The pronouns are used to avoid the repetition of nouns. The usage of pronouns (personal, possessive, indefinite) differs in Russian and in English.
The usage of Russian pronouns in translation depends in most of the cases on the specific character of the verb or verbal construction.
Example:
He has a large family; he had a large family.
У него большая семья; у него была большая семья.
Here we see that cases of pronouns are different in English and in Russian.
Examples with passive construction:
I am told — мне сказали;
she was expected — ее ожидали;
he was sent for — за ним послали.
In English the pronoun often precedes the noun it substitutes. In Russian this will lead to misunderstanding.
Example:
Shortly before she left London with other prosecution witnesses, the witness Miss Lyons said she would go straight home.
Незадолго до того, как свидетельница мисс Лайонс уехала из Лондона вместе с другими свидетелями обвинения, она сказала, что поедет прямо домой.
Concerning personal pronouns the pronoun “it” brings most difficulties because it can have different functions. When it serves as a personal pronoun (carries out its main function) it is translated into Russian as “он”, “она”, “оно” depending on the grammatical gender of the Russian noun. Sometimes the pronoun “it” and the substituted noun can be separated by many words or even sentences. “It” can appear even in a new paragraph. In this case it correlates to the noun not grammatically but logically.
In impersonal phrases like “it is known”, “it seems”, “it is essential” “it” is translated by indefinitely-personal (неопределенно-личными) word combinations “как известно”, “очевидно”, “очень важно”.
The anticipatory (предваряющее) “it” is not translated into Russian.
It is hard to judge by his first book.
Трудно судить по его первой книге.
It (the anticipatory “it”) is often used in the emphatic constructions:
And it is capitalism which gives rise to the danger of war.
Именно капитализм и создает угрозу войны.
Here in Russian variant the emphasis is expressed by lexical means. To convey the emphasis when translating constructions like this one can use the following words depending on the context: “именно”, “уже”, “еще”, “только”, “вот”, “как раз” etc.
“It” is not translated also when in the for-phrase.
The Soviet proposals make it extraordinary difficult for the most brazen liars in the service…
Советские предложения фактически лишают самых наглых лжецов, находящихся на службе…
Sometimes the pronoun “it” can carry out different functions and correlate with different nouns in the same sentence.
Example:
It is reliably reported that the board, submitting to Government stagnation policy, instead of publicly fighting it, has about 80 to 100 pit closures in mind if the position, as it sees it doesn’t improve.
Из достоверных источников сообщают, что совет (союза шахтеров), подчинившись политике стагнации, проводимой правительством, вместо того, чтобы открыто бороться с нею, предполагает закрыть от 80 до 100 шахт, если положение, как оно расценивается им, не улучшится.
In the first case “it” is a subject of the impersonal sentence and is translated by the indefinitely-personal phrase (It is reliably reported — Из достоверных источников сообщают); next “it” substitutes the word “policy” (instead of publicly fighting it) and is translated by the personal pronoun in the feminine gender (вместо того, чтобы открыто бороться с нею); then the ”it” substitutes the noun “board” (as it sees it) and later the noun “position” (if the position, as it sees it) and is translated “если положение, как оно расценивается им”.
The pronoun “it” can relate to the subordinate clause as a whole.
Example:
When representatives of 28 newly independent nations came together in Bandung in April 1955 it marked a new stage in the battle.
Когда представители 28 стран, которые недавно обрели независимость, в апреле 1955 г. собрались в Бандунге, это означало новый этап в освободительной борьбе.
Demonstrative (указательные) pronouns are also used to avoid the repetition of nouns and often precede the related noun in English. In Russian it will sound somehow strange…
It is known that as well as those from South Wales…
Как известно, что, как и делегаты Южного Уэльса…
The word “those” is translated as “делегаты” in Russian.
In English possessive pronouns are often used before names of the parts of the body, pieces of clothes etc.
He lighted his pipe and took the gun.
Он закурил трубку и взял пистолет.
In Russian they don’t appear in translation.
English indefinite pronoun “every” is often translated into Russian by the indefinite pronoun in plural “все” (and also “каждый”).
Sentences with a subject, expressed by the indefinite pronoun “one” are often translated using indefinitely- personal sentences in Russian.
At a table outside one of the caf‚s (of Morat) one can sip a glass of wine…
Сидя за столиком перед одним из кафе (города Мора), можно выпить стакан вина…
It’s difficult to translate the pronoun “one” when used to avoid repetition of the noun.
The colonial record was one of repression.
История колониализма — это история угнетения народов.
In Russian impersonal pronouns are not used in this form, so one should repeat the noun.
Relative pronoun (относительное местоимение) when serves as subject as well as object, the so called “condensed relative”, is translated by the demonstrative pronoun with the conjunction or by two pronouns — demonstrative and relative.
Maybe we should be thankful that the unemployed army has swelled by less than 200,000 since last X-mas. That it hasn’t risen by more…
Может быть нам следует быть благодарными за то, что с прошлого Рождества армия безработных увеличилась немногим меньше, чем на 200 тыс. чел. То, что она не увеличилась больше…
The pronoun “what” can also be used in cases like this.
The increase in the weekly wage bill is only three fifths of what it was last week.
Увеличение зарплаты (еженедельной) составляет только три пятых того, что она составляла в прошлом году.
“What” can be a subject. In such a case it’s not translated into Russian.
What is claimed to be the first Indian Rhinoceros born…
Первый, как утверждают, родившийся не на свободе инд. носорог…
When used to express the emphasis “what” is not translated also.
What is more important is the principle of the decision.
Но важнее сам принцип решения вопроса.

Левицкая Т.Р. Теория и практика перевода с английского языка на русский. С. 53-61.

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