that in Ukrainian the calqued forms of toponyms are still
extensively used, e.g. Frankfurt am Main – Франкфурт-на-Майні; Stratford-upon-
Avon – Стретфорд-на-Ейвоні.
It is not an infrequent occurrence that toponyms used without any generic
common noun or phrase in the source language require one to specify their type in the
target language, e.g. Aberdeenshire – графство Абердиншир у Шотландії; the
Azores – Азорські острови; Idaho Falls – місто Айдахо-Фоллс, штат Айдахо;
Rhode Island – штат Род-Айленд; the Rio Grande – ріка Ріо-Гранде; Saint
Vincent – 1) острів Сент-Вінсент; 2) держава Сент-Вінсент і
Гренадини/Гренадіни; the Seychelles – республіка Сейшельські Острови;
Львівщина / Полтавщина / Херсонщина – the Lviv/Poltava/Kherson region;
Черемош – the Cheremosh River.
If a toponym is likely to be unknown to the recipient, it is normally rendered
with the addition of some more generic information, e.g. Бойківщина / Гуцульщина /
Лемківщина – Boikivshchyna / Hutsulshchyna / Lemkivshchyna, an ethnic area in
the west of Ukraine inhabited by the Boiko/Boyko / Hutsul / Lemko people;
Верховина – Verkhovyna, a historical area in the highlands of the Ukrainian
Carpathian Mountains; Донбас – the Donbas(s) (the Donets Basin), a historical area
in the east of Ukraine; Покуття – Pokuttia, a historical area in the southwest of
Ukraine; Чуднів – Chudniv, a small town in Zhytomyr Oblast.
Names of American states are traditionally rendered into Ukrainian with the
preceding generic noun штат: Seattle, Washington – (місто) Сіетл, штат
Вашингтон.
1.1. NATURALIZED AND SUBSTITUTED PLACE NAMES
It is noteworthy that a number of toponyms (names of cities, historical areas and
rivers) did not fully retain their original pronunciation and/or spelling in the target
language, thus undergoing naturalization, e.g. Antwerp – Антверпен; Athens –
Афіни; Beijing – Пекін; Bruges – Брюгге; Brussels – Брюссель; Cairo – Каїр;
Carthage – Карфаген; Chișinău/Kishinev – Кишинів; Cologne – Кельн;
Cracow/Krakow – Краків; the Danube – Дунай; the Dnieper – Дніпро (ріка);
Flanders – Фландрія; Florence – Флоренція; Genoa – Генуя; Gothenburg –
Гетеборг; Guangzhou/Canton – Гуанчжоу/Кантон; Hong Kong – Гонконг;
Istanbul – Стамбул; Jerusalem – Єрусалим; Kolkata/Calcutta –
Колката/Калькутта; Lisbon – Лісабон; Livorno/Leghorn – Ліворно; Lorraine –
Лотарингія; Mexico City – Мехіко; Moscow – Москва; Mumbai/Bombay –
Мумбаї/Бомбей; Munich – Мюнхен; Naples – Неаполь; Nice – Ніцца; Nuremberg –
Нюрнберг; Paris – Париж; Prague – Прага; Pyongyang – Пхеньян; Rhodes –
Родос; Riyadh – Ер-Ріяд; Rome – Рим; Saint Petersburg – Санкт-Петербург;
Seville – Севілья; Sicily – Сицилія; Thebes – Фіви; The Hague – Гаага; Thrace –
Фракія; Tianjin – Тяньцзінь; Tuscany – Тоскана; Ulster – Ольстер; Venice –
Венеція; Vienna – Відень; Warsaw – Варшава; Wuhan – Ухань.
A few toponyms are substituted in translation, namely the Channel Islands –
Нормандські острови; the (English) Channel – Ла-Манш; the Iberian Peninsula –
Піренейський півострів; the Strait of Dover – Па-де-Кале.
