Kum

[Max Pyziur]

On Fri, 26 Jul 2013, Alina Israeli wrote:

> Кум is not exactly 'godfather',  it's either 'godfather to godmother' or 'godfather to other relatives':
>  1. Крестный отец по отношению к крестной матери и к родителям крестника; отец ребенка по отношению к крестному отцу и крестной матери.
>  2. устар. Употребляется как обращение к пожилому мужчине.
>  3. разг. Приятель, оказывающий покровительство (обычно по службе).
>
>                                                            Значение слова кума
> 
> Ударение: кума́
> ж.
>  1. Крестная мать по отношению к крестному отцу и к родителям крестника; мать ребенка по отношению к крестному отцу и крестной матери.
>  2. устар. Употребляется как обращение к пожилой женщине.
>  3. устар. Немолодая женщина, находящаяся с кем-л. в приятельских отношениях или во внебрачной связи.
> 
> In villages кум is like an 'old buddy' (I don't know if this word is used in the UK).

In Ukrainian куми, as in godparents, invokes a sense of responsibility; 
these are the people, in the event of the godchild's parents premature 
passing would be first in line to support the child. There is also closer 
loyalty between kumy (family first, then kumy, then everyone else).

It deserves more than a footnote and is taken very seriously.


> Alina

Max Pyziur
pyz at brama.com

> 
> On Jul 26, 2013, at 12:27 PM, Muireann Maguire wrote:
>
>       Dear colleagues,
>
>       I would welcome some help on finding an English translation of the words 'kum' and 'kuma' which is compatible with early 20th-century peasant
>       vocabulary. I'm translating a short story by one of my usual obscure writers which is set among characters from this period, and they use this
>       word and its variants frequently as terms of informal address. In fact, the story in question is titled 'Kum', making it roundly impossible
>       for the translator to dodge the issue.
>       I have tried 'the best friend' (for the title), which is, I feel, too vague, and 'godfather' and 'goddaughter' in the text as appropriate -but
>        the latter is too inaccurate as the 'kum' relationship is rather on the level of 'god-brother' or 'god-sister' (it refers to the relationship
>       between a child's god-parents). Has anyone any suggestions, or examples of how previous translators have tackled the issue?
>       Many thanks in advance,
>
>       Muireann
>
>       Dr Muireann Maguire
>       Wadham College, Oxford
>
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> 
> Alina Israeli
> Associate Professor of Russian
> WLC, American University
> 4400 Massachusetts Ave.
> Washington DC 20016
> (202) 885-2387  fax (202) 885-1076
> aisrael at american.edu
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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