The names of artists

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Guru cityteller
<a href="/ro/translator/vilkacis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1169790">vilkacis <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
S-a alăturat: 10.03.2013
Pending moderation

It would be good if we had the possibility to write the names of artists also in other languages.
Now there is a place for "Original name".
If we have also a place for the same name in others languages, the information could be found, if someone searchs it by the name in his language.

For example: "Johnny Hallyday" can be written in other languages: Džonijs Holidejs, Džonis Holidėjus, Τζόνι Χαλιντέι, Джонни Холлидей, Джо́нні Го́ллідей, Джоні Халідэй, Джоні Алідэ...
Or: "Michael Jackson" - Maikls Džeksons, Maiklas Džeksonas, Maiklos Džeksuons, Μάικλ Τζάκσον, Майкл Джэксан, Майкл Джексон...

Moderator Retras and Scholar of a Dark Age
<a href="/ro/translator/sciera" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1077079">Sciera </a>
S-a alăturat: 16.02.2011

If those are commonly used spellings I'd be in favor of it - but is it actually common to transliterate Latin spellings into Greek, Cyrillic etc.?
Normally we only go by the official transliterations, if they exist.

Guru cityteller
<a href="/ro/translator/vilkacis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1169790">vilkacis <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
S-a alăturat: 10.03.2013

It is not just the transliteration (into Greek, Cyrillic).
It is more difficult :)))
It is OFFICIAL spelling in another language :)
If "George Bush" is George Bush in English, in German and in French, it is not the same in some other languages.
In Latvian he is Džordžs Bušs.
In Lithuanian he is Džordžas Bušas.
Etc.
(It is the same about cities: London is Londres in French, Londra in Italian, Londres in Spanish, Londona in Latvian, Londonas in Lithuanian...)

So, every Latvian knows who is Džordžs Bušs, but if he doesn't speak English, he doesn't know who is George Bush :)
If George Bush was an artist and some Latvian would want to know something about him, he would write "Džordžs Bušs" in Google :)

So, if there is only "George Bush" in LT, he will never find it.
But if there is also "Džordžs Bušs", he will find the information in LT.

Retired Editor
<a href="/ro/translator/coopysnoopy" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1233870">Coopysnoopy </a>
S-a alăturat: 28.01.2015

The same I learned in Croatia, by reading film posters!
:bigsmile:

Moderator Retras and Scholar of a Dark Age
<a href="/ro/translator/sciera" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1077079">Sciera </a>
S-a alăturat: 16.02.2011

Fascinating - in German we just use the original spelling, as long as it's in Latin letters, maybe omitting the diacritics.
If I'd write George Bush in German orthography it would be maybe "Dschordsch Busch" (we don't even have that g-sound in native words), and Michael Jackson would be "Meikl Dscheksen". But no one would use such spellings here.

Guru cityteller
<a href="/ro/translator/vilkacis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1169790">vilkacis <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
S-a alăturat: 10.03.2013

Other languages differ from the German language.
In Latvian and Lithuanian nobody writes "George Bush". It's impossible form!!!
In Latvian the ONLY correct form is Džordžs Bušs.
In Lithuanian the ONLY correct form is Džordžas Bušas.
Everyone (governement, TV, newspapers) uses only these forms.
Sometimes one can put the original form into brackets, using italic: Džordžs Bušs ([i]George Bush[/i])

Another examples:

Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder >
in Latvian: Gerhards Frics Kurts Šrēders
in Lithuanian: Gerhardas Fricas Kurtas Šrioderis :)))

Helmut Josef Michael Kohl >
LV: Helmūts Jozefs Mihaels Kols
LT: Helmutas Jozefas Michaelis Kolis

François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande >
LV: Fransuā Žerārs Žoržs Nikolā Olands
LT: Fransua Žeraras Žoržas Nikolia Olandas

Attention:
American "George" is Džordžs and Džordžas
French "George" is Žoržs and Žoržas
German "George" would be Georgs and Georgas :)

By the way, German, English and French make differences, too:
Russian: Владимир Владимирович Путин
Official transliteration: Vladimir Vladimirovič Putin (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wladimir_Wladimirowitsch_Putin)
In German: Wladimir Wladimirowitsch Putin (tsch, W, W, w)
In French: Vladimir Vladimirovitch Poutine (tch; O and E are added)
In English: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (ch)

Every language has its own particularities.

Retired Editor
<a href="/ro/translator/coopysnoopy" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1233870">Coopysnoopy </a>
S-a alăturat: 28.01.2015

The Russian language has got the Cyrillic alphabet, so it is hardly surprising when Russian names differ when they are transcripted into languages with Latin alphabet.
But for example although Croatian has got a Latin alphabet too, foreign names are transcripted onomatopoeically. I asked my friend why, and her answer was: in Croatia the knowledge of English and therefore English pronunciation is not common (it was in 1978).

