Russian localization: challenges and tips

We continue our series of articles about the localization of different languages, and today, we will delve into something new: Russian, one of the representatives of the Cyrillic script.

Russian is often a targeted language for localization, with more than 258 million speakers worldwide. Additionally, many Russian-speaking audiences outside Russia live in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Israel, and other regions, making this language universal for several areas.

Despite Russian localization's attractiveness, it can be challenging because of the peculiarities of the alphabet, grammar, and scripts. To help you better understand this language's nuances, we overview the main challenges of its localization and how to solve them.

1. Fonts challenge

The first challenge you can face when translating from Latin to Cyrillic script is choosing an appropriate font. The typical situation is when the current font isn't good enough for Cyrillic or doesn't correctly support unique characters like "ё" or "ъ." Look at the image below, where the fonts are compared with different scripts.

As a result, one of the main tasks before Russian localization is choosing the best font to fit the original version's design conception (serif or sans serif, decorative, etc.)

Because of this, as a best practice, the Lingohub team always highlights the importance of a design-first approach to localization. Such a strategy allows the team to evaluate the general view of the localized content from the start and add needed changes at the initial stage.

To simplify implementing this method, we designed the Figma plugin, which allows fast content exchange between the layouts in Figma and Lingohub. You can pre-translate your text in a few clicks and push it back to the Figma layout to evaluate the changes and implement the required edits.

2. Context challenge

The correct translation from English to Russian is impossible without additional context, especially when discussing small text segments (one-word segments). The reason is the big difference in grammar between English and Russian. Take a look at the main distinctions below:

Nouns genders

Each noun in Russian has a masculine, feminine, or neuter gender. These genders affect the adverbs, verbs, adjectives, and numerals. For example, the button text "Next" can be universal for the English UI and used in the blog, app, etc., with no changes. However, translating it to Russian often requires understanding the button position.

When we talk about a "next page," the word "page" in Russian has a feminine gender, so the correct form for the word "next" will be "Следующая''(Sleduyuschaya), and when we talk about a "next product" (product has a masculine gender), the correct form will be "Следующий" (Sleduyuschiy). Also, based on the context, this word can be translated as "Дальше''(Dalshe) or even "Далее" (Dalee).

To provide you with another example, let's take a look at the phrase "I have done," which is impossible to translate without context as it can be both "Я сделал" (masculine) and "Я сделала" (feminine).

Nouns declension

Besides gender, Russian nouns have six cases, but unlike German, they affect the word itself, not the article (the Russian language doesn't have articles at all). Take a look at how the word "application" - "приложение" changes based on the cases. Below is an example of a singular.

• Nominative - приложение (prilozhenie)
• Genitive - приложения (prilozheniya)
• Dative - приложению (prilozheniyu)
• Accusative - приложение (prilozhenie)
• Instrumental - приложением (prilozheniem)
• Prepositional - приложении (prilozhenii)

Therefore, to handle the potential issues with the incorrect forms of the words during translation, at Lingohub, we provide a list of additional context tools that can simplify the process and improve the accuracy and quality:

• Context images - screenshots that can be uploaded automatically or manually and that show where the exact text segment is placed on the page.
• Segment description - where the team can add information about a specific segment.
• Segment keys that can indicate where the text exists in the design.

3. The tone of voice challenge

To better overview this part, we should take a step back and explain the conceptual difference between the two groups of languages - analytic (English) and synthetic (Russian.) The first group (analytical languages) requires additional words to convey the exact meaning, while in synthetic languages, the meanings are expressed by word forms. When we want to say "Sit down" based on formality in Russian, we can ignore adding "Please" and only change the entire word:

• informal "садись"(sadis)
• formal "присаживайтесь"(prisazhivaytes) - this form will be polite and formal. "Please" can be added optionally, but this is not required.

Now, let's review the tone of voice challenge in detail.

Formal and informal tone

In Russian, there are two forms of appeal: formal "Вы"(Vyi) and informal "ты"(tyi). In general, there is the following rule:

• "Вы" is written with a capital letter when politely addressing one person and with lowercase when addressing several persons. However, this works mainly in very formal situations, such as when writing applications, claims, etc.
• In less informal situations, for example, messages inside the app, emails, etc., can use lowercase "вы." Also, communication with "вы" is used when talking to older people or people you don't have a close relationship with.

The appeal "ты" is very informal and can be used with friends or people you know well. In business cases, such an appeal is often used in organizations like cosmetics companies or some games, etc., when a brand wants to build a friendly relationship with the customer. One of the cases is the advertisement of the Snickers chocolate: "Ты не ты когда голоден." (you're not you when you're hungry)

Correct usage of formality is essential because both pronouns and verbs change by the formal and informal tone. If we translate the phrase "After submitting the action, you will be redirected to the page." we will have the following options: formal: "После подтверждения действия вы будете перенаправлены на страницу" informal: "После подтверждения действия ты будешь перенаправлен на страницу."

Anglicisms usage

Anglicisms are part of Russian, especially in the IT industry, and translators can face the challenge of using anglicisms or searching for corresponding translations without a detailed guide. Examples of words that are widely used without translation are "OK, push, pull." Also, a widely spread situation is when the words are transliterated like:

• "забукать" - "to book..." something,
• "инфлюенсер" - "influencer,"
• "ивент" - "event"

Choosing the correct tone of voice will mainly affect the entire translation, so it is essential to discuss the tone of voice the team will use before localization and prepare the style guide that describes all nuances based on the audience's peculiarities.

4. The words' order challenge

Russian is a highly flexible language, allowing different word orders. However, the word order can also vary to emphasize specific elements or thoughts. The sentence "The translation industry grew by 15% last year" can be translated like:

• (1) В прошлом году индустрия переводов выросла на 15%.
• (2) На 15% выросла в прошлом году индустрия переводов.
• (3) Индустрия переводов выросла на 15% в прошлом году.

All these sentences are built correctly and can be used based on the context of the previous sentences and the rhythm of the text.

Sometimes, the sentence should be changed entirely to convey the correct meaning. That's why the translation team requires professionals who can deeply understand all the nuances of the regional culture and content meaning.

Example: "Я знаю это. (I know that)." (neutral) vs. "Это знаю я." (that know I)." (emphasis on speaker.)

Also, there is no need to change the word order in interrogative sentences - a question mark at the end is enough.

Example:

• Questioning intonation - "Ты пойдешь со мной?" - "Will you come with me?"
• Affirmative descending intonation - "Ты пойдешь со мной" - "You will come with me."

To sum up

To sum up, Russian, with its unique linguistic characteristics, may not be the easiest language for localization, but it offers access to vast and lucrative markets.

To support localization, Lingohub is building a comprehensive platform designed to simplify and streamline all your localization needs. With our advanced tools and dedicated support, we ensure your content resonates effectively with Russian-speaking audiences. Book a call with us, and let's grow together.