Ebonics in Russian translation?

[Robert Orr]

Further to this thread, in the Flashman books the word **gg** turns up
frequently, and not just in reference to Africans (e.g., the phrase "Chinese
**gg** in "Flashman and the Dragon", and innumerable examples in the stories
set in India).  Its rendition in "Flash bez kozyrej" is very inconsistent.  

**gg** does seem to have some degree of connotation of "trexetaznyj mat" in
Russian.  I recall some years ago a Russian visitor noting in hushed tones a
sort of folk-etymological explanation of the surname "Schwarzenegger"
(analysing it as 
Schwarze-negger rather than the correct Schwarzen-egger).

Sometimes **gg** is rendered by **gg** in the Russian text, and sometimes by
"negr".  The examples below all use **gg** in the source text.  Only "negr"
seems to be used in the scenes set in Africa or on board ship.

Comments?

(African slave trading)

"Gezo, korol Dagomei, byl certovski urodliv, daze po negritjanskim
standartam" 

(onto a slave ship)

"sovsem neprosto bylo zagnat sest soten tupyx ispugannyx negrov v trjum dlja
rabov - eto bylo potrudnee, cem pogruzit irlandskuju pexotu na vojennyj
transport"

(Flashman loses it with George Randolph)

"A cto ty budes delat?  Zaores, cto, mol ja - beglyj negr, a etot celovek
tajkom vezet menja v Kanadu?..... Zakroj rot i mars k svoim sobratjam, da
pozivej ... Posel von, **gg**!"

(Flashman and Randolph are exposed)

"Anglicane sliskom mjagko obrascajutja s negrami" ....

(Flashman faces being put to work on a plantation himself after Mandeville
catches him with his wife)

"A znaes, cto s toboj budet .....  Tja vysekut i otpravjat v pole vmeste s
**gg**ami sobirat saxarnyj trostnik! Ty i tak uze zagorel kak mmu-lat .... i
sovsem stanes poxozim na **gg**a.  I net te spasenija   Esce ni odin **gg**
ne ubegal s toj plantacii (incidentally, why not "ubezal"; is it because of
"ni odin"?).

(slavecatchers along the Ohio)

"Tot negr, cto sbezal ot Tompsona, prjacetsja v Meysons-Bottom"

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