How to translate company names. Translation of names and legal forms of companies. What to remember

A business form

Selecting a business form involves decisions about tax treatment and liability for business debts. - The choice of organizational and legal form includes decisions regarding tax relations and liability for the debts of the enterprise.

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4 organizational and legal form

form of entity, form of incorporation

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Every translator, encountering a proper name in a text, involuntarily shudders, because the transfer of personal, geographical names, as well as names of organizations during translation is one of the important and not fully resolved problems of linguistics.
Don’t think that only translators have to deal with this issue. fiction. Often it stands for legal documents. When translating commercial documentation, a serious difficulty is translating the name of a business partner into Russian. To do this, you need to focus on the rules of transliteration, which are dedicated to a special GOST 16876-71. In addition, it is necessary to take into account translation traditions. For example, if the name of your English-speaking partner is Harry, do not rush to write Harry in the contract; the variant Harry has long taken root in the Russian language.
Causes much more problems translation of company names, including the name of their organizational and legal form. In Russian it is quite natural to say Mozaika LLC, but how can the name of this company be translated into English?
In practice there is two methods for translating organization names- This transliteration And translation each of the words in the title. The first method is most often used. The second method is occasionally used if the text contains the name of non-profit or public organizations, as an example we can cite the well-known society "Red Cross and Red Crescent" ("International Red Cross").
And of course, it requires close attention, both Russian and foreign. There are also two translation methods here - transliteration or the use of an equivalent foreign term. According to many translators, a decisive choice should be made in favor of the first option. After all, organizational and legal forms in different countries They have their own characteristics, and it is impossible to talk about a 100% equivalent of the organizational and legal forms of different countries. In addition, this form emphasizes national identity. Almost any businessman, seeing the term in the text LLC "Soyuz", will immediately understand that we're talking about about the Russian company. And when replacing the form OOO(limited liability companies) its English-language counterpart LLC(Limited Liability Company), it will be much more difficult to navigate in which country this company is open.
Sometimes entrepreneurs, when placing an order for translation, ask to use a foreign language equivalent - for example, instead of the term ZAO use English J.S.C.. Often such requests are related to the fact that its organizational and legal form already appears under this name in the charter or other documents in foreign languages. But even in this case, a certain compromise is possible. The name of the company's legal form and/or its name can be given in two versions, placing the second in parentheses.
When registering a company, you must keep in mind that, according to Russian laws, in our country it is prohibited to include in the names of organizations or companies full forms and abbreviations of forms of ownership of foreign enterprises, such as B.V., GMbH etc.

Working with various kinds of documentation, translators often wonder how to translate abbreviations of legal forms of various Russian and foreign enterprises. For example, how to translate LLC or PLC into Russian or LLC, OJSC, etc. into foreign languages. As an example, let’s take the name of the organization Pilot LLC. The following options are possible:

LLC Pilot
OOO Pilot
Pilot LLC
Pilot, OOO

That is, three questions arise at once:

Should LLC be written as an abbreviation for Limited Liability Company, or OOO, since in Russian we usually preserve foreign abbreviations and abbreviations of legal forms, simply transliterating them: GmbH, Ltd., Plc., SA, etc.?

Should we put an abbreviation before the name, as in Russian, or after the name of the organization, as is customary in most European and American countries?

Should the abbreviation be separated from the name by a comma?

In our work we used systematic approach to achieve clear logic and maximum uniformity of application practice. Using, for example, LLC as a translation of LLC, in our opinion, introduces some confusion. First, when you see “Pilot, LLC,” you might mistakenly think that it is a foreign company. Secondly, LLC does not legally correspond to LLCs; they are not complete analogues. Therefore, in our opinion, it is better to use transliteration. For example:

JSC – AO (Joint Stock Company)
PJSC – PAO (Public Joint Stock Company)
LLC – OOO (Limited Liability Company)
OJSC – OAO (Public Joint Stock Company)
CJSC – ZAO (Private Joint Stock Company) (not used since September 1, 2014)
ODO (Supplementary Liability Company) (not used since September 1, 2014)
etc.

We do the same when translating foreign organizational and legal forms into Russian. For example:

GmbH – GmbH
Ltd. – Ltd.
LLC - LLC
plc. – plc.
LP - LP
SA – SA
S.p.A. – S.p.A.
etc.

To translate “IP” it is better to use the expression Sole proprietorship or Individual Entrepreneur. Established abbreviation or abbreviation in English language not available for this form.

As for the place of writing, since the most common practice abroad is to write the legal form after the name, our version in English is: Pilot OOO. The use of commas is left to the discretion of the editors.

Examples of translation of full names of foreign legal entities:

New Century Technology Public Limited Company – Open (public) limited liability company “New Century Technology”;

FreeTravel Limited Liability Company – FreeTravel Limited Liability Company;

NewLite Corporation – NewLite Corporation.

