# Easy Russian Translation question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045 "2004-11-16T12:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jtraut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@jtraut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtraut)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/1 "2004-11-16T12:38:44Z")
Hey I am trying to translate a label on a fur hat to see what kind of fur it is the word looks like this 6EnAPYCb this is in all caps on the label ( i think ) I did some translating and 6EnKA is squirrel - is this maybe a type of squirrel I tried fox mink racoon muskrat fox etc with no luck Thanks for your help in advance, Comrades! ---
**Author:** ![jtraut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@jtraut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtraut)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/2 "2004-11-16T12:41:52Z")
I did some more guessing, could it be russian squirrel? ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/3 "2004-11-16T13:21:41Z")
Yes, “Belka” is Russian for “squirrel”. The Latin transliteration of that word, however, is “BELARUS”. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/4 "2004-11-16T13:33:26Z")
Yes, it’s [Belarus](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bo.html) - presumably that is the country in which the hat was made. Nothing to do with squirrels, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![jtraut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@jtraut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtraut)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/5 "2004-11-16T13:34:48Z")
is " 6EnAPYCb " BELARUS in russian? thanks for the reply! ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/6 "2004-11-16T13:59:45Z")
Well, it’d be “Беларусь”. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/7 "2004-11-16T14:02:13Z")
> [@jtraut](#): > > is " 6EnAPYCb " BELARUS in russian? > > thanks for the reply! Yes. See the [Russian alphabet](http://www.friends-partners.org/oldfriends/language/russian-alphabet.html). That “b” at the end is actually the “soft symbol”, **Ь** , which softens the “s” sound. If the encoding works, this should be what it looks like: **БЕЛАРУСЬ** Б=B Е=E Л=L А=A Р=R У=U (“oo” sound) С=S Ь=soft sign. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/8 "2004-11-16T14:04:46Z")
Incidentally, “бела” means “white” — the old name for Belarus in English was “White Russia”. I still have an old atlas at home that calls it this. ---
**Author:** ![jtraut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@jtraut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtraut)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/9 "2004-11-16T14:05:19Z")
Can I e-mail you a pic to see if you can translate the rest? Here is my address [johnmichaeltrout@hotmail.com](mailto:johnmichaeltrout@hotmail.com) Thanks so so much, I have been trying for hours trying to use Eng to Russian translator to no avail… ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/10 "2004-11-16T14:12:02Z")
The pronounciation of the “softened” **С** is made with the mouth stretched a little bit (somewhat like a smile), by the way. Yes, the literal translation of Belarus is “White Russia”, and Belorussians are “White Russians”. When the adjective is not part of a compound word, however, it is written “белий”. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/11 "2004-11-16T14:19:01Z")
**Crescend** seems to be more clued up on Russian than me, so he/she’s probably your man/woman 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/12 "2004-11-16T14:27:08Z")
Mmmm…I loves me some White Russians. Oh! Nevermind… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/13 "2004-11-16T14:29:25Z")
Ya ne gavaryu pa-Russki. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jtraut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@jtraut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtraut)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/14 "2004-11-16T14:38:17Z")
Johnny did you get mail? Thanks again everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/15 "2004-11-16T14:44:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Johnny did you get mail? No, not yet. I’m off to get ready for work. (I really don’t speak Russian, BTW. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/16 "2004-11-16T14:47:06Z")
He means me, I put “Johnny Johnson” as the name on my Hotmail blind-drop account. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/17 "2004-11-16T14:48:31Z")
And yes, I sent the reply. ---
**Author:** ![jtraut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@jtraut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtraut)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/18 "2004-11-16T15:04:33Z")
Thanks again man, for all those intersted, it turns out to be Belarusian not Russian… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/19 "2004-11-17T01:12:42Z")
> [@Crescend](#): > > He means me, I put “Johnny Johnson” as the name on my Hotmail blind-drop account. 🆒 When I was at work, I wondered if I had been whooshed. I get a lot of spam with Cyrillic titles. ---
**Author:** ![Bean\_Counter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/db5fbb/32.png) [@Bean\_Counter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bean_Counter)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-russian-translation-question/275045/20 "2004-11-17T04:54:57Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > I get a lot of spam with Cyrillic titles. No kidding! You buy one single Russia mail-order bride and the next thing you know, you’re inundated with Cyrillic spam! What a world… what a world…