for discussion

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Josh Wilson wrote:

> Josh Wilson Wrote: 
> 
>> PS - by this argument the name on my Russian visa should actually be
>> "Isus" as that is the direct Russian translation of my name. 
> 
> Paul Gallagher wrote:
 >
>> Huh.
>>
>> I would've guessed "Джошуа."
> 
> Josh Replies: 
> 
> And if we were talking about the transliteration of names, you would be
> right. In fact, that is exactly what is on my visa. 
> 
> However, we are talking about the translation of names. Anyone named
> "Dzhoshua" who has spent any time in Russia can tell you that the name does
> not exist in Russian culture - and in fact confuses the bejessus out of many
> Russians. 

More than any other foreign name like "Myung-Hee" or "Jorge"?

> If to translate the name, the closest thing you will come to moving back to
> the original roots and following the line back to Russian - is Isus. 

OK, then by the same logic, "John" becomes "Ivan," etc. But there comes 
a point where we're no longer offering contemporary equivalents (Николай 
= Микола) but instead digging into the dusty archives of ancient 
history. I don't mind being called "Павел," which is a reasonable 
equivalent for "Paul," but if my name were "John" I would reject "Ivan" 
-- that wouldn't be my name any more than "Igor" would be. At some 
point, telling someone what his name is becomes less of an accommodation 
to the local language and more of a rejection of his identity. Drawing 
this line is left as an exercise to the reader. ;-)

> (Joshua and Jesus actually have the same root - but the English translators
> of the Bible chose to treat the name differently for different characters.) 

I suppose (off the cuff) because Greek was a more prestigious language 
and would help sell the religion (no comment on whether that was a good 
or bad thing, just analyzing the strategy).

-- 
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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