Re: Nomenclature2 (NSL, FSE, ESU)

On Mon, 17 Dec 2001, Robin Paul wrote:

> > 4) How would ESU translate to Russian and
> > Chinese?
> 
> In Russian, "Evropeskiy Sotsialisticheskiy Soyuz"

Heh, that's not exactly "Eurasia Solar Union" is it?  It's more like
"European Socialist Union" isn't it?

In Mandarin, having "Solar" in the name wouldn't sound very appropriate
either.  It'd be more like "Ouya Suweiai Lianmeng" or "Ouya Renmin
Minzhu
Lianmeng" for "Eurasian Soviet Union" or "Eurasian People's Democratic
Union" respectively.  Maybe "Ouya Taikong Lianmeng" (Eurasian Space
Union)?

> > 5) What would the ESU Army be known as?
> 
> I agree with John (quick, nurse, the screens!) that Red Army is the
best
> bet.	In the old days, it was the "Workers and Peasants Red Army",
> Raboche-Krestoyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya, RKKA.

Both the older Russian and Chinese Communist armies were known as the
"workers' and peasants' red army" in their respective languages.  Then
the
Soviets renamed theirs "the Soviet Army" and the Chinese "the People's
Liberation Army".  I still think having something other than the
archetypical "Red Army" is more colourful, but whatever rocks your boat
:)

> > 6) Would the ESU have a separate Marine
> > branch? Known as what?
> 
> The Russians have had "Naval Infantry" since Pontius was an AC/2;
however,
> the Russian term is Morskaya Pyekhota, or "sea infantry".  I suggest
that
> this be updated to Kosmicheskaya Pyekhota, "space infantry".	Russian
Paras
> are the VDV, Vozdushno-Desantnaya Voiska, "air-assault forces".  This
could
> update to Kosmichesko-Desantnaya Voiska, KDV, "space-assault forces"
or
> Voennokosmichesko-Desantnaya Voiska, keeping VDV for reasons of
tradition
> "military space-assault forces".

The Chinese PLA has a naval infantry detachment as a part of the
navy, known as "Haijun Luzhandui" or "Navy Land Combat Unit". 
Space-borne
infantry could be "Tianjun Luzhandui" or "Taikong Luzhandui", i.e.
"Space
Land Combat Unit".  Ian Douglas' novel Luna Marine has refers to the
futuristic Chinese space troops as "Hangkong Tuji Budui", or "Space
Assault Troops" or "Space Commandoes".	The latter has more of a
Special-Forces type connotation though.

> > 7) Vehicle Types:
> > Tank:
> > English: Tank
> > French: Char?
> plus variants e.g. Char d'Assaut, Char de Rupture
> > German: Panzer
> > Spanish/Italian: Carro Armato plus variants e.g. Carro di Rottura
> > Chinese:?
> > Russian: Tank!
> Polish: Czolg
> Japanese: Sensha "battlewagon"

Communist Chinese:  Tangke (guess where that came from)
Taiwan: Zhanche (or more properly Chen Cheh in Giles-Wade)
  for "chariot" or "battlewagon"

Now, what happens to Taiwan in the GZGverse?  Does the NAC jealously
protect it like Japan, or is the British monarchy stupid enough to let
it
fall to the Communists?

> > APC/AIFV/MICV:
> > English: APC/AIFV/MICV
> > French: Vehicle Alimente d'Infanterie, Vehicle Blinde d'Infanterie
> > German: Schutzenpanzerwagen
> > Spanish/Italian: ?
> > Chinese:?

"Zhuangjiache" or "Zhuangjia Yunbing Che", for "Armoured Vehicle" or
"Armoured Personnel Transport Vehicle".  Not sure what the technical
name