Russian Translation Services

Empowering Communication Through Our Russian Language Services

BeTranslated, Your Partner in Russian Language Translation

At BeTranslated, we’re happy to take on all translation projects you require from Russian to English and vice versa. We’re with you every step of the way from receiving your documents to their delivery. Our years of expertise have allowed us to put together a team of qualified professionals perfectly prepared to translate your content.

Scaling your business to new global markets unlocks a huge potential for growth. But ensuring success in the largest country in the world requires significant preparation.

Finding a skilled native Russian translator early on not only helps you get your business ready for expansion but provides you with expert knowledge of this vast market.

The Russian Federation stretches across Eurasia from Eastern Europe to the Pacific coast. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia became the largest country in the world in terms of territory. In fact, it’s so large that it spans nine time zones.

Russian Translation Services

Is Your Business Looking To Translate Content Into Russian?

Translate into Russian and Reach a Market of Nearly 300 Million People

Thinking about expanding your activity into Russian-speaking markets? Why not provide your customers with a translated company website or e-commerce page in Russia?  This not only increases your visibility in Russia, but also in many ex-soviet countries such as Ukraine, Belarus, and in many countries of the Eastern bloc where Russian is commonly spoken.

Translations Perfectly Suited to Meet the Expectations of your Russian Partners

BeTranslated relies on a certified team of professional translators to deliver your Russian translations. All our translators are specialists in their areas of expertise, and can deal with any type of translation, from the technical to the commercial. We always choose a Russian translator with specialist knowledge in your sector of activity, to ensure a precise and well-informed translation. With a well-written and culturally localized translation, you will bring your business closer to Russian-speaking clients around the world.

Looking for a Russian Language Service Provider?

A Quick and Efficient Translation Service from Russian into English

Need to translate Russian documents? Make sure you make the right decision when selecting a translation agency. It is key that your documents remain in the hands of professionals. The delicate nature of translation between different scripts required a trained and informed approach of experienced native translators. Request a free, no-commitment quote today!

A Team of Specialized Linguists Ready to Translate Your Texts into Russian

Whether you work in marketing, construction, agriculture, logistics, law or information technology, our professional translators can provide a loyal and fluent translation from English into Russian. By contracting the services of a professional translation agency, you ensure your international reputation and avoid any potential linguistic mishaps.

Get in touch with the BeTranslated team to find out more about our rates and services!

Translation for the Russian market is a lot more important than one would initially think. With more 170 million native speakers and an estimated 100 million second-language speakers, Russian has a significant global presence. It is an official language not only in the largest country in the world, Russia, but also in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. It is also widely spoken in many former Soviet republics including Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, and Azerbaijan.

Considering the millions of Russian speakers worldwide, it is no surprise that many businesses have already seen the importance of translating their websites and other online content into the language. Is this something you have been thinking about for your business? Let’s take a look at some of the issues you should be aware of and discuss with your professional translation service.

As Simple As абв

Formatting and length of a text can play an important role in translation, from tourist pamphlets to product instructions, and most certainly websites and online content. Languages do not use the same number of characters to say the same thing; this is called the expansion and contraction factor. When an English text is translated into German, the translation is typically 30% longer than the original. However, when that same text is translated into Finnish, it will be around 30% shorter than the English.

Russian, of course, uses the Cyrillic script, and there is a significant expansion when a text is translated from English to Russian (around 15-20%). This needs to be taken into account in the translation of your website, and tweaks to the layout should be made where necessary. The Cyrillic script also uses a different encoding to Latin script, and this is something that your translation and localization service should be aware of to ensure that your Russian web content is displayed properly.

Think Further Than Google and Facebook

It’s easy for companies to forget that not all search engines and social media are used internationally. In China, for instance, where sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and even Google are prohibited, residents use instant messaging service WeChat, microblogging site Weibo, and the search engine Baidu, among others.