1.2. CALQUED PLACE NAMES
Many English toponymic phrases are translated into Ukrainian through calquing,
namely:
1) archipelagoes, e.g. the Commander/Komandorski(e) Islands – Командорські
острови; Franz Josef Land – Земля Франца-Йосифа; Novaya Zemlya – Нова
Земля; Severnaya Zemlya – Північна Земля; Tierra del Fuego – Вогняна Земля;
2) bays, e.g. the Bay of Bengal – Бенгальська затока; the Gulf of Mexico –
Мексиканська затока; Hudson Bay – Гудзонова затока; the Zolotoy Rog Bay / the
Golden Horn Bay – бухта Золотий Ріг;
3) canals, e.g. the Panama Canal – Панамський канал; the Suez Canal –
Суецький канал;
4) capes, e.g. the Cape of Good Hope – мис Доброї Надії; Cape Prince of
Wales – мис Принца Уельського;
5) cities, e.g. New Orleans – Новий Орлеан; Rostov-on-Don – Ростов-на-
Дону;
6) continents, e.g. North America – Північна Америка; South America –
Південна Америка;
7) coral reef systems, e.g. the Great Barrier Reef – Великий Бар’єрний риф;
 8) countries, e.g. Montenegro – Чорногорія;
9) cultural areas, e.g. the Arab world – Арабський світ; the Far East –
Далекий Схід; Indochina – Індокитай; Latin America – Латинська Америка; the
Middle East – Середній Схід; the Near East – Близький Схід; the Nordic countries /
the Nordics – північні/нордичні країни (країни Північної Європи); Southeast Asia –
Південно-східна Азія;
10) deserts, e.g. the Great Sandy Desert – Велика Піщана пустеля;
11) islands, e.g. Easter Island – острів Пасхи; Saint Helena (Island) – острів
Cвятої Єлени; Snake/Serpent Island – острів Зміїний;
12) isthmuses, e.g. the Isthmus of Perekop – Перекопський перешийок; the
Isthmus of Suez – Суецький перешийок;
13) lakes, e.g. the Great Lakes (of North America) – Великі (Американські)
озера; Great Slave Lake – Велике Невільниче озеро; Lake Superior – озеро Верхнє;
14) mountain ranges, e.g. the Rocky Mountains – Скелясті гори;
15) mountains, e.g. Table Mountain – Столова гора;
16) oceans, e.g. the Arctic Ocean – Північний Льодовитий океан; the Pacific
Ocean – Тихий океан;
17) peninsulas, e.g. the Arabian Peninsula – Аравійський півострів; the
Balkan Peninsula – Балканський півострів; the Sinai Peninsula – Синайський
півострів;
18) seas, e.g. the Black Sea – Чорне море; the Sea of Azov – Азовське море;
19) straits, e.g. the Kerch Strait – Керченська протока; the Strait of Gibraltar
– Гібралтарська протока;
20) watersheds, e.g. the Continental Divide (of the Americas) / the Great Divide
– Континентальний (американський) вододіл.
1.3. BRITISH AND AMERICAN PLACE NAMES
The administrative divisions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland include:
1) regions (регіони), e.g. South East England – регіон Південно-Східна
Англія; the West Midlands – регіон Західний Мідленд (в Англії);
 2) counties (графства), e.g. Gloucestershire – графство Глостершир;
Hertfordshire – графство Гартфордшир; Leicestershire – графство Лестершир;
3) districts (райони), e.g. the district of Exeter – район Ексетер; the district of
South Northamptonshire – район Саут-Нортгемптоншир; the district of Worcester
– район Вустер;
4) civil parishes (общини), e.g. the civil parish of Blyth – община Блайт; the
civil parish of Macclesfield – община Маклсфілд; the civil parish of Salisbury –
община Солсбері.
