Write the name in English. Russian names in English: spelling and pronunciation rules

When we translate a sentence, we capture the meaning of their context. One word can have several meanings, we choose a specific one based on the meaning of the sentence. But what about names? There are names in Russian that do not exist in English. What to do in this case? This a difficult situation for both English speakers and Russians, because there may be a linguistic misunderstanding. But ... a way out of the situation can be found. Consider Russian names in English, the features of their translation and transliteration, and also consider foreign names that correspond to Russian ones. Forward for new knowledge!

Parallel of Russian names with English

First of all, you should pay attention to transliteration. Transliteration of names is an important point in the correct translation of a Russian name into English. Why is Peter spelled as Pyotr? What is the reason for such a translation? Why can't you just write Petr?

All because there is such a thing as reality. These are peculiar ethno-national features, distinctive characteristics people, their customs and way of life, which are not found in other nations. That is why, in order to eliminate the language barrier, the US State Department has developed a whole methodology that explains the features of translating letters from Cyrillic to Latin. The result can be seen in the table below (with English letters):

The table shows that not all letters that are in Russian exist in English (good practice to repeat). For example, ъ and ь are omitted in the English language, that is, they do not need to be translated. It is important to remember that there are Russian letters, which in English language denoted as two, e.g. W -> SH, C -> TS, H -> CH.

On a note! The letters E and Ё are spelled the same in English => E, YE.

Elena will be Yelena, Parfenov will be Parfenov.

But! If we mean the pronunciation of yo, then Ё should be denoted as YO => Peter -> Pyotr.

For students who are just starting to learn the features of transliteration, it can be difficult to catch the difference. In this case, you need to memorize the examples given, and with time and practice, you can easily translate the names yourself.

The letters E and E should be translated as E, but ... if the letter E is at the beginning of a word, after the letters b, b or a vowel, then it should be translated as YE:

• Elina => Elina
• Yeremin => Yeremin
• Medvedev => Medvedev.

Note! Russian letters Y and Y, which do not exist in English, are translated as Y, for example, Raikin -> Raykin, Nasyrov -> Nasyrov.

Special attention should be paid to the endings. The pearls of the Russian alphabet b and b are beyond the understanding of foreigners, so they are simply omitted, that is, they are not translated in any way: Lifting -> Podyomny, Daria -> Darya.

If we talk about the endings IY and YY, popular in Russian, then everything is simple: both endings are translated as Y:

• Bravy -> Bravy
• Bold -> Smely
• Dmitry -> Dmitry

The name Julia, popular in Russian, is translated as follows:

• Yulia -> Yulia.

Note! Yu and Ya are denoted in English by two letters. But not only them. Zh and X are also denoted by two letters => ZH and KH, respectively, for example:

• Jacqueline -> Zhaklin
• Mikhail -> Mikhail.

The letter C, often used in Russian surnames, is translated as TS, Ch - as CH:

• Chernova -> Chernova
• Tsareva -> Tsaryova.

As for the letter Ш, it is also translated in two letters - Sh, and Ш - in whole four - SHCH. Let's give examples:

• Shchitkova -> Shchitkova
• Shalamba -> Shalamba.

Russian names in English:is there a match?

And now the question is: how to introduce yourself to a foreigner so that he understands that this is your name, and not an adjective for something? What are we talking about? about the same realities. Translation of Russian names is often problematic. Imagine you are speaking to a foreigner My name is Nastya which, if translated literally, would mean My name is Nastya. Word Nastya associated with nasty which in English means disgusting, disgusting, unpleasant. Russian name Nastya when translated into English corresponds to Anastasiasia.

Things are even more fun with Svetlana. Svitlana is associated with the phrase sweat Lana, which means sweaty Lana, or sweet Lana - sweet Lana.

Reference: Love is translated as Lubov. You should not call a woman's name the name of love Love.

If we are talking about names that end in b, then we omit the letter. The name Igor will sound like Igor, while phonetically the word will sound solid. Remember: there are no mitigations in English.

Note! Ivan in English sounds like Ivan. The first letter is I, not AI (some foreigners call Ivanov Ivans, that is, they read the first letter as two. But this is wrong).