In conclusion, one might ask, what about OJSC (Open Joint Stock Company), CJSC (Closed Joint Stock Company) or simply JSC (Joint Stock Company)? Moreover, 15 years ago, almost only these abbreviations were used in translations. Okay, let’s say we accept this translation, but how then can we distinguish between the outdated legal forms of AOOT/JSC and modern OJSC/ZAO? Quite problematic. Therefore, in this case, transliteration is a universal solution. And if clarification is needed somewhere, then it can already be indicated that “ZAO means a closed joint stock company.”

It is pertinent to note that the terms “Open Joint Stock Company” and “Closed Joint Stock Company” are also likely to require clarification, since they are common types organizations, the content of which varies greatly from country to country.

For example, there is the following definition: “Closed Joint Stock Company - A closed joint stock company is a company or corporation where there is a limited number of shareholders that can have stock in the company or corporation.” In these companies and corporations, investors receive stocks or shares in the company or corporation, but they can be transferred and also can elect a board of directors, but since these are joint, they are held accountable for all the company or corporation's debts and obligations. In the United States, joint stock companies and corporations cannot hold real property titles. In the United Kingdom, the liability of the owners is limited to the value of the stocks or shares they hold."

Another example: “ There are two types of joint stock company in Oman: a closed joint stock company (SAOC) and a general joint stock company (SAOG). Only a general (or public) joint stock company may offer its shares to the public and trade those shares on the Muscat Securities Market.”

Surely, in their practice, each of the translators was faced with the problem of translating forms of ownership and abbreviations of various enterprises. On this moment So far, no rules have been formulated in this direction. But you can still highlight the main points and recommendations.

1. Firstly, I would like to note that each country has its own forms of ownership, or, more correctly, it means different things by them. Speaking about various companies and enterprises, we can distinguish the following types of forms of ownership: LLC (limited liability company), OJSC (open joint-stock company), CJSC (closed joint-stock company), AOZT (closed joint-stock company). In addition, there are abbreviations that characterize the direction of the enterprise’s activities: NPP (research and production enterprise), NPC (research and production center), KB (design bureau), NII (research institute) and others.

The following abbreviations are used to indicate the legal form in different countries.

PLC
Public Limited Company
Public limited company (England, Ireland and some other countries) English system rights, not US) - similar to the Russian open joint-stock company: a joint-stock company whose shareholders enjoy the right to alienate their shares. At the head of the enterprise is a meeting of shareholders.

Ltd
Limited
A traditional abbreviation for English-speaking countries to indicate limited liability. Widely used in the names of international business companies in offshore zones. This abbreviation is also often used in the names of Delaware limited liability companies to hide their real organizational and legal form (to avoid the LLC abbreviation). Limited liability companies in England and Ireland can only use this abbreviation (unless, of course, they fall into the PLC category), but not Inc, S.A. and etc.

Inc.
Incorporated
Almost the same as Limited. Denotes the registration of a company as a corporation. The abbreviation is very widely used in America and throughout the offshore world.

Corp.
Corporation
Corporation (an enterprise whose authorized capital is divided into shares, a form of joint stock company, an association of several companies); same as Incorporated and Limited.

LLC
Limited Liability Company
A company, society or partnership limited by liability. In a general sense, it means a company that has limited liability but does not issue shares to the general public; is liable only for its obligations and only with the property belonging to it and is not liable for the obligations of shareholders, just as shareholders are not liable for the obligations of the company. In the USA, as well as in some offshore centers living under American laws, it means a special type of enterprise - a cross between a partnership and a corporation.

LDC
Limited Duration Company
Limited term company. Such a company can be created in almost all offshore jurisdictions using the English legal model; in particular, this type is most common in the Cayman Islands. A company is created for a certain period, after which it must be liquidated or re-registered.

IBC
International Business Company
International commercial company. Introduced as a special form in some offshore zones (Bahamas, British, Virgin Islands, Belize, etc.). May not conduct business in the state in which it is registered or with its residents. Such companies very rarely use the abbreviation “IBC” in their name, but are more often referred to as “LTD”, “Inc.” or in another word indicating limited liability.

IC
International Company
International company (analogous to the International Business Company in some jurisdictions, such as the Cook Islands).

...& Co
and Company
If these words are not followed by an indication of limited liability (for example, the abbreviation Ltd.), then this is a general partnership.

LP
Limited Partnership
Limited partnership (otherwise known as limited partnership). An association of individuals and/or legal entities to form a business enterprise that includes at least one general partner and at least one limited partner.

S.A.
Sosiedad Anonyma in Spanish, Societe Anonyme in French
In translation - joint-stock company. In France, Belgium, Switzerland and some other countries of continental Europe, the use of this abbreviation is limited only to directly joint-stock companies (enterprises that issue shares to a wide range of investors); however, in many offshore jurisdictions this abbreviation is used by ordinary businesses to indicate their limited liability. Due to dominance in the region Spanish this abbreviation is often used by Panamanian companies. English equivalent - PLC (Public Limited Company), German equivalent - AG (Aktiengesellschaft).