The administrative divisions of the United States of America include:
1) states (штати), e.g. Hawaii – штат Гаваї; Maine – штат Мен;
Tennessee – штат Теннессі;
2) counties (округи), e.g. Cook County, Illinois – округ Кук, штат Іллінойс;
Montgomery County, Maryland – округ Монтгомері, штат Меріленд; San
Bernardino County, California – округ Сан-Бернардіно, штат Каліфорнія;
3) civil townships (тауншипи), e.g. Hughes Township, Nodaway County,
Missouri – Г’юз-Тауншип, округ Нодавей, штат Міссурі; Jackson Township,
Franklin County, Ohio – Джексон-Тауншип, округ Франклін, штат Огайо;
Portland Township, Ionia County, Michigan – Портленд-Тауншип, округ Айонія,
штат Мічиган;
4) municipalities (муніципалітети), e.g. the city of Boston, Massachusetts –
місто Бостон, штат Массачусетс; the town of San Anselmo, California –
містечко Сан-Анселмо, штат Каліфорнія; the village of Islamorada, Florida –
село Ісламорада, штат Флорида.
As far as the translation of street names in the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland and the United States of America is concerned, the latest trend
in official as well as scientific and technical texts is to transcribe or transliterate them,
with the addition of a preceding generic noun (except when the commonly known
borrowings авеню, парк, сквер or стріт are used), e.g. Oxford Street – Оксфорд-
cтріт; Portobello Road – вулиця Портобелло-роуд. Since there exist over one
hundred street type designations (alley, arcade, avenue, boulevard, drive, highway,
lane, parade, road, street, terrace, walk etc. to name but a few) differing in their
meanings both across and within diverse English-speaking countries, by far the most
common Ukrainian generic noun added would be вулиця.
1.4. UKRAINIAN PLACE NAMES
In modern English, it is advisable to transliterate the administrative divisions of
Ukraine instead of translating them, the Ukrainian toponymic adjective being
replaced by the English noun, e.g. Волинська/Івано-Франківська область –
Volyn/Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (Region is acceptable in literary texts);
Білоцерківський/Бучанський/Вишгородський район – Bila
Tserkva/Bucha/Vyshhorod Raion (District is acceptable in literary texts). This rule is
also applicable to the rendition of urban historical neighbourhoods, residential areas
and industrial parks, e.g. історична місцевість Пуща-Водиця/Русанівка –
Pushcha-Vodytsia/Rusanivka historical neighbourhood (Kyiv); житловий масив
Нивки/Сирець – Nyvky/Syrets residential area (Kyiv); промрайон
«Відрадний»/«Воскресенське» – Vidradnyi/Voskresenske industrial park /
industrial estate (Kyiv).
However, when rendering names of city districts, the adjectival form is retained,
e.g. Голосіївський/Шевченківський район міста Києва – the
Holosiivskyi/Shevchenkivskyi District of Kyiv.
Calqued are the names of the following administrative divisions: автономна
республіка (e.g. Автономна Республіка Крим – the Autonomous Republic of
Crimea); місто зі спеціальним статусом (e.g. місто зі спеціальним статусом
Київ – Kyiv, city with special status); місто обласного значення (e.g. місто
обласного значення Коломия – Kolomyia, city of regional significance); місто
районного значення (e.g. місто районного значення Батурин – Baturyn, city of
district significance); міська рада (e.g. Харківська міська рада – Kharkiv City
Council); селищна рада (e.g. Чабанівська селищна рада – Chabany Settlement
Council); сільська рада (e.g. Нижньогаївська сільська рада – Nyzhni Hai Rural
Council).
As far as the translation of names of streets, boulevards, avenues and squares is
concerned, the latest trend in official as well as scientific and technical texts is to
transliterate them as they are, i.e. retaining the original number, gender and case
form. However, in literary texts it is generally acceptable to translate the generic
common nouns and place them in compliance with the English word order.
