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Shipspotters all over the world => Help and Advice => Topic started by: Oldkayaker on July 24, 2011, 01:37:42 AM

Title: Greek, Russian and cyrillic ship names
Post by: Oldkayaker on July 24, 2011, 01:37:42 AM

Anyone know a handy way to translate ship names in Greek, Russian or cyrillic lettering?

Title: Re: Greek, Russian and cyrillic ship names
Post by: Gilles Barnichon on July 24, 2011, 11:27:48 AM

It is easy to use :

http://translate.google.fr/

Title: Re: Greek, Russian and cyrillic ship names
Post by: Jimmy Christie on July 24, 2011, 02:20:22 PM

Quote from: Oldkayaker on July 24, 2011, 01:37:42 AM

Anyone know a handy way to translate ship names in Greek, Russian or cyrillic lettering?

Hi Oldkayaker,

not sure if you mean "translate" or "transliterate".  If you mean simply transliterating from the Cyrillic or Greek alphabet into Roman characters there's really no substitute for learning the alphabet in question - there are numerous handy reference charts on the Internet.  Just print one out and keep it handy.  The Russian names are particularly amenable as the ships tended to be named in long series identified by numbers, eg Ladoga 105, Baltiyskiy 108.  So, as the numerals don't require transliteration, once you've cracked the name once you will recognise it again.  Also, the Cyrillic and modern Greek alphabets have some broad similarities, so learning both of them isn't as onerous a task as it may be appear.  My ship photograph has given me enough knowledge of the Cyrillic alaphabet to be able to transliterate most Russian words - as long as they're in upper case characters! :o)

Title: Re: Greek, Russian and cyrillic ship names
Post by: Enqweest on July 24, 2011, 04:03:39 PM

Being a native Russian-speaking I would say that a similarity between Greek and Cyrillic-based languages is not that obvious (although does present, of course). For example, an average Russian-speaking can not read Greek letters (although may find some Greek letters to be "quite similar" to cyrillic). My personal solution is to learn Greek alphabets. After doing so, it's not a problem to read Greek map or names of Greek ships. So, I would suggest to do something similar in respect of Cyrillic-alphabets, which would enable one to read Belorussian, Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian and Ukrainian names.

Title: Re: Greek, Russian and cyrillic ship names
Post by: Oldkayaker on July 24, 2011, 04:32:20 PM

NHrAEOE on the ship's stern appears to be Greek. Anyone know the name in English for this ship???

Title: Re: Greek, Russian and cyrillic ship names
Post by: Aleksi Lindström on July 24, 2011, 05:02:49 PM

Quote from: Oldkayaker on July 24, 2011, 04:32:20 PM

NHrAEOE on the ship's stern appears to be Greek. Anyone know the name in English for this ship???

I'm guessing PEGASUS (officially) / PEGASOS: http://photos3.marinetraffic.com/ais/showphoto.aspx?photoid=279432&size=full

IMO 9412103

Title: Re: Greek, Russian and cyrillic ship names
Post by: Oldkayaker on July 24, 2011, 05:23:46 PM

Thanks Aleksi...

I think you found the ship name. ;D ;D

I spotted it yesterday at Port of Benicia, CA, USA and will post now.

John (oldkayaker)

Title: Re: Greek, Russian and cyrillic ship names
Post by: Enqweest on July 25, 2011, 01:02:19 PM

Yes, right, but I would rather read it "Pigasos, Piraeus", which is
effectively very much the same as PEGASOS or PEGASUS.