Latin to Russian Transliteration: Understanding the Basics

When dealing with Russian text, it is essential to have a clear understanding of transliteration methods to accurately convey the original language. The Library of Congress and British Standard are two prominent systems used for transliterating Russian words into Latin letters. This article will provide an overview of these methods, highlighting their differences and common practices.

Library of Congress Transliteration

The Library of Congress (LOC) system is widely used in library catalogues and general publications throughout the English-speaking world. It is based on the American Library Association-Library of Congress (ALA-LC) romanization tables. In this system, the soft sign 'ь' at the end of a word is often dropped, as seen in the example of Orlando Figes' book 'The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia' (2007).

However, bibliographical references may preserve the original transliteration to aid readers in consulting published sources. For instance, the book by Figes uses the LOC transliteration for the title.

British Standard Transliteration

The British Standard transliteration (BS 2979) was previously used by Oxford publications and the British Library but has largely been superseded by the LOC system. This method is still employed in some linguistics and Slavic studies contexts, particularly when strict adherence to a standard is required.

Common Practices and Adjustments

When romanizing Russian text, diacritics, primes, and tie bars are often dropped for clarity. The letter 'ё' is usually written as 'е', except in dictionaries, language textbooks, readers, and hand-written texts. In running text, common spellings like Julia instead of Iulia and Lydia instead of Lidiia can help the reader identify with Russian names.

To aid pronunciation, opting for familiar spellings like Pyotr instead of Petr or Semyon instead of Semen is recommended. Additionally, altering Russian 'ii' endings to 'y' in surnames (e.g., Trotskii becomes Trotsky) can accommodate common English spellings of well-known Russian names.

Table of Letters

The table below summarizes the most common methods of transliteration used in language references and dictionaries:

| Letter | Transliteration |

| --- | --- |

| а | a |

| б | b |

| в | v |

| г | g |

| д | d |

| е | e |

| ё | yo |

| ж | zh |

| з | z |

| и | i |

| к | k |

| л | l |

| м | m |

| н | n |

| о | o |

| п | p |

| р | r |

| с | s |

| т | t |

| у | u |

| ф | f |

| х | kh |

| ц | ts |

| ч | ch |

| ш | sh |

| щ | shch |

| ъ | u |

| ь | ' (apostrophe) |

In conclusion, understanding the different transliteration methods and common practices is crucial when working with Russian text. By employing the LOC or BS systems, researchers can accurately convey the original language while facilitating communication between English-speaking audiences and Russian speakers.

Latin to russian transliteration