Important! It should be remembered that many Russian names are adapted to English ones (they are not written the way we are used to seeing them). Here is a short list showing the spelling of Russian names in English with translation:

Male names

• Alexander - Eligzande (Alexander)
• Michael - Michael (Michael)
• Carl - Charles (Charles)
• Ivan - John, Ivan (John)
• Matthew - Matthew
• Daniel - Daniel (Daniel)
• Heraclius - Hercules (Heracl)
• Gabriel - Gabriel (Gabriel)
• Claudius - Claude
• Anatoly - Anatole (Anatole)
• Andrew - Andrew (Andrew)
• Vasily - Basil (Basil)
• Benjamin - Benjamin
• Vincent - Vincent
• George - George (George) Eugene - Eugene (Eugene)
• Ephraim - Geoffrey
• Ilya - Elias
• Joseph, Osip - Joseph (Joseph)
• Leo - Leo (Leo)
• Nicholas - Nicholas (Nicholas)
• Pavel - Paul (Paul)
• Peter - Pete (Peter)
• Sergey - Serge (Serge)
• Stepan - Stephen, Stephen (Steven, Stephen)
• Fedor - Theodore (Theodore)
• Jacob - Jacob

Women's names

• Agnes / Agnes - Agnes (Agnes)
• Alice - Alice (Alice)
• Anastasia - Enesteysha (Anastacia)
• Antonina - Antonia (Antonia)
• Valentine - Valentin (Valentine)
• Valeria - Valery (Valery)
• Barbara - Barbara
• Dasha - Dolly Dolly (Dorothy)
• Eve - Eve (Eve)
• Eugene - Eugenia (Eugenie)
• Catherine - Catherine, Catherine (Catherine)
• Elena - Helen (Helen)
• Jeanne - Joan (Joanne, Jean)
• Zoya - Zoe (Zoe)
• Irina - Irene (Irene)
• Carolina - Caroline (Caroline)
• Laura - Laura, Lauren (Laura, Lauren)
• Maria - Mary
• Natalia - Natalie (Natalie)
• Polina - Polina (Paulina)
• Rita - Margaret (Margaret)
• Sofia - Sophie
• Susanna - Susan (Susan)
• Julia - Julia (Julia)

The list shows that female English names , including really beautiful ones, they can radically differ from Russians. For example, who would have thought that Jeanne would be Joan and Elena would be Helen? The same can be said about the spelling of male names. Is Ivan associated with John? But it is so! Translated into English, Ivan will be none other than John!

There are names that are easily translated and perceived, for example, Natalia and Natalie, Valeria and Valery. But in any case, the words from the list must be studied in order to stand before the eyes of a foreigner as a literate and educated person.

First name, second name. What is the difference?

When we say first name, it means the first name, second name - the surname. First name can also be replaced with given name, second name with surname or family name. But the middle name is not the fatherland, as some people think, but the middle name in English names. It's no secret that in England children are often called two, three, or even four names. For example, the name for a girl Anna-Marie Lisa Auster is a common thing.

As for the fatherland, it sounds like patronymic. Knowing how to distinguish between first name, surname and patronymic is especially useful for those who are going to apply for a passport. In an official setting, everything is strict and each column must be filled out clearly and correctly.

Examples of how to write a name in English, a fatherland and a surname:

• Lesovaya Olesya Evgenievna - Lesovaya Olesya Evgen`evna.
• Koroleva Alexandra Leonidovna - Korolyova Aleksandra Leonidovna.
• Tatarchuk Igor Grigorevich - Tatarchuk Igor Grigorevich.
• Somova Irina Yaroslavovna - Somova Irina Iaroslavovna.
• Krupnov Igor Valerievich - Krupnov Igor` Valer`evich.
• Anisova Marina Valentinovna - Anisova Marina Valentinovna.
• Nefyodov Denis Arkad'evich
• Lisitsina Daria Yurievna - Lisitsina Daria Iurevna.
• Karelin Vladimir Sergeevich - Karelin Vladimir Sergeevich.
• Kuzmenko Yulia Filippovna - Kuzmenko Yuliya Filippovna.
• Fedoruk Roman Konstantinovich - Fedoruk Roman Konstantinovich.
• Pavlenko Maria Vladimirovna - Pavlenko Mariia Vladimirovna.
• Kozlova Elena Vladimirovna - Kozlova Elena Vladimirovna.
• Petrova Aleksandra Pavlovna - Petrova Aleksandra Pavlovna.
• Ivanova Tatyana Nikolaevna - Ivanova Tat`yana Nikolaevna.
• Sinitsyn Anton Pavlovich - Sinitsyn Anton Pavlovich.

Summing up

Names in English - interesting topic for studying. How to spell a name in English is the first thing you need to know when you plan to visit a foreign country or visit a government agency. At the same time, it is worth remembering the realities, because in English there may not be analogues to Russian names.

And more importantly: remember about transliteration. If verbally speaking is easy, then spelling can be a problem. Initially, it is important that everything you study is written with transliteration, so that the pronunciation is correct, and the names are correctly transliterated. If you find it difficult to read names in English, then transcription should be your first assistant on the way to solving the problem.

How to write a surname in English?

