Translation Question - CORRECTION!

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Alina Israeli wrote:

>>I see your point(s).  Still, it's not quite what I had in mind.
>>Please allow me to replace my original question with the following
>>one: how would you translate the phrase "c h t v e r t a i a grafa?"
>
> Fourth line. Interestingly enough, the "preslovutaja pjataja grafa" was in
> the Soviet passports actually a line item #4.

If the context (the layout of the form) permits it, yes. But oftentimes
"line" in English can refer to строка (row), and if we're dealing with
columns that won't work. Think of IRS Form 1040, for example: "Enter
your gross income on line 31, column a, and your donations to the
Communist Party on line 31, column b. Enter the difference on line 32.
This is your taxable income." ;-) Which of these would be "графа" in
Russian? I'll wager it would be a and b (though I've seen столбец and
even колонка in recent documents, probably under the influence of English).

Possibilities I would consider, depending on the specific context:

"Column four," "line four," "item four" (reversing the order eliminates
the misapprehension with "fifth column").

In a technical context (computer data entry, etc.), you might even refer
to it as a "field," e.g., "the address field accepts up to 26 characters."

--
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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