Russian Translation check

Brian "Panda" Choi

To anyone who knows Russian, I'm trying to translate the word "Tracer" (a stage name of a person, noun).

Is вспышка an appropriate translation? Or how do you guys interpret that into English?

dzibarik

"Tracer" isn't "вспышка", but it's hard to judge without context. "Вспышка" = "a flash".

Brian "Panda" Choi

Trying to find an appropriate Russian translation of this character's name then from Blizzard Entertainment's "Overwatch"

Mefix

They do translate it themselves you know, just switch the language to Russian:
http://eu.battle.net/overwatch/ru/heroes/tracer/

So its just Трейсер, which sounds exactly the same as English counterpart. Keep it international yo.

Hellstern

Since some of characters names are translated, i think all names need to be translated. Вспышка is better then tracer cause in russian it doesn't mean anything. And all characters are stylised and very bright in persona, so it' is better to translate it to match their personality.

Nox

I'm afraid there is no meaningful translation in this case, that's why they left it untranslated Tracer/Трейсер.

I don't think вспышка is a good name, when I hear it I have instant association with camera's flash :>

Inpw

My 2 cents: in Russian word "Трассер" used as a slang name for tracer ammuntion. But in Russian language grammatical gender is used for a noun. And "трассер" word is a masculine gender.

Hellstern

Nox but flash means flash, and in russian it is not only "camera flash" I was thinking of a better word but unfortunately couldn't find one. And what do you think would be better?

Inpw yeah, and it is a transliteration. So we are actually have a word for trace a "след" "Sled" but it sounds not cool) and definately not as character name.

plastix

http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/dic_fwords/48460/%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%B5%D1%80

Inpw

Hellstern wrote: »

Inpw yeah, and it is a transliteration. So we are actually have a word for trace a "след" "Sled" but it sounds not cool) and definately not as character name.

Nope. "Tracer ammunition" in Russian is "трассирующий снаряд", not "следящий" or somehow else: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A2%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%80%D1%83%D1%8E%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%B4

Hellstern

Inpw трассирующий же, по этому я и пишу что это транслитерация с латинского слова а не перевод:) И не "следящий" а "оставляющий след". Следящий это если бы он с порога наследил, или слежку устроил.
I mean that in "tracer ammunition" - only ammunition is translated as "снaряд". And the word "tracer" is a transliteration not a translation.
https://translate.google.ru/?hl=ru#en/ru/trace

plastix I thought about parcour, as she also deal with space and time as "osbtacles" This is a point not to translate it at all. But i don't know how common the word is.

Inpw

[Sorry. Long linguistic discource in Russian ]

Hellstern так мало ли иностранных заимствований в русском языке?! Моя мысль такая - даже если название "трассирующие" и произошло от английского to trace (что, кстати, не факт), то все равно, само слово - русское. И соответствующие боеприпасы не называются "оставляющие след" или как-то иначе, кроме как "трассирующие".
Соответственно, производное от него разговорное "трассер" (кстати, если быть точным - то не от него, а от слова "трассёр" - химический состав, который, собственно и оставляет след) тоже вполне себе русское слово, годное для названия чего-либо, пусть даже и персонажа.

Brian "Panda" Choi

I got to admit, I'm not sure how to receive this information, Inpw, heh

unit187

I'd too say you can't translate it both because it is a character name and iirc because "tracer" is how you call a person who does parkour, so the meaning behind the name is appropriate.
Трэйсер doesn't sound bad at all for me as a native Russian speaker.

Brian "Panda" Choi

Alright. If, assuming I am reading this correctly, the phonetic translation works, I'll roll with that with this Tracer fan art project.

Thank you everyone!