transliteration question

[Paul B. Gallagher]

nataliek at UALBERTA.CA wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
> 
> We are revising my soundfiles website - the Ukrainian audio one where  
> you can listen to my field recordings on line.  In the process of  
> revision, we are trying to be systematic and user-friendly.  One issue  
> that has come up is the transliteration of place names, esp. those  with 
> a Ukrainian double-dotted i.
> 
> The capital of Ukraine is a good example.  If I transliterate its name  
> according to modified LOC, I end up with Kyiiv.  This is awkward  enough 
> for American news agencies to have dropped the second "i" and  settled 
> on Kyiv as the generally accepted spelling.
> 
> In my field data I have place names which, if transliterated properly,  
> end up as Mliiiv.  Yes, I'm not kidding - 3 "i"s in a row.  Needless  to 
> say, people who have used the website in the past have questioned  such 
> bizarre names/spellings.
> 
> So what should we do on this new website?  Should we stick with LOC  and 
> give Mliiiv?  Should we drop one of the "i"s?
> 
> And what about apostrophes indicating soft signs?  These have created  
> all sorts of havoc because the computer, of course, does not recognize  
> apostrophes generated in different locations on the keyboard.  Can we  
> get rid of apostrophes in place names?  Or should we really try to  
> stick to LOC?
> 
> Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Not really sure who your intended viewership is -- are we talking about 
Ukrainian-language students, or the general public, or what? For me it 
matters.

It's a given that any transliteration of any foreign language will 
produce strings unpalatable to the American reader. What does the 
monolingual do with things like "Uzhhorod," for example? But if you're 
writing for the Ukrainian-language student, you want something that will 
transparently render the Ukrainian spelling so they can tell how to say 
it without having to know the word a priori.

Assuming you're writing for Ukrainian-language students, there are 
several approved/official systems. See for example:

<http://www.rada.gov.ua/translit.htm>
<http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~tarn/courses/translit-table.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanization_of_Ukrainian>

On the other hand, for the general public, you have a lot more freedom...

-- 
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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