UKRAINIAN ENGLISH ENGLISH
TOPONYM EQUIVALENT-1 EQUIVALENT-2
(in official and scientific (in literary texts)
and technical texts)
вулиця Гната vulytsia Hnata
Hnata Khotkevycha
Хоткевича Khotkevycha Street
провулок Сергія provulok Serhiia
Serhiia Paradzhanova
Параджанова Paradzhanova Alley (or Lane in British
English)
Андріївський узвіз Andriivskyi uzviz Andriivskyi Descent
площа Перемоги ploshcha Peremohy Victory Square
Майдан Незалежності Maidan Nezalezhnosti Independence Square
бульвар Перова bulvar Perova Perova Boulevard
проспект Академіка prospekt Akademika Akademika Palladina
Палладіна Palladina Prospekt (or Avenue,
especially if tree-lined)
Харківське шосе Kharkivske shose Kharkivske Chaussee
Паркова дорога Parkova doroha Parkova Road
While rendering Ukrainian addresses into English for mailing, it is advisable to
follow the transliteration pattern below (the only substitution concerning the
placement of the addressee’s name):
SOURCE LANGUAGE ADDRESS TARGET LANGUAGE ADDRESS
м. Дрогобич Mr. O.H. Veselovskyi
Львівської області, m. Drohobych,
вул. Грушевського, буд. 89, корп. 1, Lviv Oblast,
кв. 15. vul. Hrushevskoho, bud. 89, korp. 1,
Веселовському О.Г. kv. 15.
As far as historical Ukrainian toponyms are concerned, they are rendered into
English “according to tradition”, i.e. each toponym has its established equivalent, e.g.
Галицько-Волинське князівство – the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia;
Гетьманщина – the Cossack Hetmanate; Запорозька Січ – the
Zaporozhian/Zaporizhian Sich; Західноукраїнська Народна Республіка – the West
Ukrainian People’s Republic; Карпатська Україна – Carpatho-Ukraine; Київська
Русь – Kyivan/Kievan Rus; Лівобережна Україна – Left-Bank Ukraine;
Правобережна Україна – Right-Bank Ukraine; Слобідська Україна – Sloboda
Ukraine; Українська Радянська Соціалістична Республіка (УРСР) – the
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (the Ukrainian SSR / the Uk(r)SSR); Українська
Центральна Рада – the Central Council of Ukraine.

2. TRANSLATING ERGONYMS
An ergonym (from Ancient Greek érgon 'work, trade' and onoma 'name') is a
proper name or title of an organization that reflects its function.
When dealing with official texts, the translator should first and foremost check if
the organization whose name is to be translated has an English legal name. If so, the
registered legal name (no matter whether appropriately rendered or not) is used in the
translation.
The rules below will be useful for translating ergonyms if no English legal name
is available as well as in non-official texts.
2.1. NAMES OF COMPANIES
English names of companies are transcribed and/or transliterated in guillemets
(«») with the addition of the preceding Ukrainian generic noun specifying their type.
Below are the two full English-to-Ukrainian translation patterns applicable to this
group of ergonyms:
SOURCE TARGET LANGUAGE UNIT
LANGUAGE LOCATION PRODUCT / FUNCTION + TRANSLITERATIO
UNIT ENTERPRISE TYPE N
AstraZeneca британська мультинаціональна «АстраЗенека»
фармацевтична
компанія
BHP британсько- мультинаціональна «Бі-ейч-пі»
австралійськ гірничодобувна компанія
а
Boeing Renton американськ літакобудівний завод «Боїнг Рентон
Factory ий корпорації «Боїнг» Факторі»
the Gruber американськ вагонобудівний завод «Ґрубер Веґен
Wagon Works ий Воркс»
Louisville луїсвіллський склозавод «Луїсвілл
Glassworks Ґласворкс»
the Rood американськ кондитерська фабрика «Руд Кенді
Candy а Компані Білдінґ»
Company
Building
Tangerine йоркська кондитерська фабрика
Confectionery компанії «Тенджерін
York Factory Конфекшенері»
the Tesla американськ автомобілебудівний «Тесла
Factory ий завод компанії «Тесла, Факторі»
Інк.»
or
SOURCE TARGET LANGUAGE UNIT
LANGUAGE LOCATION ENTERPRISE PRODUCT / TRANSLITERAT
UNIT TYPE FUNCTION ION
British британськ мультинаціо тютюнових «Брітіш
American а нальна виробів Амерікан
Tobacco компанія Тобакко»
Diageo британськ мультинаціо алкогольних «Діеджіоу»
а нальна виробів
компанія
Unilever британськ мультинаціо товарів «Юнілівер»
о- нальна широкого
нідерландс компанія- вжитку
ька виробник
The use of capital letters and punctuation marks follows the original, the only
exception being an apostrophe, which is generally omitted, as in McDonald’s –
МакДональдз. The article is usually eliminated from the Ukrainian transcription
and/or transliteration.
