https://www.proz.com/kudoz/english/law-patents/116069-kiev-vs-kyiv.html
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Kiev vs. Kyiv

English translation: Kyiv (Kiev)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:Kiev vs. Kyiv
Selected answer:Kyiv (Kiev)
Entered by: Fuad Yahya

12:50 Nov 28, 2001
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Law/Patents
English term or phrase: Kiev vs. Kyiv
I really need expert advice on this one as I may very well be establishing a precedent. As phonetic transcriptions, both of the above are correct, one being based on the Russian and the other on the Ukrainian name of the same city. Is anyone aware of a rule that would establish the proper way of spelling it in English regardless of the source language?
Thanks!
Yuri Geifman
Canada
Local time: 11:30
Kyiv (Kiev)
Explanation:
I don’t think a “rule” exists as such, but there seems to be a gradual shift from Kiev to Kyiv, with the former still very much alive. Many references I have seen use Kyiv followed by Kiev in parentheses, as in the following pages:

http://www.brama.com/art/kiev.html

http://pages.prodigy.net/euroscope/kyiv.html


Fuad
Selected response from:

Fuad Yahya
Grading comment
Thanks, I really appreciate everyone's contributions.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +3Kiev
Mary Worby
5 +1Kiev - Russian transcription, Kyiv - Ukranian transcription
Rostislau Golod
5Kyiv
Michael Estes
5Kiev
Eva Blanar
4Kyiv (Kiev)
Fuad Yahya


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Kyiv (Kiev)


Explanation:
I don’t think a “rule” exists as such, but there seems to be a gradual shift from Kiev to Kyiv, with the former still very much alive. Many references I have seen use Kyiv followed by Kiev in parentheses, as in the following pages:

http://www.brama.com/art/kiev.html

http://pages.prodigy.net/euroscope/kyiv.html


Fuad


    Reference: http://www.brama.com/art/kiev.html
    Reference: http://pages.prodigy.net/euroscope/kyiv.html
Fuad Yahya
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 893
Grading comment
Thanks, I really appreciate everyone's contributions.
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22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Kiev


Explanation:
I don't know of any rules ... only that I've only ever seen it as Kiev in English texts.

HTH

Mary

Mary Worby
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:30
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 164

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Greta Holmer
13 mins
agree  Alex Lane: Ultimately, this is a matter of style (as in "Oxford Manual of..."). CE usage is, e.g., Moscow, not Moskva. Kiev has tradition going for it.
26 mins
agree  MJ Barber
1 hr
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Kyiv


Explanation:
Other than the country itself establishing its own transliteration of a city (and Ukraine has given us "Kyiv"), I would consider the most authoritative and recognized authority to be the United Nations. The web sites from both the US Embassy in Ukraine and the United Nations consider "Kyiv" to be correct. However (gulp!) you will notice from the two URLs listed below that the old standard "Kiev" is given, possibly due to ease of recognition. Thus, Kyiv is more correct, but Kiev is more recognizable. Pick whichever one your audience will most likely feel comfortable with. (And needless to say, if your audience enjoys a Ukrainian heritage, Kyiv is the obvious choice!)

Best of luck!


    Reference: http://www.usinfo.usemb.kiev.ua/main_eng.html
    Reference: http://www.un.kiev.ua/
Michael Estes
PRO pts in pair: 96
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Kiev


Explanation:
the same way as you don't write Bruxelles or Moskva or whatever. By the way, the Y in Kyiv stands for I and the I stands for E, so it is not a new name at all.

Eva Blanar
Hungary
Local time: 17:30
Native speaker of: Hungarian
PRO pts in pair: 14
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21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Kiev - Russian transcription, Kyiv - Ukranian transcription


Explanation:
ok.

With the collapse of the USSR many countries (like the one I live in ) have become independent.
As a result they all want to be different and 'new'. That has brought in a tremendous opposition of NAMES, due to the difference in their pronunciation in the national languages.

Take Belorussia - this is terribly rude (although Mr. Putin still does call it Belorussia) to call BELARUS Belorussia or Byelorussia.

The same with (the) Ukraine. The article used to be there, but now... Do not even try to call it the Ukraine, they will kill you!!!

So Kiev is the Russian propunciation/transcription. Russian is no more officially (at least) spoken in UKRAINE!!! So the correct one is Kyiv!!!! KYIV - sounds Ukranian and is actually Ukranian transcription. Do respect us, the 'newly' independent, call a spade a spade , and call KYIV KYIV ...

Best Regards

Rostislau Golod
Local time: 18:30
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in BelarusianBelarusian
PRO pts in pair: 3

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Milana_R: that's what I alsways thought, and some native Ukranian friends have confirmed it consistently. (also Lviv, not Lvov - I see it this way on the latest maps)?
2 days 4 hrs
  -> yes of course, thank you for understanding
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