Although Google is not banned in Russia, the most popular search engine in the country is Yandex. Similarly, while Facebook and Instagram are used in Russia by around a third of the population, Vkontakte (VK), a social networking service based in Saint Petersburg, is significantly more popular, with over 60% of Russians using it.

Cultivating a presence on these sites could play an important role in your company’s expansion into the Russian market. Rather than investing in Google Ads, why not advertise with Yandex.Direct, an advertising service for placing contextual ads on Yandex?

And while advertising on Facebook and Instagram may yield some results in Russia, getting your marketing team to concentrate their social media efforts on VK could be a wise move. With all your online content, it’s a good idea to work with a translation company with a strong knowledge of SEO in the relevant language, to make sure your online presence is strong.

What’s in a Name?

Let’s go back to basics for a moment: your company’s name. When branching into new markets, it’s critical for businesses to research how their name will be understood and used in a different language. How easy will it be for new customers to pronounce? Is your name similar to an existing word in the language? You have to be particularly careful that, if any similar words do exist, that they are not vulgar or insensitive. In 2011 Kraft Foods made this mistake when they dubbed their new international subsidiary ‘Mondelez’ which unfortunately sounds very similar to a Russian word for a sex act.

Transliteration or Transcreation?

There are many ways of approaching the adaptation of your brand for international markets. We’re going to consider two of them (transliteration and transcreation) but remember, the best option for you may be not to translate your company’s name at all. One of these methods is not necessarily better than the other, but it’s important to weigh up all your options with your translation service provider.

Transliteration is the process of transferring a word from the alphabet of one language to another, helping people to pronounce foreign words and names. The sports giant, Adidas, used transliteration in China, calling themselves 阿迪达斯 (Ādídásī), which is very close to the original brand name pronunciation and is not an existing Chinese word. Transliteration is a great way for brands to keep their name pretty consistent around the globe, but some meaning can be lost in the process. If your company name imparts a specific message that you want to retain as part of your international image, you could consider transcreation.

In an attempt to evoke the same emotions and implications, transcreation can include greater changes than simple translation, and may involve alteration of images such a brand logos. If we look to the Chinese market again, we can see an interesting example of transcreation in the car company, Volkswagen which in the original German means ‘people’s car’. It was translated into Chinese as 大众汽车 (Dàzhòng qìchē), also meaning ‘the people’s car’. The meaning was preserved but, of course, the pronunciation is completely different.

Localize Your Visual Content

Launching a website in another country involves more than translating the written content; you must also consider the images used. Work closely with your translator to localize your website and make sure that none of your imagery could be considered offensive or have any kind of negative impact on the new audience. Some things to be mindful of are superstitions, manners, religion, and symbolic significance.

In Russia, some superstitions include not giving even numbers of flowers (they are only used at funerals) and not putting empty bottles, keys, or loose change on a table. A simple stock image on your website including one of these things may not produce the positive effect you hope to have on your potential client.

Hiring a translation agency with experience of website translation is a vital step in expanding into the Russian market, and BeTranslated has the experienced translators you need. For more information or a free, no-obligation quote, contact us today.

Accurate Russian Translations Make you Look Credible

Like any national market, Russia has its own set of rules and regulations. But beyond the formalities of operating in another country, it’s essential you understand cultural traits and local business protocol.

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy. Depending on your sector, one day you may be dealing with a modern entrepreneur, the next day with an old-school Soviet bureaucrat. The way you communicate with each of these individuals is very different, and it is important to tailor your messages accordingly.

Understanding how to speak appropriately to a diverse range of business people is essential. But it’s not something you can learn overnight. So, using native Russian translators is the most resource-effective way of appearing credible as a foreigner in the market.

Translating into Russian is a Legal Requirement for Many areas of Business
All businesses operating in Russia, including those owned by foreign investors, are required to use Russian. This includes everything from bookkeeping, tax reporting and office paperwork to advertising and marketing.