It is noteworthy that previously generic acronyms designating types of
companies in ergonyms (such as Ltd., Inc., Co. etc.) were translated. The current
international trend is to transliterate (Cyrillize) them as Лтд., Інк., Ко. etc., but only
if they are part of an ergonym. Otherwise, they are fully translated.
Meanwhile, it is becoming more and more common to transplant the original
Roman script form instead of using the transcribed and/or transliterated Cyrillic script
form, e.g. британська мультинаціональна фармацевтична компанія
«AstraZeneca» and so on.
Ukrainian names of companies are similarly transliterated into English, but
without any quotation marks and with the addition of the following Ukrainian generic
noun specifying their type. Below is the full Ukrainian-to-English translation pattern
applicable to this group of ergonyms:
SOURCE TARGET LANGUAGE UNIT
LANGUAGE LOCATION TRANSLITERA PRODUCT / ENTERPRISE
UNIT TION FUNCTION TYPE
Авдіївський Avdiivka Coke Plant
коксохімічний
завод
акціонерне Ukrainian Ukrhazvydob Natural Gas Joint-Stock
товариство uvannia Processing Company
«Укргазвидоб
ування»
державне Ukrainian Enerhorynok Power State-Owned
підприємство Engineering Enterprise
«Енергоринок
»
національне Ukrainian Naftohaz Oil and Gas National Joint-
акціонерне Ukrainy Stock Company
товариство
«Нафтогаз
України»
Нікопольський Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant
завод
феросплавів
приватне Ukrainian Kyivstar Mobile Private Joint-
акціонерне Telecommunic Stock Company
товариство ations
«Київстар»
публічне Ukrainian/ Motor Sich Aircraft Engine Public Joint-
акціонерне Zaporizhzhi Manufacturing Stock Company
товариство a
«Мотор Січ»
товариство з Ukrainian ATB-Market Retail Private Limited
обмеженою Company
відповідальніс
тю «АТБ-
Маркет»
Херсонський Kherson Oil Refinery
нафтопереро
бний завод
Чернігівська Chernihiv Elehant Textile Mill
швейна
фабрика
«Елегант»
It is noteworthy that previously generic acronyms designating types of
companies in ergonyms (such as АТ, ВАТ, ДП, ПАТ, ПП, ПрАТ, Т(з)ОВ) were
translated. The current international trend is to transliterate (Romanize) them as АТ,
VAT, DP, PAT, PP, PrAT, T(z)OV, but only if they are part of an ergonym.
Otherwise, they are fully translated: АТ – joint-stock company, ВАТ – open joint-
stock company, ДП – state-owned enterprise, ПАТ – public joint-stock company, ПП
– private company, ПрАТ – private joint-stock company, Т(з)ОВ – private limited
company.
2.2. NAMES OF POLITICAL PARTIES
Names of British and American political parties are generally composed of
common nouns and adjectives describing their function(s), so they are usually
translated: (in the UK) the Conservative Party (also known colloquially as the Tories)
– Консервативна партія; the Labour Party – Лейбористська партія; the Liberal
Party – Ліберальна партія; Plaid Cymru – партія Плайд Камрі / Партія Уельсу;
the Scottish National Party – Шотландська національна партія; Sinn Féin –
партія Шинн Фейн; (in the US) the Democratic Party – Демократична партія; the
Republican Party – Республіканська партія.
