The Linguist

@CIOL_Linguists WINTER 2023 The Linguist 19 FEATURES the easiest starting point to fetch full spellings for abbreviations, as well as definitions of some terminology (unless you can find them in the Translation Memory). For abbreviations, Acronym Finder online is my second option. Another good strategy is to google 'abbreviation+company name' and similar combinations. Wikipedia, with its switchable languages, can be a good initial source too, especially as it offers references to source information at the bottom of the page. Official standards (GOSTs) can be used for all kinds of technical terminology in Russian. When it comes to product names, they often stand on their own in English, while in Russian they usually require a general term such as 'solution' or 'product line'. To add the right term, the translator needs to understand what they are dealing with. Kaspersky Anti- Virus (KAS) and Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) are product lines, so the category name will be added in Russian (линейка продуктов KAV/KIS), while iChecker and iSwift are technology (технология iChecker). This also takes us to the official product names. For instance, Kaspersky Total Security for Business will become Kaspersky Total Security для бизнеса, but Kaspersky Security for xSP will be partially translated as Kaspersky Security для xSP. You need to consult the client's guidelines and do your own research to decide when to translate, when to keep the item in English and when to use a description. The company's website is another good source of information. Grammatical differences Similar issues arise with components, interface elements and commands. Thus, it is hard to translate 'System Watcher' directly, so it becomes Мониторинг активности (lit. 'Monitoring of activity'; a nomination of an active doer in English turns into a gerund in Russian). The command 'Run in protected browser' (an imperative) becomes Открыть в защищенном браузере (an infinitive). This is due to the tradition established in Russian scientific and technical writing, which is often more austere than the style used in English. There is also a requirement in Russian to highlight user interface elements (such as the command mentioned above) with quotation marks, bold text or something else. To decide which 'highlighter' to use, the translator should consult the client's guidelines or check what is used across the already translated interface. Although flowing and effortless Russian is expected most of the time, in some cases the client's guidelines require digression from the rules: for instance Анти-Спам for 'Anti-Spam' even though Russian grammar rules dictate that we use lower case and probably write it as one word. Checking the company's website can be helpful in such cases, especially if it offers an option to switch languages. At times I have resorted to looking for snapshots of user interfaces online for hours, or even installing software, subscribing to demo versions and registering on specialist forums. Knowing the field In the beginning, I took (and loved) a free course in computer networks on Coursera, which was challenging and informative, and taught me all about the infamous Trudy (IT slang for a malicious intruder). For the Russian language, a few translation agencies provide rich resources, including vocabularies, webinars and blogs. For example, Evgeniy Bartov with Alliance PRO 3 runs a school for specialist translators, including those working in IT. He regularly publishes useful posts, glossaries and analysis of errors in translation. Some market players publish glossaries, such as Kaspersky's extensive bilingual glossary for English and Russian. 4 Translating in IT and cybersecurity takes a lot of effort but helps you keep up to date with technology and can make you feel elated when you finally crack a particularly hard problem. It is rewarding to be knowledgeable about the ways to protect yourself and how such systems work. Notes 1 cutt.ly/provisioning 2 cutt.ly/0day 3 tran.su 4 encyclopedia.kaspersky.ru/glossary © PEXELS

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