Now the time comes when we need to draw up documents, submit passports for a visa, conclude important contracts and even sign a notebook for a child’s school… But the hand freezes in a stupor, the brain begins to analyze the facts, the letters become re-registered, the pupils dilate in awareness of the pettiness of being , the criticality of the situation is growing and this universally significant question is born - how to write your last name in English correctly?

So, the Native English School team will help you figure this out!

To begin with, let's consider how this or that sound can be transmitted from Russian to English, by the way, all this is beautifully called transliteration(from English translate - translate).

14 rules for writing a surname in English that will help you:

1. Let's start with a soft and hard sign - b,Kommersant. In English spelling, they are not transmitted:

Baker Vladimir - Pekar Vladimir,

Overnikov Mikhail - Overnikov Mikhail.

2. Letters S And Y should be written as Y:

Kryshkin Konstantin - Kryshkin Konstantin,

Martynkina Vladislav - Martynkina Vladislava.

3. This also applies to endings - ii And - YY:

March Valentine - Martovsky Valentin,

Snub-nosed Stanislav - Kurnosy Stanislav.

4. Letters E And E will be transmitted in the same way - E:

Kemerova Elizaveta - Kemerova Elizaveta,

Emanuilov Karen - Emanuilov Karen.

5. But, E can transform into YE, if it is at the beginning of a word, after b or b signs:

Evdokia Astafyeva - Evdokiya Astafyeva.

6. Letter Yo broadcast as YE provided that it is placed at the beginning of a word, in other cases - E:

Demina Marina – Demina Marina,

Yershinkov Alexander - Yershunkov Aleksandr.

7. Letter AND when writing will be - ZH:

Mazhorov Pavel - Mazhorov Pavel,

Rozhzhov Ruslan - Rozhzhov Ruslan.

8. Letter X in English spelling will be KN:

David Kholmov - David Kholmov,

Oksana Volkhova - Oksana Volkhova.

9. Voiced consonant C will be written as TS:

Kuznetsov Igor - Kuznetsov Igor,

Nadezhda Tsarapina - Nadezhda Tsarapina.

10. Letter H will be sent as CH:

Chebotarny Konstantin - Chebotarny Konstantin,

Chaban Vladimir - Chaban Vladimir.

11. Consonant hissing W will be written as SH:

Shapovalova Oksana — Shapovalova Oksana

Sharko Dana - Sharko Dana.

12. But the letter SCH will be sent as SHCH:

Shemilova Alexandra - Shchemilova Aleksandra,

Shcheglov Marat - Shcheglov Marat.

13. Vowel YU will be written as YU:

Yulia Vladimirova - Yuliya Vladimirova,

Yuzhnov Artem - Yuzhnov Artem.

14. And the last vowel I will be sent as YA:

Yaroshenko Konstantin - Yaroshenko Konstantin,

Yagda Yadviga - Yagda Yadviga.

The NES team is always happy to help its students with the correct paperwork and suggest the correct spelling of the English text. Good luck to you, our dear students!

Call her a rose, or not.

W. Shakespeare,« Romeo and Juliet"

Any acquaintance begins with a greeting. We remember this from a recent article English phrases and expressions: greeting, appeal, request. We would like to continue the topic, reminding you, dear readers, of one more component - presenting yourself. We will tell you how to pronounce the name in English correctly and how to write the name in English correctly so that you can correctly fill out the questionnaires in foreign language, sign letters, - business correspondence or friendly notes - check official documents with your name.

How to translate a name into English

No way! Using your name in the English manner is unacceptable. If you are Yulia, you cannot call yourself Juliette and assume that this is the correct "translation" of the name. Or, say, not be called Ivan, but John.

Important to know: Names cannot be translated, only transliteration!

Transliteration– transfer of text (words, letters) of one graphic system through the use of another graphic system. That is, it is the transfer of some characters of the letter to others. In our case, this is the spelling of Latin letters instead of the Cyrillic alphabet used in Russian and Ukrainian.

In 2010, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved official version transliteration, which is still used to this day for issuing a passport of a citizen of Ukraine for traveling abroad, as well as other international documentation.

The translation of names into English from Ukrainian, as well as the translation of names from Russian into English, occurs only by writing them with Latin letters according to strict rules.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the table, which presents English letters for transliteration from Ukrainian and Russian.

Transliteration table: how to write your name in English

Please note that in English, the soft, hard sign and apostrophe used in Ukrainian are not transmitted in writing. There are no special signs for them.

The most popular names in English

Based on the given data, let's look at how the most common Ukrainian and Russian male and female names are written in English.

Note that in Russian the endings -y -y are denoted by the letter y.

Well, now the question of how to translate the name into English has been resolved for you. If you didn't find your name on the list, use your new knowledge of transliteration and write your name correctly. By the way, there are resources on the Internet that allow you to use transliteration online. Learn, practice and come to the NES on trial lessons in English!