Ukrainian political parties constantly change, and so do their names, which is
why the same party name is rendered in different ways in the English media
(sometimes translated, sometimes transliterated and translated, sometimes
transplanted and translated). The following denominations can be seen as more or
less adequate equivalents: Блок Юлії Тимошенко – the Yuliia Tymoshenko Bloc;
Комуністична партія України – the Communist Party of Ukraine; партія «Блок
Петра Порошенка» – the Petro Poroshenko Bloc Party; партія «Відродження» –
the Revival Party; партія «Всеукраїнське аграрне об’єднання «Заступ» – the All-
Ukrainian Agrarian Association Spade Party; партія «Всеукраїнське об’єднання
«Батьківщина» – the All-Ukrainian Union Fatherland Party; партія
«Всеукраїнське об’єднання «Свобода» – the All-Ukrainian Union Freedom Party;
партія «Голос» – the Voice Party; партія «Європейська Солідарність» – the
European Solidarity Party; партія «Конгрес українських націоналістів» – the
Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists Party; партія «Народний фронт» – the
People’s Front Party; партія «Національний корпус» – the National Corps Party;
партія «Наша Україна» – the Our Ukraine Party; партія «Наш край» – the Our
Land Party; партія «Об’єднання «Самопоміч» – the Union Self-Reliance Party;
партія «Опозиційна платформа – За життя» – the Opposition Platform – For
Life Party; партія «Правий сектор» – the Right Sector Party; партія «Рух нових
сил» – the Movement of New Forces Party; партія «Сильна Україна» – the Strong
Ukraine Party; партія «Слуга народу» – the Servant of the People Party; партія
«Трудова Україна» – the Labour Ukraine Party; партія «Українське об’єднання
патріотів – УКРОП» – the Ukrainian Association of Patriots – UKROP Party;
партія «Український Демократичний Альянс за Реформи (УДАР)» – the
Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR) Party; Радикальна партія
Олега Ляшка – the Radical Party of Oleh Liashko.
2.3. NAMES OF CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
Names of cultural institutions usually consist of common nouns and adjectives
describing their function(s) and are, therefore, translated.
SOURCE LANGUAGE UNIT TARGET LANGUAGE UNIT
1. ARCHIVES
the National Archives (United Національні архіви Великобританії
Kingdom) (англійська та уельська секції)
the National Archives and Records Національне управління архівів та
Administration / NARA документації США
Державна архівна служба України / The State Archive Service of Ukraine /
Укрдержархів Ukrderzharkhiv
2. CHURCHES
the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Кафедральний собор святих Петра,
Paul and St Andrew (Peterborough, Павла й Андрія (м. Пітерборо,
Cambridgeshire) графство Кембриджшир)
the Basilica of the National Shrine of Базиліка Непорочного зачаття
the Immaculate Conception Пресвятої Діви Марії (Вашингтон,
(Washington, D.C.) округ Колумбія)
Києво-Печерська лавра Kyiv(-)Pechersk Lavra
3. CINEMAS
Odeon Cinemas британська мережа кінотеатрів
«Одеон Сінемас»
AMC Theaters американська мережа кінотеатрів
«Ей-ем-сі Тіетерс»
кінотеатр «Кінопанорама» (м. Київ) Kyiv Kinopanorama Cinema Hall
4. LIBRARIES
the British Library Британська бібліотека
the Library of Congress Бібліотека Конгресу
Національна бібліотека України the Vernadsky National Library of
імені В.І. Вернадського Ukraine
5. MUSEUMS
Madame Tussauds Музей мадам Тюссо
the Metropolitan Museum of Art Музей мистецтва «Метрополітен»
Національний музей Голодомору- National Museum of the Holodomor-
геноциду Genocide
 6. THEATERS
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane Королівський театр на Друрі-Лейн
The Fox Theatre (Detroit, Michigan) театр Фокс (м. Детройт, штат
Мічиган)
Національний академічний Ivan Franko National Academic
драматичний театр імені Івана Drama Theater
Франка
2.4. NAMES OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Names of international organizations similarly consist of common nouns and
adjectives describing their function(s) and are:
1) fully translated (both the full name and the acronym are translated), e.g. the
Bank for International Settlements / the BIS – Банк міжнародних розрахунків /