But beyond that, to operate legally in Russia, your company name must be either in Russian or expressed in Russian transliteration. You’re permitted to also have a company name in a foreign language and/or the state language of a national republic within the Russian Federation in addition to the mandatory Russian name.

It’s important to be aware of this, as a company whose name is inconsistent with the requirements of the law may be refused registration. So, transcreating your business name with the help of a Russian language professional makes it far more likely to be approved by the authorities.

Russian Translation is Essential for Compliant Business Operations

To comply with Russian legislation, you’ll need to prepare some documents (charter and founding agreement).

The process for this varies according to which legal structure you choose but should include the following:

  • full company name (plus any abbreviation you will use in business transactions)
  • names and signatures of the company founders
  • details of any directors, if applicable
  • the amount and nature of shareholder contributions (cash or in kind)

The Federal Law On the State Language of the Russian Federation establishes an extensive list of areas where the use of Russian is mandatory.

They include:

  1. Advertising: all advertising in the Russian Federation must be either in Russian or in the particular state language of the individual republic in which the advertising appears.
  2. Consumer protection: under the consumer protection regulations, a consumer should be informed in a clear and accessible manner in the Russian language about the manufacturer (seller), the operating mode of its work and the goods (works, services) it produces or sells.
  3. Media and public performances: all media is expected to be in Russian. Cinema exhibitions and public performances of literature and art also require the mandatory use of Russian.
  4. Education: Russian is mandatory while receiving education in all educational institutions. If you offer educational products or training, this could apply to you.
English is Still Not Widely Spoken in Russia

According to a Levada Center poll from 2014, only 11 percent of Russians speak English. Even with such a low number, it’s still the most popular foreign language in the country.  Many Russians study English at school and in universities. However, not many use it regularly.

Although English is not nearly as widely spoken as it is in Western Europe, More and more people, especially the young, are learning it. In the cities that attract tourists, you’ll find many more people who speak English than in more rural places. German is the second most widely understood language. In fact, in many areas, German is a more popular language of study than English.

Effective Russian Translations are Crucial to Business Growth

The ideal steps to get any business up and running in a new foreign market is to employ a professional translation agency. Using an experienced company with qualified translators who are native Russian speakers make this goal simple and easy to execute. Localizing your business texts into Russian couldn’t be more straightforward with the right help.

Employing a professional translation agency is the best way to produce the material you need to implement this growth. Partnering with an experienced Russian language professional offers is peace of mind that you’ll have high-quality communications that create positive associations with your business.

Trust our Language Professionals with Translating From or into Russian

Experience makes all the difference. For English-Russian translation, BeTranslated specializes in several areas: business translation, marketing translation, web content translation, technical translation and the translation of IT documents. Whatever the subject field, we have a team of trusted, specialized Russian translators you can rely on. They have sector-specific experience and understand the protocols and terminology necessary to quickly turn around accurate translations.

Quality-First Professional Russian Translation Services

We believe that quality always comes first. We do everything possible to ensure you’re confident entrusting us with the translation of your documents. And that you’re so happy with the service that you recommend us to others. We pride ourselves on our reputation for industry-leading translation services at competitive rates.

In addition to Russian, we cover all the major global languages: English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Danish, Norwegian, Polish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish as well as many others. Whatever languages you need, you can rest assured that our quick response and seamless project delivery will be fast, thorough and professional.

BeTranslated Caters to all Types of Projects

By using a professional translation company, you can rest assured that you won’t have to worry about taking care of the details. Our project managers take care of everything from the moment we receive your documents until the work is finished and sent back to you.

First, we’ll assign your text to an expert translator in your field. Then, they’ll partner with a second expert to validate all your text in the source format. Aside from accurately portraying your business values and precise localization of your documents, we recognize the importance of setting and meeting clear deadlines. To that end, we work with you to create a realistic project timeline that ensures high quality on time, every time.

Get in touch to discuss how we can assist with your unique English to Russian/Russian to English translation needs.

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