акционерное обще ство

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Scott Petersen wrote:

> I have a friend in Tula who wants to know how to render  акционерное 
> общество [akcionernoe obshchestvo]into  English. Is this just 
> Inc./incorporated? Would this be a relatively  new concept in Russian?

I agree with the previous answer (sorry for lack of attribution, I 
deleted it too quickly) in general terms.

However, I would caution that "just inc./incorporated" implies an overly 
simplistic equation of realia from two different cultures and legal 
systems. Yes, it is the closest match, but no, they aren't exactly the 
same.

Our clients have a variety of different approaches:

	1) Treat it the same as SARL, GmbH, SA, etc. --
	don't try to translate it. We know what it is
	or we don't care. [uncommon but makes sense]

	2) Translate it as "(open/closed) joint-stock
	company" or OJSC/CJSC [the most common choice].

	3) Translate it as "Inc." [very uncommon]

This also interacts with the word-order issue: if you retain the Russian 
acronym, how much more do you retain of the Russian? Do you write:
	OAO Yuganskneftegaz
	OAO NK Yukos
	[transliterating the entire name]
or
	Yuganskneftegaz OAO
	NK Yukos OAO
	[transliterating the quoted part
	but appending the Russian generic]
or
	Yugansk Oil and Gas OAO
	Yukos Oil Company OAO
	[translating the quoted part
	but appending the Russian generic]
or
	OAO Yukos Oil Co.
	[translating the quoted part
	but prepending the Russian generic]
...?

My preference is for either of the two extremes:
	OAO Yuganskneftegaz
	OAO NK Yukos
or
	Yugansk Oil and Gas OJSC
	Yukos Oil Company OJSC

But I have clients who prefer
	Yuganskneftegaz OJSC
	NK Yukos OJSC

YMMV

-- 
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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