SARL
Societe a Responsidilite Limitee
In France it means a limited liability company without the right to freely sell shares. In offshore jurisdictions this abbreviation is sometimes used in the same way as "SA", simply to indicate limited liability, although very rarely. The Italian equivalent of SARL is SRL.

B.V.
Vennootschap Met Beperkte Aansparkelij kheid
In Holland and the Netherlands Antilles - a limited liability company. Some offshore jurisdictions allow the use of this phrase simply to indicate limited liability.

N.V.
Naamlose Vennootschap
In Holland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, the Netherlands Antilles - a joint stock company (translated as an unnamed partnership). Some offshore jurisdictions allow the use of this phrase simply to indicate limited liability.

AVV
On the island of Aruba, this abbreviation refers to companies that copy the Dutch BV, but are much more flexible and adapted for offshore business. As far as we know, this abbreviation is not used in other offshore zones.

GmbH
Gesellschaft mit beschrakter Haftung
In Germany, Austria, Switzerland - a limited liability company. Some offshore jurisdictions allow the use of this abbreviation simply to indicate limited liability. There are also options mbH(used when the term Gesellschaft is part of the company name), and gGmbH(gemeinn?tzige GmbH) for non-profit companies.

A.G.
Aktiengesellschaft
In Germany and Austria it means a joint stock company. Some offshore jurisdictions allow the use of this abbreviation simply to indicate limited liability.

The above abbreviations can be found in various dictionaries; however, using these options is not recommended, since the forms of ownership of different countries differ significantly. Any form of ownership is reflected in a certain way in the law of the country, i.e. describes the rights and restrictions imposed on a company of the corresponding form of ownership. In short, the use of English abbreviations when translating the ownership forms of Russian companies is legally incorrect and distorts the real meaning of the Russian abbreviations. This is supported by Comments to the Letter of the Bank of Russia dated April 20, 2005 No. 64-T: SWIFT BIC (international standard ISO 9362): “the form of ownership and legal form are given in abbreviated form after indicating the name in capital Latin letters - LLC, ZAO, OAO, AKB.”

A strong argument for this rule can be considered that due to the discrepancy in legislation, the abbreviation of the form of ownership immediately makes it possible to determine the country of registration of the company: PLC (OJSC) - Great Britain; GmbH (LLC), AG (JSC) – Germany; SpA (JSC) - Italy, A/S (JSC) - Denmark, OY (JSC) - Finland, etc. Therefore, if a company is registered in Russia, due to the use of a non-Russian abbreviation, the country of registration will not be clear.

Sometimes it is logical to indicate in brackets the name of the company with an analogue of the abbreviation in the target language.

For example: ZAO Motorola - ZAO Motorola (Motorola, JSC)

The abbreviation of the direction of activity of the enterprises should also be transliterated, giving a decoding in brackets (if desired).

For example: NPP Spetskabel (Spetskabel Research and Production Enterprise)

2. The same rule applies to translation English forms ownership, with the only amendment: forms of ownership are not transliterated, but remain in the original language.

For example : Honda Motor Co., Ltd. -Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

3. As for the names of companies (enterprises), they are subject to practical transcription. Moreover, the form of ownership (field of activity) needs to be transliterated.

When translating a foreign company name, the following model is recommended:

foreign name (foreign name transcribed in Russian).

For example:

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. -Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Co., Ltd.)

Hans Weber Maschinenfabrik GmbH(Hans Weber Maschinenfabrik GmbH )

Ferroli S.p.A(Ferroli SpA)

In addition, since this or that company is unique in its kind (a unique name is important to us), its different sound and spelling in different languages(when translating abbreviations and names) will look unsuccessful.

4. Russian names are also usually not translated, but transcribed (practical transcription). Although in some cases you can indicate the translation of the company name in brackets. In addition, please note that when translating Russian companies, quotation marks are not used.

For example:

"Russian Helicopters" - Vertolety Rossii or Vertolety Rossii (Helicopters of Russia)

OJSC Topaz - OAO Topaz

Based on all of the above, we can highlight the following basic rules for translating forms of ownership, areas of operation of enterprises and company names.

RULE 1: Abbreviations of Russian forms of ownership should be transliterated; their direct translation using foreign abbreviations is unacceptable.

RULE 2: Abbreviations of foreign forms of ownership when translated into Russian should be left in the original language.

RULE 3: The names of foreign companies when translated into Russian should either be transcribed (practical transcription) or left in the original language, in some cases with the transcribed version indicated in brackets.

RULE 4: The names of Russian companies should be transcribed (practical transcription), in some cases with the translation indicated in brackets.