Guru cityteller
<a href="/ro/translator/vilkacis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1169790">vilkacis <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
S-a alăturat: 10.03.2013
Coopysnoopy a scris:

But for example although Croatian has got a Latin alphabet too, foreign names are transcripted onomatopoeically.

Yes. For some languages the pronunciation ir primary.
Latvians, Lithuanians, Czechs have a letter "š" for the sound [š]. If they hear [š], they write "š" :)
In English it is "sh", in French "ch", in German "sch", but in Latvian and Lithuanian it is always "š"
For 4 German letters "tsch" we have a single letter "č".

However, there are also others reasons for changer the original spelling.
For example:
"John gives a banana to Peter"
In Latvian one can say the same in different ways:
Jānis dod banānu Pēterim
Jānis dod Pēterim banānu
Jānis Pēterim dod banānu
Jānis Pēterim banānu dod
Jānis banānu dod Pēterim
Jānis banānu Pēterim dod
Pēterim Jānis dod banānu
Pēterim Jānis banānu dod
Pēterim banānu dod Jānis
Pēterim banānu Jānis dod
Banānu Pēterim dod Jānis
Banānu Jānis dod Pēterim
Dod Jānis Pēterim banānu
etc., etc.
Every sentence has its own nuance.
It is possible due to the endings.
Without endings nobody could understand: Banana gives John to Peter, or maybe - Peter gives John to banana, etc.
The endings provide that we can understand: who gives what to whom. The order of words is not so important.
So, we need the endings! Every John and Peter obtains his endings! :)

Angela Merkele ([who?] Angela Merkel)
Angelas Merkeles [tālrunis] ([telephone of] Angela Merkel)
[došu] Angelai Merkelei ([I shall give to] Angela Merkel)
[redzu] Angelu Merkeli ([I see] Angela Merkel)
ar Angelu Merkeli (with Angela Merkel)
Angelā Merkelē (in Angela Merkel)
[Sveika] Angela Merkel! ([Hello] Angela Merkel!)

It's the reason why every name obtains the endings. Without endings it would be useless.
Without endings one would have to say/write: A man "John" does "give" a fruit "banana" to a man "Peter" :D

Retired Editor
<a href="/ro/translator/coopysnoopy" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1233870">Coopysnoopy </a>
S-a alăturat: 28.01.2015

Very interesting! In Croatian there are those kind of endings too; the language seems to work likely (I don't speak Croatian, so I just guess).
Latin is another example of a language with variable word order.
It is funny to read famous actor's etc. names in transcription but the advantage of correct pronunciation is not to be underestimated.
:)

Expert A dancing soul
<a href="/ro/translator/r%C3%AAveuse" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1293141">rêveuse </a>
S-a alăturat: 26.05.2016

Vilkacis I have a question for you . Isn't possible to write the version of the name that you know in your native language and search for the English equivalent via google? I do it all the time, especially when I have no idea how a name that I heard is supposed to be written.I write it in greek (or even in english , but sometimes that means with some wrong letters , but still that doesn't appear to be a problem! ) and then I usually find what I'm looking for.What you said about the endings above was really interesting, must be quite challenging to learn your language! (for the non-native speakers I mean:p)

Guru cityteller
<a href="/ro/translator/vilkacis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1169790">vilkacis <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
S-a alăturat: 10.03.2013
rêveuse a scris:

Isn't possible to write the version of the name that you know in your native language and search for the English equivalent via google?

Everyone can clarify everything. If he wants :)

But my idea was: If there are "Name of artist" and "Original name" in LT, may be it would be good to add "Name of artist in other languages".
So, if someone seaches "Džordžs Bušs", he will find also "George Bush" in LT. LT would be more popular.
At the same time, I thing that it would be interesting to know that the name of your favorite artist can be spelled differently in other languages.

French Hugo is Īgo in Latvian.
English Shakespeare is Šekspīrs in Latvian.

rêveuse a scris:

What you said about the endings above was really interesting, must be quite challenging to learn your language! (for the non-native speakers I mean :p)

Latvian has 7 cases.
Latin has 6 cases.
Vepsian has 22 cases :D

But I don't think that it could be difficult to learn :)

Englishmen say: "in London", Frenchmen say: "à Londres", Latvians say: "Londonā".
To put "in" or "à" in the beginning or to put "ā" in the end - it is not a great difference :D

And the Latvian pronunciation ir very simple. As the Italian one :)
"a" ir always "a", "b" is always "b", etc.
However there are two exeptions: "dz" sometimes is [d] + [z], and sometimes [dz]
and "dž" sometimes is [d] + [ž], and sometimes [dž] :)

Guru cityteller
<a href="/ro/translator/vilkacis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1169790">vilkacis <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
S-a alăturat: 10.03.2013

An article about the names in Latvian: Why You Will Almost Definitely Have to Change Your Name When Speaking Latvian :)

https://deepbaltic.com/2016/09/23/why-you-will-almost-definitely-have-to...