БМР; the Commonwealth (of Nations) – Співдружність націй; the Commonwealth
of Independent States / the CIS – Співдружність Незалежних Держав / СНД; the
Council of Europe / the CoE – Рада Європи; the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development / the EBRD – Європейський банк реконструкції та розвитку /
ЄБРР; the International Committee of the Red Cross / the ICRC – Міжнародний
комітет Червоного Хреста / МКЧХ; the International Labour Organization / the
ILO – Міжнародна організація праці / МОП; the International Monetary Fund /
the IMF – Міжнародний валютний фонд / МВФ; Médecins Sans Frontières / MSF
/ Doctors Without Borders – міжнародна медична організація «Лікарі без
кордонів»; the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe / the OSCE –
Організація з безпеки і співробітництва в Європі / ОБСЄ; the United Nations /
the UN – Організація Об’єднаних Націй / ООН; the World Bank – Світовий банк;
the World Economic Forum / the WEF – Всесвітній економічний форум / ВЕФ; the
World Health Organization / the WHO – Всесвітня організація охорони здоров’я /
ВООЗ; the World Trade Organization / the WTO – Світова організація торгівлі /
СОТ;
2) partially translated (the full name is translated, while the acronym is
transcribed and/or transliterated), e.g. the North Atlantic Treaty Organization / NATO
– Організація Північноатлантичного договору / НАТО; the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries / OPEC – Організація країн-експортерів нафти /
ОПЕК;
 3) substituted with the transcribed and/or transliterated acronym, e.g. the
International Criminal Police Organization / INTERPOL – Інтерпол; the United
Nations Children’s Fund / UNICEF – ЮНІСЕФ; the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization / UNESCO – ЮНЕСКО.
Mind the zero article in acronyms INTERPOL, NATO, OPEC, UNICEF and
UNESCO.
2.5. COMMEMORATIVE NAMES
A commemorative name is a name given in memory or in honour of an
outstanding person. In English the anthroponym referring to an outstanding person is
placed at the beginning, whereas in Ukrainian – at the end of the phrase, e.g. Bishop
Grosseteste University – Університет (імені) єпископа Гросетеста; the
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao – Музей Ґуґґенгайма в Більбао; the Pontifical John
Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family – Папський інститут
досліджень шлюбу та сім’ї імені Івана Павла ІІ; the Rockefeller Foundation –
Фонд Рокфеллера. The overwhelming majority of anthroponyms in commemorative
ergonyms are nouns; the rare instances of anthroponymic adjectives include, amongst
others, the Bodleian Library – Бодліанська бібліотека and the Smithsonian
(Institution) – Смітсонівський інститут.
Ukrainian commemorative ergonyms and toponyms contain an anthroponym
either as a noun in the Genitive case placed in the final position (e.g. альтанка
Глібова – Hlibov Gazebo; сквер імені Василя Стуса – Vasyl Stus Plaza / Garden
Square; Університет імені Альфреда Нобеля – Alfred Nobel University), or as an
adjective in the initial position (e.g. Довженківський заказник – Dovzhenko
Sanctuary/Zakaznik; Шевченківський національний заповідник – Shevchenko
National Reserve). If the noun in the Genitive case is placed in the final position, it is
frequently preceded by the introductory word імені, which is NOT TRANSLATED
into English. The phrase named after (as in *University Named After Alfred Nobel),
which some inexperienced translators/interpreters use to convey commemoration, is
possible only in sentences, not phrases, e.g. The university was named after Alfred
Nobel.
 If an ergonym contains both an anthroponym and a toponym (as in names of
numerous Ukrainian universities, e.g. Київський національний університет імені
Тараса Шевченка), then it is recommended to follow one of the two patterns below:
the + [anthroponym] + [main ergonym / ergonymic phrase] + of + [toponym] (the
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv) or (the less formal) [toponym] + ’s +
[anthroponym] + [main ergonym / ergonymic phrase] (Kyiv’s Taras Shevchenko
National University).