Used sources:

Large legal dictionary

When creating an LLC, future members of the company always wonder how to name their company, how to check the uniqueness of the name, whether it is possible to name the company in a foreign language and how to register this in the charter and documents.

According to the Law “On Limited Liability Companies”, an LLC must have a full name in Russian and an abbreviated name in Russian, where in the full name it is necessary to add “Limited Liability Company”, and in the abbreviated version add the abbreviation “LLC”.

Name of the company in a foreign language

If desired, you can add a full and abbreviated name in a foreign language or the language of the peoples of the Russian Federation, the Law allows the Company to do this. But you must understand that the company is obliged to have a name in Russian, and a foreign one only at will, that is, you cannot name the company exclusively in a foreign language. If you have added a foreign name, then you should know that it must be written down in the charter and in the decision of the sole founder or in the minutes of the participants; you do not indicate the foreign name anywhere else. A foreign name is not included in the registration application, and the documents received from the tax office, including two certificates and an extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, will not contain a foreign name. Therefore, does it make sense to use a name in a foreign language?

Currently, the name of an LLC does not have to be unique. Thus, you can register an LLC with a name that is already present in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities. (i.e., it is borne by another legal entity). But, it is important to remember that according to Part 3 of Article 1474 of the Civil Code, using a name similar to the name of another legal entity that carries out similar activities is not allowed.

How to choose an LLC name

At the moment, when choosing an LLC name, many are faced with the problem of the uniqueness of the company name; thousands of companies are registered every day throughout Russia and it is almost impossible to register a unique LLC with a name consisting of one word; most are already taken. Therefore, many choose company names consisting of several words, for example: Alliance-Trade Business Manufacturing Company. In this case, there is a greater chance of choosing a unique name.

But it is important to know that at the moment you can use non-unique names that are already present in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, the main thing is to have other types of activities, or different ones, and not create a duplicate company. According to Part 3 of Article 1474 of the Civil Code, it is not permitted for a legal entity to use a company name that is identical to the company name of another legal entity or confusingly similar to it if these legal entities carry out similar activities and the company name of the second legal entity was included in the unified state register of legal entities earlier than the business name of the first legal entity.

It is prohibited to use the words: Russian Federation, Russia, Moscow, as well as derivatives from these words, in the name of the LLC without obtaining permission and paying a state duty in the amount of 80,000 rubles.

If you choose an LLC name that already belongs to another legal entity and the name is registered as a trademark, then you risk becoming a defendant in court for illegal use of intellectual property.

Requirements of the Civil Code when choosing a company name

According to Article 1473 of the Civil Code, the company name of a legal entity cannot include:

1) full or abbreviated official names Russian Federation, foreign countries, as well as words derived from such names;

2) full or abbreviated official names of federal government bodies, government bodies of constituent entities of the Russian Federation and local government bodies;

3) full or abbreviated names of international and intergovernmental organizations;

4) full or abbreviated names of public associations;

5) designations that are contrary to public interests, as well as the principles of humanity and morality.

Using quotation marks, how to correctly spell a name in Russian

When choosing a name and preparing documents for registering a company, you need to know that the company name must be indicated in quotation marks, namely:

Full corporate name: Limited Liability Company "Romashka"

Abbreviated corporate name: Romashka LLC

The name of the company is enclosed in quotation marks; if the name is complex, then an additional quotation mark can be used, example:

LLC "Business Group "Atlantic"

It is also not prohibited not to enclose the first part of the name in quotation marks and indicate it as follows:

Full corporate name: Limited Liability Company Cosmetic Firm "Romashka"

Abbreviated corporate name: LLC KF "Romashka"

Use of capital letters and capital letters in the name of the LLC

In all constituent documents, except for the application for registration, namely: charter, decision, protocol and agreement, the name can be written in both capital letters (uppercase) and small letters (lowercase), at your discretion, you can write words together and each new word with a capital letter.

Example: “TradeBusinessProject Company” or “Formula of Improved Solutions “PROJECT GROUP”

But the application for registration and the resulting certificate of registration will be filled out in capital letters.

How to register the abbreviated name of LLC

There are no requirements for abbreviated names of the company, the main thing is to indicate the abbreviated abbreviation LLC, and the name does not need to be abbreviated. If your name is complex and you decide to indicate its abbreviated form, then you can abbreviate it in any way, indicate only capital letters of all words, partially, etc. Uppercase or lowercase doesn't matter.

How to indicate the name in English

Usage foreign language when creating an LLC, this is not a mandatory requirement, it is used at your discretion, but if you still decide to additionally add a name in English, then you must indicate the full name and abbreviated name, the full and abbreviated abbreviation must also be indicated.

See also in other dictionaries:

Books

Name of the company in a foreign language

How to choose an LLC name

How to indicate the name in English