Why are place names abbreviated in Russian literature?

Question by Red F: Why are place names abbreviated in Russian novels?
In English translations of Russian novels (especially Dostoyovskey but also seen it in others) why are place names sometimes abbreviated (e.g. K_____). This sometimes is done with people’s names too.

Is it because the name cannot be translated, or is it also abbreviated to one letter in the original Russian too? If the latter, why?

Thanks!

Answers and Views:

Answer by Rita T
Syllabic abbreviations are not widely used in English or French, but are common in certain languages, like German and Russian.

They prevailed in Germany under the Nazis and in the Soviet Union for naming the plethora of new bureaucratic organizations. For example, Gestapo stands for Geheime Staats-Polizei, or “secret state police”. This has given syllabic abbreviations a negative connotation, even though they were used in Germany before the Nazis, such as Schupo for Schutzpolizist. Even now Germans call part of their police Kripo for Kriminalpolizei. Syllabic abbreviations were also typical of German language used in the German Democratic Republic, for example, Stasi for Staatssicherheit (“state security”, the secret police and secret service) or Vopo for Volkspolizist (“people’s policeman”).

Some syllabic abbreviations from Russian that are familiar to English speakers include samizdat and kolkhoz. The English names for the Soviet “Comintern” (Communist International) and “Milrevcom” (Military Revolution Committee) are further examples.

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